Kentish Express Ashford & District
Candidates stake their claim as election nears
Voters to head to polling station for Park Farm contest
Residents in an area of Ashford will soon be heading to the polls to elect their Ashford Borough Council (ABC) representative.
Voters in the Park Farm North ward will get to have their say next Thursday (March 12).
The opening comes after previous councillor Jo Gideon was chosen as the Conservative MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central in the December General Election.
The candidates aiming to replace her are Aline Hicks for Conservatives, Thom Pizzey representing the Green Party, Labour’s Garry Harrison, Trish Cornish for the Ashford Independents and Liberal Democrat Samuel Strolz.
They are hoping to be elected to the borough council when voters go to the poll, which will be held at the Kingsnorth Recreation Centre in Field View, Kingsnorth.
The poll will be open from 7am to 10pm. ■ Aline Hicks, representing the Conservatives, was a councillor for 12 years on Ashford Borough Council (ABC) and has served on Kingsnorth Parish Council, which covers Park Farm, since the 1990s.
She said: “As a local resident and parish councillor I know about the things that matter, including poor mobile coverage and broadband speeds, the need to protect our local environment, the work needed to improve the bus service to Park Farm North and necessity of a local councillor prepared to work with local police to tackle anti-social behaviour in Park Farm.”
■ The Green Party’s Thom Pizzey isan Ashford Young Greens co-ordinator and a key member of Ashford Greens campaigns team.
He has stood in many local elections since joining the Green Party in 2012 at both a local and county level.
He has been an Ashford resident his entire life, and has previously served as the chairman of Stanhope Parish Council.
He said: “We need loud and unapologetic voices willing to reject the status quo politics of the other parties.
“Ashford Borough Council needs greater diversity.”
■ For Labour, Garry Harrison hopes to take the seat.
Chairman of Unite Community Kent Branch, Mr Harrison is a veteran of many election campaigns.
A Labour Party spokesman said: “He has lived in and around Ashford for more than 40 years.
“Garry is a local resident who has worked in business and in the charity sector.
“Having been a chief executive of his own business, he understands the pressures of managing budgets, working hard and delivering results.
“Garry believes strongly in helping out in the community and supports various homeless shelters and residents groups.”
■ The Ashford Independents are fielding Trish Cornish, who has lived in Park Farm North since 2016 after moving from Kennington.
The mother-of-two, who had a career in travel and communications, said: “Over the years I have watched the town changing and felt the strain on our infrastructure and services.
“Like everywhere else in the borough, Park Farm residents feel the repercussions of planning policy on the vicinity and the impact of modern life.
“I believe that local politics should be about the people of Ashford, not national political parties.”
■ Lib Dem hopeful Samuel Strolz has worked in the education sector for more than two decades, and sees education as vital in providing opportunity and developing thriving communities.
His main platform is that leisure and park facilities are maintained to a high standard.
He’ll also lobby the county council to improve roads and fix potholes, as well as ensuring infrastructure is built to match the rate of development.
A Lib Dem spokesman said: “Sam believes local government is here to support the development of strong, thriving communities through the provision of services and forward planning that meets that aim.”