Gosport Labour Party candidates will try to make inroads in the local elections as all seats are contested in the borough, hoping to improve on their one representative after 2021 votes. And this year 16 candidates will be across the wards looking for support, with profiles and pictures sent for the majority. All information has been sent to the Globe email address and laid out by our Assistant Editor (in the order they were sent).
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Jonathan Eaton (Alverstoke): I have lived in Alverstoke all my life, attending local schools and college. Transport is one of our main problems. I believe Labour’s proposal for widening parts of the A32 to enable two lanes of traffic out in the morning, two lanes in for the evening, would improve traffic flow and reduce air pollution.
Gosport town centre looks tired and uninviting. The town actually needs more free short-term parking to encourage people to shop down the High Street. The Conservatives have watched the market disappear and have run out of ideas to encourage local businesses.
Aretha Green (Anglesey): Is currently a primary school teacher, but has also taught at secondary and college level, including at Bay House. She has always been an active member of the teachers’ trade union, the NEU, and is the Social Media officer of Gosport Labour Party. She believes that education is about much more than collecting data and that all children in Gosport deserve the chance to fulfil their potential. She is especially concerned about the limited opportunities for them in post-16 education.
Martyn Davis – Bridgemary: Has worked in education in various roles, including college principal and now as an education consultant. He joined the Labour Party because he believes in equality, justice and fairness.
Martyn has been Labour Party Secretary and Chair and was a councillor for Bridgemary North. He wants to represent all residents of Bridgemary and fight for the distinctive nature of the community. He believes that Gosport has been wrecked by the Conservatives: local democracy has been damaged by weak leadership and a lack of vision. Only Labour has the vision and the ability to turn things around.
Charis Noakes (Leesland and Newtown): I worked at Haslar hospital for 13 years and for USDAW, the shopworkers’ trade union, for eight years. A vote for me in the forthcoming council elections will give you a voice with the council officers and in meetings. Too many Tory councillors and meetings behind closed doors have led to a lack of democracy, ideas and discussion. Locally we have a Conservative-run council blaming a Conservative government for the huge budget cuts Gosport has had to make. The cuts over 12 years to health, education and council budgets have had a big impact on local services
Emma Smith (Elson): A well-established local campaigner and community champion who has lived in Gosport for over 30 years.
A true advocate for families, Emma has often highlighted the lack of affordable housing in the area, meaning that families are unable to take the first steps on the housing ladder and are trapped in poorly run and overpriced rental accommodation.
She realises how hard Gosport families have already been hit by cuts to Universal Credit, rising food and fuel prices and the lack of support from the Conservative government. It will get worse this year with inflation rising fast.
Claire Percival (Forton): Has worked for a local community charity for over a decade and works hard to ensure children and their families are supported to lead happy healthy lives. Claire has been an active volunteer in Gosport since childhood. She is currently Vice Chair of the Friends of Leesland Park, helps run a children’s environmental club and is a member of her daughter’s school PTA. Claire lives in Gosport with her husband and young daughter and is passionate about making Gosport a great place for everyone to live.
Paul Noakes (Rowner & Holbrook): Paul has lived in Gosport for the past 22 years and retired in 2017 from his role as a trade union official. He has seen an alarming decline in the services provided by Gosport borough council, annual increases in taxes but less and less for our money: a 6% increase this year while adult social care, mental health services for young people, Sure Start centres and libraries are all cut back. He will be campaigning for more transparency on how our council tax is being spent. Paul will hold regular ward surgeries, if elected, to increase voter engagement.
Hilary Percival (Grange and Alver Valley): Has a long association with Grange, regularly gets involved in conservation projects and runs a children’s environmental group from Grange Farm 1990. She continues to work in Early Years education and organises collections for the local foodbank.
Conservative cuts mean that Gosport Council gets 40% less funding than it did in 2010. The evidence is everywhere: from schools to streetlights, from playparks to policing, libraries closed, fewer flower beds, streets cleaned less often. Like most residents, she is especially concerned about the recent rise in crimes, such as drug-dealing and anti-social behaviour.
Jonathan Brown (Grange and Alver Valley): I live in Grange with my wife and two young children. I work as an IT developer for a wide range of organisations, usually from home, so I spend a lot of time in our area. I believe that people who live in Grange deserve a Grange voice – someone who is visible and active in the local community, fighting for what we need, for our fair share of resources.
Voluntary work is an important part of my life. I am active in the Rowner Community Trust. Youth provision and protecting our green spaces are especially important to me.
Daniel Stratton (Peel Common): Having lived in Gosport all my life, I have
always been an advocate for local
businesses and a thriving High Street. It’s not thriving under the Conservatives. I take a keen interest in sports, with my son playing for Gosport & Fareham RFC’s youth setup. I am very concerned about the state of some of our playing fields and parks. Local services generally have deteriorated.
The Conservatives have failed us for too long. The latest increases in the cost of living will push more families into poverty. It’s time to put people first!
Councillor June Cully (Harbourside and Town): First elected in 1996 to represent Town Ward on Gosport Borough Council. She has been proud to serve the residents and work with them to protect the environment and improve the facilities. She is married with one son and has retired from the civil service. June was born in Gosport and feels this is an important time for the Town area with proposals for the waterfront/bus station site development being considered. It represents a major opportunity to revive the town centre. She will always give residents’ needs and hopes her fullest attention.
Alan Durrant (Harbourside and Town): Under this government, the rich have got richer, the gap between the very rich and the rest of us has got wider.
The most vulnerable in our society have felt the heaviest burden of so-called ‘austerity’ – people with disabilities, working families managing with the help of some benefits, those on zero-hours and part-time contracts, single-parent families. I spent most of my working life with Portsmouth Water Ltd and now teach industrial relations. As Secretary of the local Labour Party, I am very active in campaigning for better working conditions, more jobs and more affordable housing for the people of Gosport.
Dr Marie Cruddas (Lee West): Marie grew up in Lee, attending Lee Junior school and then secondary school in Waterlooville before leaving to go to university. She returned to live in Lee 22 years ago. She recently retired after a career working as a statistician, initially in research and then 25 years as a civil servant. Marie volunteers locally and for Statisticians for Society, a project connecting statisticians and charities. She is concerned about the local environment and the erosion of public services.
Simon Davis (Hardway): Has lived in Gosport all his life. Simon has worked mainly in the transport sector and is currently an HGV driver. Simon followed his parents into the Labour Party and is an active member playing his part in communicating with the public and canvassing the opinions of the community. Simon is campaigning for more police, better policing methods to maintain public safety and firm law and order policies. Simon also wants to make a positive difference to the way anti-social behaviour impacts law abiding people in our community.
Alison Mandrill (Brockhurst and Privett): Has lived in Gosport all her life. She has been an active member of the Labour party for 32 years, campaigning and delivering leaflets. Alison has also been a representative for a trade union for almost 30 years.
Jess Cully (Lee East): Grew up in Gosport and was one of the inaugural intake of students at St Vincent College. He has a degree in History from the University of London.
Jess is Chief Executive of the God’s Port Housing Society. He is involved in several local leisure and charitable organisations and was Mayor’s Escort of Gosport in 2006/07. No photo available.
