I am never afraid to speak out on issues I feel are important to local residents

I was first elected to represent Baildon ward in 2012 and have been re-elected three times since. I thoroughly enjoy my role as a district councillor and my main aim has always been to help people with individual issues of concern while also trying to ensure that Baildon and Esholt remain fantastic places to live, work and visit – and to help make them even better, too!

This year I am standing alongside two new Conservative candidates – Alekss Belskis and David Ford – and together we hope to be elected as an active local team who will work well together. We pledge always to put Baildon and Esholt First.

I am never afraid to speak out on issues I feel are important, as I have done over the closure of Baildon Recreation Centre, the sale of the top part of the former Ian Clough Car Park, the inaction on developing the former Baildon Club into our promised library and the fact that the district’s £6.4 million playground project didn’t even enable Esholt to have a slide.

Before it was even built, I raised concerns about One City Park and the fact that more people now work from home and I pushed for more transparency on city centre projects which invariably go over budget.

I am on several scrutiny committees – including the Shipley area committee and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority transport committee – and I always speak out when necessary, as I did recently on matters concerning the school bus reductions for Titus Salt School. I recognise that money is a finite resource and focus on finding positive solutions to issues rather than just opposing change.

We are campaigning on a number of local issues. For example, we want to protect Baildon’s green spaces from over-development and we oppose Labour’s “grey belt” changes that have already seen hundreds of houses approved in other parts of the district on green belt land that formerly had been refused planning permission.

We proposed in our budget to have half an hour free parking in our car parks in order to support local businesses and shops, plus we proposed a lower increase in council tax, which is so important to many people struggling with rising bills.

We want to see more reliable bus services and a return to the half-hourly train service on the Wharfedale line from Ilkley to Bradford that stops at Baildon. We also want reduced speed limits in parts of the ward to make our streets safer for everyone. And we want the Dockfield footbridge repaired and reopened as a matter of urgency, as it has now been closed for almost a year resulting in massive inconvenience to many people.

I remain very active in our local community. For example, helping Litter-Free Baildon, volunteering at the library and running the highly regarded Baildon Imagination Library, encouraging children to develop their imagination and a love of reading for life.

If re-elected, I will continue to be an active local councillor and will always work for the best interests of Baildon and Esholt.