Labour Leader Jo Lovelock (Norcot) and Deputy Leader Tony Page (Abbey) head Labour’s list of candidates for the Borough elections on 3 May 2012. Cllr. Lovelock says the party has a mix of experienced hands and new talent all keen to continue to take Reading forward in these difficult times.
Also standing again are Reading’s Mayor Deborah Edwards (Southcote) and Deputy Mayor Gul Khan (Battle). Lead Councillor for Adult Social Care Mike Orton (Whitley) is also seeking re-election.
Two Labour Councillors are stepping down. In Minster, Debbie Watson is not seeking re-election as her job now gives her responsibilities across the south-east of England. Labour’s candidate will be mother of three Liz Terry, who was born and grew up in Reading and is a former senior executive in local government.
In Park, Jon Hartley is standing down as he is moving to London with his partner. Labour’s candidate will be Rachael Chrisp, a ward resident who works in recruitment. Rachael is Reading Labour Party’s Women’s Officer and has been leading the campaign to highlight the way the Coalition’s policies have hit women twice as hard as men.
Details for the other wards, except for Mapledurham where the candidate will be announced later, are given in alphabetical order by ward.
Richard Davies is Labour’s candidate in Caversham, where he has lived for the last ten years, and his two older children are at Thameside Primary where his wife used to be a teacher. He owns and runs a small IT company.
Labour’s candidate in Church, one of the three seats the party won back this year, will be mother of three Eileen McElligott, who was born in Reading and has lived here all her life. Eileen is an IT specialist working in the pharmaceuticals industry, who says she is fed up with how Reading is being ripped off by the Conservative Government.
In Katesgrove, which Labour won from the LibDems this year, the party’s candidate will be Rose Williams, who previously represented Southcote, was a popular Mayor and brings huge experience to the role. She stood down to care for her ageing parents during their final years, has worked in banking and retail but is now “retired”, a tenants’ rep on her housing association and involved with several charities.
Daya Pal Singh will be standing again for Labour in Kentwood, where this year he reduced the Tory majority to 210 votes. A prominent member of the Sikh Gurdwara, Daya Pal owns runs a news agent and off licence on Oxford Road.
David Absolom, who runs a gardening business with his wife and who stood in Peppard this year, is Labour’s candidate there again.
Another former Mayor, Tony Jones, is Labour’s candidate in Redlands, the other seat the party won from the LibDems this year. A trade union official and Labour’s ward organiser for that campaign, Tony has represented the ward before, when he was involved in a regeneration of the Hexham Road estate.
Reading Labour Party Secretary Duncan Bruce is Labour’s candidate in Thames, where he also stood last year. Duncan is a free-lance film editor who was trained in Reading.
Taxi driver Haji Banares is Labour’s candidate again in Tilehurst, which he also contested two years ago. Haji is a leading light in the Reading Taxi Association.
Jo Lovelock says: “Labour is fielding a strong team, including six women. Our candidates come from many different backgrounds which reflects our strong links with communities across Reading. The Conservative Government continues to impose unfair cuts on local Councils and the Labour Council is consulting Reading residents on which services matter most to them and on how to protect the most vulnerable. Labour will always be in there standing up for Reading and Reading people.”
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