When you go into the polling booth on May 7th you’ll have 3 voting slips. One for the General Election, one for the District Election and one for the Town or Parish elections. Today the candidates were announced for Bridgwater Town Council and the Tories appear to have given up already. Labour holds 14 out of the 16 seats. The only surviving Conservative seats –2 in Bridgwater Wyndham – have been surrendered without a fight. Only 2 Labour and 1 paper Lib Dem candidate will appear on the Wyndham Town council ballot sheet.
The Battle for Bridgwater will be a traditional Labour-Tory contest with only 2 Lib Dems offering themselves up, no Greens and no Kippers(lucky Bridgwater).
Bridgwater Town Council is the closest elected body to the community it represents and has always been Labour . A strong red Bridgwater is crucial as the first step to overthrowing Tory control of Sedgemoor. Now the candidates for May 7th are on the starting blocks.
EASTOVER
Labour stronghold Eastover returns 2 councillors. Town ,District and County Councillor Dave Loveridge is this year joined by teacher Moira Brown as labour’s second candidate. They will be up against 2 Cons.
Linda Bareham-Stanley (Con)
Moira Brown (Labour)
Michael Hill (Con)
Dave Loveridge (Labour)
HAMP
Hamp regularly returns 2 Labour councillors. Current sitting councillors are the experienced John Turner and Adrian Moore. They are up against 2 Tories.
James Cockram (Con)
Andrew Danniells (Con)
Adrian Moore (Labour)
John Turner (Labour)
VICTORIA
Victoria returns 2 Labour councillors and this time the Tories have thrown their local chairman and their Wembdon County councillor at it to try to make inroads. Labour are standing District group leader and PPC Mick Lerry and his new partner from the Engine room, Siobhan Wilson.
Ann Bown (Con)
Lance Duddridge (Con)
Mick Lerry (Labour)
Siobhan Wilson (Labour)
WESTOVER
The town centre ward of Westover which includes West street, Taunton road and the docks is Labour held and returns 3 members. This time round 2 sitting councillors are standing down-Pat Parker and Steve Austen, and so in to stand alongside Brian Smedley are his District Partner Kathy Pearce and town trader Pat Morley. They are up against 3 tories and a lib dem.
Jim Donoghue (Con)
Barbara Fisher (Lib Dem)
Pat Morley (Labour)
Kathy Pearce (Labour)
Jeffrey Searle (Con)
Brian Smedley (Labour)
John Watts (Con)
DUNWEAR SOUTH
The Bridge estate has this year been redefined as ‘Dunwear South’. Sitting Labour councillor Leigh Redman is up against a solitary Tory .
Marie Howe (Con)
Leigh Redman (Labour)
DUNWEAR NORTH
The South Sydenham estate, currently a Labour seat, sees a straight Labour v Tory battle with Labour’s dynamic young Diogo Rodrigues hoping to become the youngest member of the town council since Roger Evans back in 1971.
Pele Barnes (Con)
Diogo Rodrigues (Labour)
FAIRFAX WEST
The North part of the Sydenham estate is now a single member ward. Experienced Labour councillor Graham Granter is facing a solitary Tory opponent.
Graham Granter (Labour)
Wayne Pearce (Con)
FAIRFAX EAST
The Bower manor end of Bridgwater has been re-invented as it’s own 2 member ward and is currently Labour held. Labour will be fielding sitting councillor Alec Glassford and Bridgwater Doctor Caroline Wilkins.
Mike Cresswell (Con)
Alex Glassford (Labour)
Maximilian Hopfl (Con)
Dr Caroline Wilkins (Labour)
WYNDHAM
The Durleigh end of town usually returns 2 Conservative councillors but this year they’re not even on the ballot paper, so it’s a choice of Labour or LibDem and as there’s 3 candidates for 2 places, Labour already lead 1.0.
Wes Hinckes (Labour)
Peter Johnstone (Lib Dem)
Liz Leavy (Labour)