The candidates for the upcoming Wilmslow Town Council election, representing Wilmslow West Ward, have been announced.
Residents in Wilmslow will have the choice of nine candidates to fill five seats when they go to the polls on on Thursday, 4th May.
The candidates standing are:
- Abdullah Faruq - Local Conservatives
- Mark Goldsmith * - Residents of Wilmslow
- Michael Gorman - Residents of Wilmslow
- Tim Higgins - Residents of WilmslowAngela McPake * - Local Conservatives
- Julie Dawn Potts * - Local Conservatives
- Hannan Sarwar * - Local Conservatives
- Ed Sleath - Residents of Wilmslow
- Toby Tritschler - Residents of Wilmslow
I will publish brief interviews with each of the candidates, in the order in which I receive a response to my request. Use the tags below to locate the other candidate interviews published to date.
Please tell me about yourself - occupation, where you live, interests, family?
I am married with one son who is on his final year at University and I have family who all live locally, my background is in sales and marketing.
How long you have lived in the area?
I have lived in the area all my life and it is a wonderful place to live.
Are you a member of any local groups or societies?
Eight years ago I founded Chapel Lane Love The Lane Facebook page and I have been running it ever since, the aim is to promote Shop Local and the wonderful community spirit we have around this area - I also enjoy gardening and travelling.
Why have you decided to re-stand for election as a town councillor?
Because I am all about the community and I have stayed true to my word....I hope that people will vote for me because I work hard and have tried my best to bring the community together along with organising a variety of fun local well attended events which include the Jubilee, the Halloween Pumpkin Trail, the Easter Trail and the Christmas markets.
During the pandemic I organised a large team of wonderful Love The Lane volunteers to help thousands of residents who visited Wilmslow Health Centre over many weeks to receive their numerous Covid vaccinations, along with delivering food and prescriptions to local people who needed help.
Adopt A Road Sign & Bag It & Bin It are other volunteer groups I have set up to try and make a difference to this area - I also actively support our local PCSO regarding security issues after applying for a grant, I help out at the Ukraine cafe, solo litter pick with and without the Wilmslow Clean Team and I am a member of the Wilmslow In Bloom team for the Chapel Lane area achieving 4 RHS 'It's Your Neighbourhood' Gold awards over the years.
What do you consider to be the important issues facing Wilmslow?
I am particularly supportive of the Neighbourhood Plan, environmental issues, the BID and anything which will increase vibrancy to this area.
What do you hope to achieve and how in the next 4 years?
I hope to try and continue to bring this community together which in turn will hopefully make people take more pride and interest in the area in which they live, respect their neighbours and the beautiful surroundings we are all so lucky to live in.
What experience and personal qualities will you bring to the role?
I hope that people can see the passion and commitment I have shown over the years.
Why should Wilmslow West ward residents vote for you?
I would ask local residents to think not about political parties but if what I do is important to them... and if it is....then vote for me.
*current councillor.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
I have always been quite positive about the work you have done round "The Lane" and have in the past supported you. However, there are a couple of issues I would be interested in your response to.
- Contacts I have in the BID team (not councillors) and other election information suggests both that a number of Conservatives - including the town council chair - voted against the BID, and that since sign off, Conservative councillors have been "barely engaged" in the process. Do you have any comment on that and are you involved in projects for Wilmslow but away from "The Lane"
- In your profile you have indicated that it is not about party politics, yet you still stand under the Conservative banner. Do you approve of the recent flyers and social media posts attacking your opponents with some questionable claims; or is this a sign that there is disagreement in how local community engagement and national party politics co-exist?