REDDITCH joins much of the rest of the country as it goes to the polls today in the local elections.
In all 11 seats are being contested, including two in Greenlands ward after Labour’s long serving Jenny Wheeler stood down earlier this year due to ill health.
The current make up of Redditch Borough Council is 23 Conservative councillors, three Labour, one Green and one Independent, and although this means the ruling Conservative group won’t be losing control of the authority a poor showing by them would constitute a warning shot across the bows of local Leader Councillor Matt Dormer.
Of particular interest will be what dominates voters’ minds when they go to place their cross on a particular candidate.
At the last local elections the Conservatives steamrollered to a landslide in both the county and borough elections driven by the success of the Covid-19 vaccine roll out nationally.
This time round Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been dogged by ‘partygate’ after he was fined by the Metropolitan Police for breaking his own lockdown rules.
He’s also been accused of being out of touch with the cost of living soaring with fuel, food and national insurance increasing putting many people in hardship.
Locally the fate of Redditch’s library building has been hitting the headlines while the ongoing controversy of creating a cemetery on Ipsley Meadow continues to rumble on.
There have also been voices raised over the state of the council’s finances.
Against this the Conservatives can point to the £15million plus coming to Redditch through the Towns Fund Deal, improvements to borough parks, plans to revamp the town centre and a fall in unemployment – all this while helping the community through the pandemic.
You the residents of Redditch will decide and we’ll bring you the results as they’re announced through the night.
To find your polling station click https://wheredoivote.co.uk/
List of candidates:
Abbey
Andrew Fieldsend-Roxborough (Lib Dem)
Gabby Hemming (Green)
Sid Khan (Labour)
James Walsh (Conservative)
Astwood Bank & Feckenham
Wanda King (Lab)
Ian Pickles (Lib Dem)
Glen Theobald (Green)
Craig Warhurst (Con) *
Batchley & Brockhill
Joe Baker (Lab)
Frank Knight (Reform UK)
Gemma Monaco (Con) *
Lea Room (Green)
Central
Sharon Harvey (Lab)
Victoria Lees (Green)
Ummar Memi (Con)
Church Hill
Bill Hartnett (Lab)
Chris Hudson (Green)
Mike Rouse (Con) *
Mark Tomes (Lib Dem)
Crabbs Cross
Salman Akbar (Con) *
Claire Davies (Green)
Monica Fry (Lab)
David Gee (Lib Dem)
Greenlands
Lee Avery-Sherwood (Con)
Juma Begum (Lab)
Joanna Kane (Lab)
Jo Monk (Con)
Simon Preston (Lib Dem)
Steve Sergent (Green)
Headless Cross & Oakenshaw
Juliet Barker Smith (Lab)
Jo Beecham (Con) *
Alistair Waugh (Green)
Lodge Park
Andrew Fry (Lab) *
Chris Holz (Con)
Rylma White (Green)
Winyates
Jem Bailey (Green)
Ann Gee (Lib Dem)
Anthony Lovell (Con) *
Ian Woodall (Lab)
* Denotes sitting Councillor.
