Labour’s Jo targets Parliamentary seat
The Maidenhead Labour Party has announced its parliamentary candidate ahead of the upcoming General Election.
Jo Smith will be on the ballot paper as Maidenhead looks to select its first new MP in 27 years when Theresa May stands down at the election, expected later this year.
Ms Smith has lived in the constituency for more than 20 years and has worked as a trade union official for a rail union, and presently within an education union.
During that time, she has also been the HR manager at a local housing group.
She has been involved in campaigning on issues surrounding education, including challenging local school funding decisions and supporting parents in challenging unfair school admission plans.
Ms Smith, who previously served a two-year term as chair of the Labour Party in Maidenhead, said: “I am unbelievably proud to have been selected for this role, and am looking forward to continuing to campaign for Maidenhead residents.”
“I am particularly keen to push for genuinely affordable homes; to reduce waiting lists and increase and modernise housing provision within the area; to build economic recovery to support our town centre and ensure the long talked about redevelopment can finally take place.
“As a keen swimmer and paddleboarder, I also want to continue to lobby for greater accountability for water companies, so our rivers are safe for recreation again.”
Ms Smith is the latest confirmed candidate standing for the Maidenhead seat.
Royal Borough councillor Joshua Reynolds (Furze Platt) will also be vying for votes as the Liberal Democrat candidate.
Mr Reynolds was brought up in Maidenhead and as a Royal Borough councillor he has campaigned for various issues.
Some of these include restoring the NHS walk-in urgent care services, the provision of free school meals during the school holidays and tackling river pollution issues.
“I will make sure we invest in education, starting in the crucial early years and continuing throughout adulthood,” Mr Reynolds said on the party’s website.
Mr Reynolds added that he is continuing his campaign to reduce waiting times for the
NHS and would like to see
more GPs recruited into the NHS, and a walk-in option introduced at St Mark’s Hospital.”
Also joining the race is Andrew Cooney who was announced as the East Berkshire Green Party’s official candidate in December last year.
Having been a member of Greenpeace for more than three decades, Mr Cooney said the environment has been his focus ‘for a long time now’.
He said: “I think it’s just time to stand up and be counted really.
“I think it’s a chance to talk to people and just make people aware of things and just realise that there’s an opportunity to vote for some change.
“There's a lot going on in
Maidenhead with the sewage situation in the Thames, and there’s a lot of re-development of green space and a lot of things I think will resonate with locals.”
The Maidenhead Conservative Association is yet to announce its candidate, after Mrs May revealed she would be stepping down at the next election.
But chairman Bill Perry said that an email regarding the candidate selection process has been sent out to all members and he hopes there will be an announcement within a couple of months.
Barry Parker has been announced as Reform UK’s candidate. He has been contacted for comment.