Candidate looking for a second seat

AN ELECTION hopeful in Coleford is already a councillor – in Gloucester.

Labour’s Neil Hampson has represented the Moreland ward on Gloucester City Council but moved to Mitcheldean recently.

If he is successful in being elected to the Forest of Dean District Council on Thursday, May 2 for the Coleford ward, he says he will continue to represent Moreland on the city council.

He told the BBC’s local democracy reporting service: ““I’ve got a year left on the city council, it’s perfectly fine to sit on two separate councils at the same time.

“We have started to live in the Forest. I will still represent those in my Moreland ward and attend the city council meetings, and carry on with my duties as a councillor there.

“The intention to stand for Coleford is more down to getting more Labour councillors in the Forest.”

The city council’s Labour leader Terry Pullen, who also represents the Moreland ward, has accepted Mr Hampson’s choice.

Mr Pullen said: “It’s well within Neil’s right to represent two different wards on separate authorities.

“I wasn’t totally surprised when he told me.”

Mr Hampson is one of 10 candidates for the Coleford ward which has three seats on the new look council.

The other candidates in the ward are three Conservatives, two Independents, two Greens, one Liberal Democrat and another for Labour.

The council has been reduced in size from 48 councillors to 38 following a review by the Boundary Commission for England.

The re-drawing of the map has also seen the number of wards reduced from 27 to 21

There are a total of 94 candidates for the 38 seats with the Conservatives having the largest number with 38.

There are 28 Greens, 25 Labour, 20 Independents, five Liberal Democrats, four who have no indicated any party and two for UKIP.

The election will see either a former leader of the council or a Cabinet member in the last administration lose their seat as they battle it out for the new seat of St Briavels.

Conservative Patrick Molyneux, who was leader of the council until 2017, goes head-to-head with Green Chris McFarling, the Cabinet member for environment in the Rainbow coalition which ran the council.

The single largest number of candidates is in Tidenham where 12 people are vying for three seats with three Tories, three Greens, two Independents, two Labour a LibDem and one who has not indicated any party.

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Candidates seeking election to the Forest Council. The numbers in brackets refer to the ward map.

Berry Hill (1)

Two seats: Nigel John Bluett (Conservative), Tim Gwilliam (Independent), Richard Noel Henson (Green), Michelle Mumford (Independent), Marrilyn Jane Smart (Conservative), Mike Smith (Green)

Bream (2)

Two seats: Alan Roy John Bensted (Conservative), Rachel Cameron (Green), Steve Crick (Labour), Jackie Dale (Green), Paul John Hiett (Independent), Richard Nicholas Leppington (No Party Indicated), Liz Stuart (Conservative)

Cinderford East (3)

Two seats: Grace Bensted (Conservative), Jeremy Paul Charlton-Wright (Independent), Max Coborn (Labour), Di Martin (Labour), Pamela Kay Plummer (Conservative)

Cinderford West (4)

Two seats Catherine Alys Broadhead (Conservative), Piers Gawain Chivers (Green), Jill Raymond (Green), Lynn Iris Sterry (Labour), Roger Anthony Sterry (Labour), Roger Burgess Newton Stuart (Conservative), Mark David Turner (Independent)

Coleford (5)

Three seats: Carole Ann Allaway Martin (Conservative), James Bricis (Labour), David William Easton (Conservative), Clive Terence Elsmore (Independent), Neil Hampson (Labour), Beth Llewellyn (Green), Margaret Lusty (Liberal Democrat), Denis Riley (Conservative), Bhogimi Vieira (Green), Ian Richard Whitburn (Independent)

Dymock (6)

One seat: Bob Rhodes (Green), Roger Yeates (Conservative)

Hartpury and Redmarley (7)

Two seats: Philip Howard Joseph Burford (Independent), Brian Cecil Lewis (Conservative), John Edward Thomas Turvill (Green), Clayton Williams (Conservative)

Longhope and Huntley (8)

Two seats: Toby Alexander Flitton (Labour), Brian Anthony Jones (Conservative), Jane Prescott (Green), Brian Richard Robinson (Conservative)

Lydbrook (9)

One seat: Sid Phelps (Green), Matthew James Williams (No Party Indicated), Zehra Zaidi (Conservative)

Lydney East (10)

Three seats: Louis Neal Arnold (Labour), Zac Arnold (Labour), James Arthur Bevan (No Party Indicated), Mel Farrant (Labour), Robert Francis Garside (Conservative), James Carwithen Greenwood (Green), Bill Osborne (Independent), Rachel Ann Pardoe (Green), Alan Preest (Conservative), Claire Elizabeth Vaughan (Conservative), Roger Ashley Jean Wilkinson (Independent).

Lydney North (11)

One seat: Jane Margaret Carr (Green), Phoebe Winter Coleman-Wood (Independent), Harry Joseph Ives (Conservative), Louise Penny (Labour)

Lydney West and Aylburton (12)

One seat: Jim Simpson (Conservative), Steve Stockham (Labour), Mark Topping (Green)

Mitcheldean, Ruardean and Drybrook (13)

Three seats: Roy Bardo (UKIP), Sarah Jane Cuthbert (Conservative), Thom Forester (Independent), Jackie Fraser (Labour), Andrew Edwards Gardiner (Independent), Sue Henchley (Liberal Democrat), Jane Henson Horne (Conservative), Jackie Orman (Green), Philip John Robinson (Conservative), Douglas Martin Scott (Labour), Shaun Stammers (Labour).

Newent and Taynton (14)

Three seats: Johnny Back (Green), Julia Denise Gooch (Independent), Eli Heathfield (Conservative), Simon Holmes (Independent), David Richard Humphreys (Green), Len Lawton (Conservative), Gill Moseley (Liberal Democrat), David John Price (Green), Jean Sampson (Labour), Vilnis Oliver Vesma (Liberal Democrat), Nick Winter (Conservative).

Newland and Sling (15)

One seat: Terry Hale (Conservative), Roger John James (Independent), Sally Reader (Labour), David Andrew John Wheeler (Green).

Newnham (16)

Two seats: Richard Henry Boyles (Conservative), Gareth Rhys Hughes (Conservative), Stephen Robert Miller (Labour), Nicky Packer (Green).

Pillowell (17)

Two seats: Frankie Evans (Conservative), Alan Philip Grant (UKIP), Andy Moore (Green), Elizabeth June Pugh (Labour).

Ruspidge (18)

One seat: Grant Stephen Hughes (Conservative), Bernard Anthony O’Neill (Labour).

St Briavels (19)

One seat: Chris McFarling (Green), Patrick Christopher John Molyneux (Conservative)

Tidenham (20)

Three seats: Adrian Birch (Green), Fiona Bowie (Green), Peter Harrison Brown (Liberal Democrat), Gethyn Joffre Davies (No Party Indicated), Judy Davis (Conservative), Maria Edwards (Independent), Nick Evans (Conservative), Angela Farrant (Labour), John Rodney Fox (Conservative), Roger Edward Holmes (Labour), Sophie Jane Blacksell Jones (Green), Helen Molyneux (Independent).

Westbury-On-Severn (21)

One seat: Gwyn John Evans (Independent), Simon Charles Phelps (Independent), Kate Elisabeth Robinson (Conservative), Benjamin Elliott Garrick Webb (Labour).

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Little competition at grassroots

N 47 of the Forest’s parish councils there will be no election because the number of seats equals or is more than the number of candidates.

There will be contests on Thursday, May 2 in the north and west wards of Cinderford Town Council, the east and west wards in Lydney, the central and north east wards of Newent Town Council as well as Dymock and St Briavels parish councils.

Parish and town councillors are all volunteers but have a range of responsibilities such as recreation and burial grounds

Cinderford Town Council

North Ward, one seat: Maxwell Coborn, Karen Turner.

West Ward, seven seats: Louise Freda Bent, Alan Paul Grist, Graham Leslie Morgan (Lab), Rowly Pritchard (Lab), Jill Raymond, Sally Reader (Lab), Lynn Iris Sterry (Lab), Roger Anthony Sterry (Lab), Mark David Turner (Ind).

Dymock Parish Council

Seven seats: Trevor John Blandford, Terry Boon, Jordan Ray Darrah, Andy Downing, Richard Dunnett, Tony Eagle, John Edmund George, Andrew William Perry,

Lydney Town Council

West ward, two seats: Walter Leach (Ind), Steve Stockham (Lab), Tess Tremlett (Ind).

East ward, 10 seats: Louis Neal Arnold (Lab), Zac Arnold (Lab), Bob Garside, James Greenwood, Anne Harley (Lab), Carol Elizabeth Harris, Richard Hugh Kemsley (Ind), Tom Legge, Brian Pearman (Ind), Alan Preest (Con), Claire Elizabeth Vaughan (Con).

Newent Town Council

North East ward, three seats: Christine Birkan, Mary Duncan, Eli Heathfield, Edward Hugh Wood.

Central ward, nine seats: Roger Beard, June Pauline Davies, Karen Elizabeth Draper, Christine Ruth Howley, Aaron McDowell Jones, Sandra Marcovecchio, Steve Martin, Gill Mosley, Wanja Odhiambo, Alan Kennith Ralph.

St Briavels Parish Council

Nine seats: Dot Burley, Piers Gawain Chivers, Andy Clarke, John Richard Hurley (Ind), Paul Tyrone Lounds, Chris McFarling, Pamela Kay Plummer, David Michael Rees, Roger Burgess Stuart, Arthur James Thomas, Glenys Elizabeth Walker.

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Long-serving councillors step down

THREE Forest district councillors, who between them have nearly 65 years of public service, are among those not looking to be re-elected.

Labour councillor Bruce Hogan, who was one of the members for Lydbrook and Ruardean, is retiring after 28 years, Labour colleague Graham Morgan has been councillor for Cinderford West for 24 years and Independent Dave East was councillor for Longhope for 12 years.

Cllr Hogan, a former leader of the council, said his decision was made four years when he promised his family would not stand again to dedicate more time to them.

He said he was sad to see the decline in the council’s range of responsibilities since he was first elected in 1991.

“When I was first elected to this council, things were very different. This building was full of employees as was Lawnstone House, next door and the council ran a full service committee where all members were afforded the opportunity in policy making and implementation.

 I find it sad to have witnessed the powers and range of responsibilities declined in local government.

He also said that the rise of social media had opened councillors to criticism and threats.

Graham Morgan first stood for election to the council in May 1995.

He said: ““The whole reason I stood for this council was that I walked round Cinderford with the then Conservative MP Paul Marland and we counted up 31 boarded up shops, with the locals calling it plywood city.

“Things have improved in the town over the years and I leave the district authority with Cinderford being in a much better condition than when I was first elected.

“I’ve enjoyed my time here especially in the early days when it was run as a committee system. I miss this democratic system, which sadly is not used by councils of today.

“We all worked together, and it was a real pleasure to be here. I hope that one day this council returns back to the committee system as I feel these councils were far more democratic that they are today.”

The other councillors not standing are Conservatives Diana Edwards (Pillowell), Dave Hawthorne (Littledean) and Craig Lawton (Oxenhall and Newent North East) and UKIP’s Carol Harris in Lydney East.