Ahead of polling day on May 5, the Stray Ferret is previewing each of the divisions in the Harrogate district up for election to North Yorkshire Council.
A total of 21 seats will be contested in the district with most of the major parties standing in each one.
Today, we look at the Oatlands and Pannal division, where four candidates have put themselves forward.
John Mann, Conservative
John Mann is the Conservative candidate for Oatlands and Pannal division.
Mr Mann is currently a councillor on Harrogate Borough Council, representing Harrogate Pannal ward.
He is also chair of the authority’s planning committee.
The Stray Ferret asked Mr Mann for comment for this preview, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
A Conservative party spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that they were confident in their election campaign and pledged to continue investing in services across North Yorkshire if elected.
A party spokesperson said:
“The Conservatives are fielding an experienced slate of candidates. This is important as we argue the case for local services with settlements from Selby to Richmond and Whitby to Settle.
“That case includes continued investment in local services that has seen a new pool in Ripon and the start of a new pool and leisure centre in Knaresborough.”
Gillian Charters, Green Party
Gillian Charters is standing for the Green Party in Oatlands and Pannal division.
Ms Charters taught at a Knaresborough comprehensive school for 20 years before retraining as a probation officer.
She now works part-time for a Quaker special school in North Yorkshire.
For 30 years, she has been a member of the Green Party, which she says is the party that has “both the environment and social justice at its heart”.
Ms Charters said she was standing for North Yorkshire Council because she wants to “improve living conditions and the environment” within the area.
Margaret Smith, Labour
The Labour candidate for Oatlands and Pannal is Margaret Smith.
Ms Smith worked for several years at a further education college before setting up a business focused on the use of IT in communities and small to medium-sized enterprises.
She said the company employed up to 25 people and provided opportunities to people, particularly those with childcare responsibilities.
On why she is standing, Ms Smith said:
“Although not resident in the actual division, I live quite close and regularly walk through the Oatlands area, use its facilities and have conversations with people out and about.
“It is one of Labour’s many environmental policies which will have a major impact in the area. We intend to invest in reducing residential streets to safe environments where families can walk, cycle and play, e.g by stipulating a 20 mph speed limit in residential areas.”
She added:
“Pannal has for some years now suffered by being used as a “rat run” for drivers coming from new housing developments built in areas of the town without appropriate infrastructure – something which must be stopped.
“Residents on the streets around the Leeds Road traffic lights in Oatlands are now experiencing the same problem with motorists trying to avoid the lights on the main road. These are narrow streets with an infant school located on one of them – Cromwell Road.”
Ms Smith added that she would also support a town council for Harrogate and devolution of powers to parish councils, such as Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council.
Read more:
- How the Harrogate district’s wards will change ahead of local election
- Full list of election candidates in Harrogate district revealed
Justin Chan, Liberal Democrat
Justin Chan will be standing for the Liberal Democrats in the division on May 5.
Mr Chan is a lifelong Harrogate resident and currently works in retail as a customer services assistant.
He has a degree in politics and spent a year at Catania University in Sicily as part of an Erasmus exchange.
Mr Chan said he believes North Yorkshire Council should aim to create jobs, affordable and social housing and ease traffic congestion.
He said:
“It’s important to make local voices heard and to allow councillors strong decision-making powers to enable them to campaign for their local communities.
“The new local authority should aim to create jobs, affordable and social housing and ease traffic congestion perhaps with a park-and-ride scheme. I will work to ensure Harrogate gets its own town council.”