| Five
experienced Councillors - Mohammed Ayub in Abbey, Chris
Maskell in Battle, Paul Gittings in Minster, Graeme
Hoskin in Norcot and Pete Ruhemann in Southcote -
have been reselected by Labour to fight their seats again in the Borough
elections on 5 May next year. |
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"The only
Councillor not standing again – as announced last week - is Jim Hanley
in Whitley, who has recently qualified as a social worker and has a
new job. The Labour candidate there will be Kelly Edwards, who
works for a Reading community consultation company and has a lot of
experience of campaigning with residents on local issues |
| Labour
has also now announced its candidates for the other nine Borough Council
wards, the first party to do so. |
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The Labour candidate
in Caversham will be local resident Esther Walters, 26, who
was a Labour Party delegate to Conference this year. Esther
has lived in Reading for 5 years. She works for an IT company, managing a
team of project managers and technical consultants, and is also a member
of Progress Theatre. |
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Paul Woodward,
a careers adviser who works for the Connexions service, is standing for
Labour in Church. He’s lived in Reading since 1981, is a
keen amateur painter and draws cartoons for Reading Football Club fanzine,
The Whiff. |
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In Katesgrove,
Matt Rodda, who came within just 79 votes of taking the seat this
year, is standing for Labour again. Married with two children, Matt
is a former civil servant who now works for education charities. |
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Daya Pal Singh,
who was Labour’s candidate in Kentwood in 2010 and was also in
second place, is standing in the ward again. He owns a successful
newsagent and off-licence in Oxford Road. |
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Richard McKenzie,
who has been playing a leading role in the parents' campaigns to keep the
right to send their children to Maiden Erlegh School, is Labour's
candidate in Park, where he came second in 2010. |
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Dave Absolom
is standing for Labour in Peppard. A Reading man, born in Battle
Hospital, he’s now a professional gardener. Dave’s been married to
Debbie for 17 years and they run a small business together. |
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The Labour
candidate for Redlands is Jan Gavin, a former teacher and
education adviser who’s lived and worked in Reading for 30 years. She
has launched campaigns in the ward to curb the bed and breakfast barons,
and about the lack of consultation before fining people for parking in
terraced streets. |
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Standing for Labour
in Thames is Duncan Bruce who has lived in Reading since he
was 14 and attended Reading College. He recently graduated from the
prestigious National Film and Television School with an MA in Film Editing
and now works as a freelance film editor in Reading. |
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Former Mayor of
Reading Rose Williams is standing for Labour in Tilehurst,
where she worked in Lloyds Bank in School Road for many years. She’s a
Governor of Prospect School, and a tenants’ representative on the board
of Sanctuary Housing Association |
| Leader
of the Labour Group Jo Lovelock says: "The ConDem Coalition
has done nothing for Reading but break its promises, whilst Labour
councillors and candidates are standing up for the needs of poor and
middle income families in the town and the public services they rely on. I
am delighted that we are able to put forward such a strong team of
candidates, some excellent experienced Councillors and others offering
great commitment and a huge range of life experience to the service of our
town. Labour is on the doorsteps week in, week out, and we are
getting a very positive response.” |
