In the run up to the General, Borough and Town/Parish Council elections on May 7th we will be publishing brief interviews with each of the candidates that respond to our request.
To read the interviews with other candidates click on the tags at the bottom of the article. For example, pieces on the other candidates for the Handforth East Ward will all be tagged 'Handforth East Ward' and 'Town Council Election'. Candidates representing the same party or group will also be connected via the tags.
Beryl Chapman is an Independent candidate for the Handforth East Ward for Handforth Council. She moved to Handforth four years ago to be near her family who have lived in the area for over forty years.
Beryl told me "I fell in love with this lovely part of Cheshire and its people and this is where I will now remain. My interests are swimming, IT, organising events for our residents in Oakmere, dining out, and also I am a member of the Health-Watch and AgeUK teams."
Beryl has had a varied career, including working as a licensee, secretarial work, and running her own business. She also worked for a newspaper when she lived in South Africa. When she retired as a Magistrate last year, Beryl was elected as a Councillor for the Handforth East Ward.
Speaking about about the most important issues in Handforth, Beryl said "There are so many issues that need addressing, especially protecting our open spaces and green belt, we do need more affordable housing but not at the expense of the greenbelt land - there are alternative Brownfield sites that can be built on.
She added "There are real problems facing our youth, who have very few local facilities for them to enjoy their recreation. I will work with other agencies and service providers to ensure they are listened to, properly represented and catered for. I am passionate about the issues concerning the elderly and disabled in the community: a report was submitted my myself and fellow Cllr Thompson to CEC resulting in extra dropped kerbs locally, hopefully with many more to come.
"I support the War Memorial and after the initial work achieved by HPC and eventually taken over by the trustees, I wish them well for the future. I do believe, along with fellow Councillors, CEC and Borough Councillors Burkhill and Mahon, that working together and given the opportunity, we can achieve these aims and objectives."
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
She really needs to examine the real truths regarding the Handforth War Memorial Funding offered by Handforth Parish Council and then with the real facts to hand, perhaps understand just why the problems have arisen!
The facts are clear - take the trouble to find out Mrs Billsdon!