Tadley North, Kingsclere & Baughurst ward election – Thursday, May 5

LIBERAL DEMOCRATS: KERRY MORROW

THE Liberal Democrat candidate for Tadley North, Kingsclere and Baughurst ward, Kerry Morrow, said he would be a “local voice” and “hold developers to account” if elected.

Mr Morrow, 38, criticised Conservative ward councillors for their handling of 24 Swan Street – the popular Kingsclere community building at risk of being sold to developers by the borough council. He said: “They could’ve given them warning it was going to be sold, and they could’ve backed it.

“A letter came through the door saying the building they’d been in for 20 years was going to be sold. It’s not good enough when you have three ward members who could’ve talked to them about the plans.”

Mr Morrow, who grew up in Burghfield Common, has been on Tadley Town Council for the past year, alongside his wife Ria Meiszner, after moving to the area five years ago.

He said he “absolutely loved” living in the town, praising the community and calling for more balance on the council.

He said: “The main issue is that we have three Tory voices in my ward – that’s not a balanced way of having a council.

“My main goal is to be a local voice.

“I haven’t got aspirations to put my point of view across – it’s about what the people want.”

Mr Morrow, a shower engineer who enjoys sports and birdwatching, said he’d had a really positive response on the doorsteps of the campaign trail and called for people to get involved in local politics again. “We need everyone to start caring. I personally got into this because I was a bit disappointed with the national picture. If we can grow the Lib Dems in the area again it can only be positive.”

CONSERVATIVES: MARIA HIGSON

MARIA Higson, the Conservative candidate for the Tadley North, Kingsclere and Baughurst ward, said a vote for her next month is a vote “for someone with energy to fight for local issues”.

Ms Higson, who recently moved to Baughurst to live with her fiancé Bruce Buckland, will stand for election instead of the current Tory incumbent Geoff Poland, who departs after one year as a borough councillor.

The 31-year-old said she “just loved” getting involved in the local community and was keen to keep the ward “as wonderful as it is”.

“I’m standing because I want to represent my local area. Getting involved in the community is something I grew up with and I’ve always embedded myself in an area.”

Having made the decision to move locally and getting married in September in Baughurst, “this is an area we’ve chosen to make our life and you want to keep it as wonderful as it is”.

She said: “If you want to protect something, you’ve got to step up and get involved.”

Ms Higson, who steps down from Camden Borough Council next month, said she would clamp down on fly-tipping and added that 24 Swan Street “absolutely needs to be retained” for use as a community building, and said all the Conservative councillors for the ward had supported its application to become an Asset of Community Value, which gives the community a moratorium period in order to raise funds to purchase the building.

On the campaign trail, she said potholes had come up repeatedly and she would pressure the county council to make repairs. Planning issues came up too, with Ms Higson, who works for the NHS, saying “everyone recognises the need for sustainable planning and the infrastructure with it”.