LOCAL ELECTIONS: Meet your candidates for Portsmouth

Tomorrow a third of Portsmouth's councillors will be chosen by residents of the city.
Picture: Shaun RosterPicture: Shaun Roster
Picture: Shaun Roster

We spoke to the candidates to find out what matters most to them.

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Baffins

Picture: Shaun RosterPicture: Shaun Roster
Picture: Shaun Roster

Terry Norton (Con): ‘I live locally in Kimbolton Road with my young family. I’ve lived in Baffins all my life and have been working hard across the area for some time now. I believe in positive action, and standing by commitments. I’m challenging complacency and looking to get the best deal for us all, by initiating community schemes and securing investment into the area.’

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Liam Turish (Lab): ‘I’ve lived in the area for two years now because I saw it as the perfect place to raise my son and because I loved the area. I have put myself forward to stand up for the services currently provided in the area, increase what is on offer to the residents as well as tackle the issues we currently face.’

Jeanette Smith (Lib Dem): ‘I’m a local person and have always done a great deal of community work in the area. Wanting to be active in Baffins, I joined the Liberal Democrats and I found a party I could trust with inclusive policies and a positive plan for our city.’

Bob Simmonds (Green): ‘Portsmouth is my home city. I have seen some great improvements and some sad losses in the past 60 odd years. Reducing the use of plastic packaging should be a priority as well as improving poor air quality. Air pollution in our small crowded island harms our children and shortens the lives of older people.’

Paul ‘Todd’ Sweeney (Ukip): ‘I was raised in Baffins. I am now a taxi driver working in and around the Baffins area every day. I want to give the people of Baffins a voice you can trust and believe in. I am a strong believer in Brexit and do not believe in political correctness which is destroying our communities and freedom of speech.’

Central Southsea

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Prab Ghosh (Con): ‘I have lived and worked in central Southsea for most of my life and all my children have attended local schools. If I am given the honour of being elected as a councillor for Central Southsea, I will ensure your voice is heard by those in power. My first priority will be to do something about the parking in Southsea.’

George Fielding (Lab): ‘The main issues affecting the ward currently are inadequate parking arrangements, fly-tipping and rogue private landlords. I work in a local law firm where I deal regularly with landlord and tenant problems and have a lot of experience in this area. This helps give me a clear understanding of how to address such an increasing problem.’

Lee Hunt (Lib Dem): ‘Having lived in Southsea most of my life I am proud to have served and stood up for its residents for the past 18 years. In this area residents’ parking, speeding vehicles, crime and fly tipping are top of the list. I support community speedwatch and want to target drug-dealing, lobby for parking and tackle fly tipping.’

Tim Sheerman-Chase (Green): ‘ I will fight for more investment in cycling, walking and public transport, as well as requiring development schemes to put these priorities at their centre. Green spaces need to be introduced around the city to improve well being. The city also needs to improve its recycling rates, which are among the worst in the country.’

Charles Dickens

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Syed Haque (Con): ‘I have lived and worked in Portsmouth for over 40 years. I am married with children. But I am now retired from the family business. Consequently I have been doing a lot of voluntary work in the community, primarily in housing, education and as advisor to the police.’

Sarah Shreeve (Lib Dem): ‘I trained as a teacher in Portsmouth and spent my whole teaching career in the city. People deserve a councillor who has already been serving them, helping them and listening to them. They also deserve to be served by the local team with a positive plan for change’

Sarah Gilbert (Green): ‘I have lived in Portsmouth for over 20 years and I am committed to ensuring this city becomes a better environment for all residents. I believe urgent action needs to be taken to address Portsmouth’s poor air quality, lack of affordable housing, homelessness and lack of support for those who are struggling.’

Paul Godier (Ind): ‘I moved to Portsmouth in 1994. I have mainly worked as a gas engineer, however while elected I have committed all my time to the role. I was elected to the council in 2014 and I campaigned for an EU referendum and a ban on sales of legal highs. Both we achieved in my first term.’

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Claire Udy (Ind): ‘I’m a mother with two young children and have spent my whole life here in Portsmouth. I am not a career politician hoping further my own agenda. I am here to help. If you elect me I hope to represent and help you for many years and make Portsmouth a prosperous, proud, thriving city once again.’

Copnor

Ben Swann (Con): ‘I was born and raised in Portsmouth and currently live in Copnor with my wife. I have been working hard in the area for several years now on issues such as; anti-social behaviour, road safety, planning applications, parking, public conveniences. If elected I will continue to be a strong and clear voice for all residents of Copnor and Anchorage Park.’

Mo Quinn (Lab): ‘I am originally from just outside Glasgow, but met a local lad and moved to Portsmouth. I am concerned with several issues in Copnor: multiple occupancy households, parking and the growing numbers of homeless people. I am elected, I will make these a priority.’

Ross Campbell (Lib Dem): ‘I started campaigning 20 months ago and it became very clear, very quickly, what a unique and vibrant community Copnor has. I was inspired by it and have since been listening to you about what you want for the area. Our local team have heard your concerns on issues such as parking, fly-tipping, homelessness and anti-social behaviour.’

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Ken Hawkins (Green): ‘I have been a resident in Copnor for more than 30 years and I have helped raise three daughters in the area. Having previously been a governor, education is very important. Also, Copnor Road is one of Portsmouth’s most congested roads, so I am a strong supporter of the Let Pompey Breathe campaign.’

Terry Chipperfield-Harrison (Ukip): ‘I have lived in Portsmouth for more than 30 years now. I want to organise a viable one way traffic system for the side streets of Copnor. I have viable ideas to procure more parking spaces. I will press the council to repair poor road surfaces and I will call for free swimming for the young and elderly.’

Cosham

Hannah Hockaday (Con): ‘Being born in Portsmouth and raised in Highbury, I have a great understanding of the needs and wants of the community. I have been an integral part of the Conservative administration, as the current cabinet member for education. A vote for me would ensure you have a down to earth person will stand up for what is right.’

Graham Heaney (Lab): ‘I was born and educated in Portsmouth and work at the University of Portsmouth. I represented Cosham on the council 1995 until 2004. I am a school governor at Medina Primary School and a volunteer supporting the Wymering Manor Trust. If I am elected you will have a councillor working for you at the heart of your community.’

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Helena Cole (Lib Dem): ‘Portsmouth has been my home for most of my life. To truly serve people as an effective local councillor, you need to listen to local residents, care about their well-being and be competent at managing the council’s finances so that local people get a good deal for their taxes.’

Michael Jerome (Ukip): ‘I have lived in Portsmouth since 1987. I’m married and have two children and four grandchildren. If elected I promise to serve the residents of Cosham Ward with commitment and diligence putting Cosham ward first. I believe that Ukip can address the problems faced by ordinary people who have been abandoned by the other parties.’

Peter Marcus (Ind): Peter lives in Cosham and believes that the people of Cosham, Highbury and Wymering deserve someone with a strong, independent voice to speak up for them. If elected, Peter will work to put an end to ‘business as usual’ and to make sure the council works for people who live in Portsmouth.

Drayton & Farlington

Simon Bosher (Con): ‘I was born and raised in Farlington, where my family have lived for over 70 years and three generations of my family still live in the ward. I have had the privilege of being a councillor for Drayton and Farlington for 16 years. My local background gives me a strong knowledge of the issues affecting my neighbours and family alike.’

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Sue Castillon (Lab): ‘I have lived and worked in Portsmouth for 25 years. Because of the budget cuts to schools, I want to work with parents and head teachers to hear what the issues are, especially in light of proposed new house building developments in Drayton and Farlington and possible additional pressure on the availability of school places.’

Paul Pritchard (Lib Dem): ‘Portsmouth is my home; a city I really care about. Some of my priorities include tackling crime and waste. I also believe people in our city deserve to be paid the living wage and the council needs to be a leader in implementing it.’

Eastney & Craneswater

Luke Stubbs (Con): ‘If re-elected, I hope to carry on the work I have been doing overseeing the joining up of social care with health and in pushing for a greater community focus in adult social services. Council tax in Portsmouth is £154 less than in Southampton and if that is going to continue we need to continue the disciplined budget setting of recent years.’

Luke Evans (Lab): Luke lives in the ward with his family; his young children both attend local schools. He has seen how a good Labour controlled council can work collaboratively with residents to develop solutions to local problems together. He wants to make Portsmouth a safer, cleaner, greener, more connected place where everyone can thrive.

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Tracy McClure (Lib Dem): ‘Residents tell me how their lives are adversely affected by dog fouling, fly tipping and not being able to park. More can be done to provide affordable housing in the city. We also cannot ignore the growing issue of homelessness. Nor should we ignore the mental health crisis among young people and the inadequate provision of services to support them.’

Menno Groen (Green): ‘I am a keen cyclist and Portsmouth is the perfect city to get around without a car, but much more needs to be done to ensure that residents can choose to walk, cycle or use public transport easily and safely. As a Green party councillor I will campaign for sustainable policies to make our great city a better place to live.’

Fratton

Tony Sarigul (Con): ‘I have been living with my family in Portsmouth for over 40 years. For work, I am part of a family business on Fratton Road, and with their help we share in helping to feed rough-sleepers. I am also chairman of the Fratton Community Centre, but would now like to be a councillor, as being part of a community means being prepared to stand up for it.’

Thomas Coles (Lab): ‘I moved to Portsmouth 10 years ago and have spent the last five of those living in the centre of Fratton ward. I am going to stand up against callous cuts and work hard to protect Fratton from further services being removed. I also want to bring fairness back into local politics, ensuring the council is open and accountable.’

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Stuart Brown (Lib Dem): ‘I live locally in the ward, and all too often experience the same problems that everyone faces; fly-tipping, dogs mess, traffic nightmares. If you elect me as your councillor, I want to make sure that the council works for local residents, not imposing changes onto them.’

Mike Wines (Green): ‘I am 57, a widower and have lived in Portsmouth all my adult life. I lived for several years in Fratton and now live just south of Fratton Park. My prime concerns are to ensure that air pollution in Portsmouth is reduced, that proper social care is provided to help ease NHS bed blocking and to promote renewable energy.’

Kevan Chippindall-Higgin (Ukip): ‘I have lived in Southsea since 1998. I have watched the city deteriorate with a surfeit of hideous buildings and planning policy that continues to cause parking chaos. If our great city is not to descend into the misery called London we must act now before it is too late. I am also very active in twinning and will be hosting visitors from our twin cities at SimEx.’

Hilsea

Frank Jonas (Con): ‘I’ve lived in Portsmouth all my life. Many of you may know me from my work as your local councillor, or from my time as Lord Mayor, raising money for charities and promoting our great city.

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‘I believe in Portsmouth and who thinks the city is really going places under the Conservatives.’

Graham Mitchell (Lab): Graham has lived in Portsmouth all his life. His two children are grown up, as are his two step-daughters. He and his wife are also foster parents to a young teenager. As a regular user of public transport he not only understands the frustrations many people in Portsmouth have to face every day using both the city’s services and those off the island.

Peter Williams (Lib Dem): ‘I’ve always lived and worked in the city. I decided to stand as the Lib Dem candidate for my area because we have a positive plan to change our city for the better. I believe the people of Portsmouth deserve to be heard and have greater control over the decisions that affect us all.’

Emma Murphy (Green): ‘I’ve lived in Portsmouth my whole life, so I’ve seen many citizens who are frustrated with the lack of sustainability and environmental protections in the city. If elected to the city council, I would champion a cleaner city with better recycling, a stringent air quality action plan, and better facilities for the people of Portsmouth.’

Milton

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Josh Ahmed (Con): ‘I was born and brought up in Portsmouth and I live in Eastney with my wife and two children. I am the proprietor of a number of successful small businesses. Which is why I believe we need to support our local businesses which in turn generates employment, growth, and prosperity. I will be vocal in keeping Milton green.’

Rajah Ghosh (Lab): ‘I have lived around the Milton area most of my life. A qualified teacher and registered social worker, I have worked in various children’s homes and schools around the county and would like to think that I can bring useful insight and experience to the table as a city councillor.’

Tamara Groen (Green): ‘I have lived in Portsmouth for over 12 years. My key concerns are Portsmouth’s dangerous air quality, low recycling rates, unsafe roads for cyclists and the lack of resources and support for those experiencing homelessness. I will also tackle the daily frustrations around parking, dog poo, litter and anti-social behaviour.’

Ben Dowling (Lib Dem): ‘I’ve been the local councillor for Milton for the past four years. Milton is my home; it’s where I was born, it’s where I went to school, it’s where I live. If re-elected, I will aim to keep Milton green, protect and vital local services including the police and mental health provision for young people and tackle fly tipping, littering and dogs mess.’

Nelson

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Alicia Denny (Con): ‘I was brought up in north end where I helped my parents to run their shops, also in Stamshaw, and, with my husband, for 25 years we had opticians’ practices in Cosham and Southsea. I am a firm believer in the benefits of everyone in a community working together for the greater good of all.’

Rumal Khan (Lab): ‘I have lived in Portsmouth for many years and enjoy being a resident of multicultural city by the sea, which attracts many tourists and support local businesses and communities but feel much more can be done for local residents.’

Jason Fazackarley (Lib Dem): ‘I am proud to have previously been a local councillor for Nelson Ward for many years, serving local people. I’ve taken some time away from the council for the past four years but am hoping to re-join to help deliver our positive plan for change.’

Duncan Robinson (Green): ‘I am a Royal Navy veteran and ex-Portsmouth University student who has lived and worked in Portsmouth for over a decade. My prime concerns are to ensure that air pollution in Portsmouth is reduced, to ensure all pupils receive an appropriate school place, to tackle traffic congestion and to promote renewable energy.’

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Colin Galloway (Ukip): ‘Portsmouth is a unique and vibrant city but there is still so much more to offer. I and my Ukip colleagues know that our job is now more important than ever to ensure that we actually do leave this EU and regain our laws, border controls, fishing rights and trading independence.’

Paulsgrove

Jo Hooper (Con): ‘I am proud to belong to Portsmouth, the city that has shaped, and inspired my family. I believe in offering a ‘hand up’ to people, pushing for quality community space, improving our physical environment, expanding leisure facilities, ensuring our young people can aspire, and supporting the elderly and isolated.’

David Horne (Lab): ‘I have lived in Paulsgrove for 51 years and I believe it’s a great area to bring up a family. If elected I want to continue to be a voice for the people of Paulsgrove, bringing their needs and concerns to the attention of the city council, working on their behalf to make sure those needs and concerns are addressed.’

Iain Sutherland (Lib Dem): ‘I’m a local guy wanting to make a difference and stand up for Portsmouth people. As a father of a young child, I am concerned about what the Conservatives are doing to our schools. Continued real terms cuts to school funding is making it harder and harder for teachers to do the best for our children.’

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Stuart Potter (Ukip): ‘I am the current Ukip councillor for Paulsgrove. I was raised in Paulsgrove and educated at King Richard’s school in Paulsgrove. I am part of the community and I still live in Paulsgrove and would not want to live anywhere else.’

St. Jude

Linda Symes (Con): ‘I was born in Southsea and have spent most of my life here. If re-elected I would like to continue to improve the cultural offer, to make Portsmouth a great place to work live and visit. I would also fight to keep our weekly bin collections as we are the last city in the south to do so.’

Judith Smyth (Lab): ‘I am passionate about social and economic justice for all and want to contribute towards Portsmouth becoming a fairer city where local government is able to improve people’s lives. I want to support a strong local economy building on the success of local business. I want Portsmouth to be a clean, green city.’

Richard Adair (Lib Dem): ‘My family roots go back generations here. Now retired, I’m an active local campaigner on all sorts of issues from planning and licensing issues to combating speeding on local streets with ‘speed watch’ as well as tackling fly-tipping, crime and anti-social behaviour to support our local communities.’

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Chris Jolley (Green): ‘My prime concerns for the ward, and the city of Portsmouth, are to increase and improve the recycling rate and infrastructure and to ensure that the homeless and rough sleepers in our community are given the proper help they require, and that we do not purely rely on Public Space Protection Orders.’

St. Thomas

Terry Henderson (Con): ‘I have lived in Portsmouth all my life and was a county councillor for St.Thomas for 12 years, and a city councillor for eight. I have the breadth of experience to be able to make a real difference to the lives of the people I hope to represent.’

Sumel Chowdhury (Lab): Sumel is married and has been living in Portsmouth with his family for over 13 years. He said: ‘I am passionate about Portsmouth and have great respect for its community. Cuts do not work. The only way to shrink the deficit is to invest. Labour recognises this.’

Robert Wood (Lib Dem): ‘I live and work in Portsmouth and enjoy attending a wide range of community events. For the last eight years it has been my privilege to be elected as one of the local councillors for St Thomas ward, which covers Old Portsmouth, Somerstown and part of Southsea. I still believe that local elections should be about local issues.’

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Bekkie Kingsley-Smith (Green): ‘I’m born and bred Portsmouth and have a real affiliation with the sea and our beautiful beaches. As a small business owner I also feel strongly about supporting local, independent businesses rather than chains. I’m passionate about animal welfare and protecting the planet.’