Local Elections 2 May 2024
February has been a busy month, and you will, we are sure, start to notice an upturn in political activity over the next few months as we draw close to another set of the local elections. These are local elections with a difference: Worcester is moving away from its current system of voting for a third of councillors every year (except for County Council Election year) and instead, from this year, will only have one City Council election every four years. Whichever party takes control of Worcester City Council on 2 May, will keep control of it for the next four years.
Liberal Democrats have a strong and proud tradition in local government, with just under 3,000 councillors across the UK, currently leading 67 councils across England and Wales. We are the persistent defenders of local democracy and, as you will be aware, work hard for residents all year round. As all Council seats will be up for election, you will have two votes for Worcester City Council on 2 May and we hope you will choose your local LibDems to represent you.
Sarah and John will be the candidates for St Nicholas (Warndon Parish North) and Paul will stand again in Leopard Hill (Warndon Parish South). The second candidate for Leopard Hill is just being decided and will be made known to you soon.
Police and Crime Commissioner Election 2 May 2024
Sarah is delighted to have been selected as the Liberal Democrat Candidate for West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner. Sarah is a strong candidate with a wealth of experience in the criminal justice system gained through her experience in the field of law, teaching and working in mental health services. Sarah is also known for campaigning vigorously to end violence against women and girls. She believes the root causes of crime need to be tackled and would love the opportunity to work with the Chief Constable to represent the policing needs of the residents of West Mercia. With a proven track record of listening to voters and campaigning to improve their lives, we hope to see Sarah elected to this important role.
General Election 2024
We are thrilled to announce that Deputy Mayor, Cllr Mel Allcott, has been selected to stand in Worcester on behalf of the Liberal Democrats in the General Election. Mel has a longstanding history prioritising the interests of Worcester residents at a City and County level. Mel brings a fresh perspective to parliamentary elections and cares deeply about the welfare and aspirations of Worcester residents. Mel will be campaigning hard. If you haven’t met her and would like to, please drop one of us a message and we’ll let her know.
Pump Track
In spite of an attempt by some councillors to stall the proposed pump track in St Peters because of some concerns raised by residents, LibDem Councillor Jessie Jagger put forward an amended proposal and the decision was made to proceed with the proposed works whilst working with residents to mitigate their concerns. Councillors also voted that officers should look for further sites in Worcester to locate a pump track which will provide active play for children and young people in Worcester, bringing proven benefits to their physical and mental wellbeing.
Offerton Lane Nature Reserve
At John’s request, Sarah invited an officer from Worcester City Council on a tour of the ward. We wanted to show him the state of Offerton Lane Nature Reserve, how the ponds have silted up and how blocked ditches and culverts are resulting in localised flooding. We also took him to see the difference volunteers have made to Corfe Avenue ponds and showed him historical (20 years old) photographs of the wildlife that used to reside in Offerton Lane. The officer was inspired to put proposals forward for a project that will see works carried out over the next year or two, to reduce the reed bed and unblock the ditches and culverts. We have heard from residents that they want the Nature Reserve restored to its former state, as a flourishing natural habitat where visitors can thrive alongside the biodiversity of the site. We will keep you updated and are delighted to have been instigators of this project.
Ash Dieback
As you will be aware, Sarah was instrumental in the implementation of an Ash Dieback plan. This month, Sarah supported Cllr Stephen Hodgson’s proposal for a budget amendment to support the work that will be required to manage ash dieback throughout the City, but predominantly in New Plantation Woods. The proposal was voted down by other councillors. An increase in the budget would have saved officers from having to return to committees to request further funding should it be needed, which might have saved valuable time and possibly have saved trees. Untreated, the disease will spread and we want to save New Plantation Wood from having to be cleared entirely. Sadly, we were in the minority.
St Nicholas Ward and Leopard Hill
New election boundaries for Worcester have now been approved by Parliament. The impact on our corner of Worcester is that our wards will change name. This will take effect for the May elections and so you can expect to see the name change in future leaflets from us. Warndon Parish North will now be known as St Nicholas and Warndon Parish South will be known as Leopard Hill. We like the new names and think they will be easier for residents to understand. We’d love to hear your thoughts. You can read about the boundary changes across Worcester here.
March Nature Walk
On 9 March at 10am-12pm, we would be delighted if you would join us for a 2k nature walk along part of the Wild about Worcester Way with Paul Snookes from Worcester Environmental Group, followed by a visit to Waitrose for coffee and cake. The route will start at Bath Road, through Battenhall Park and Redhill up to London Road with lots of stops to observe and learn about the nature on our doorstep. For more information, please click here.
Quiz
In the evening, a fundraising event will be held closer to home. We are planning a quiz and raffle in the Barn at St Nicholas church on 9 March in the evening, following the nature walk in the morning. Cost is £5 per head for the quiz. You can join as a team of up to 6 people or we can allocate you to a team on the night. We will ask quizzers to take their seats at 6.30pm and the quiz will start promptly at 7pm. Please let us know if you would like to book a place as space is limited. There will be a prize for the winning team. We’d love to see you there.
Stand as a Liberal Democrat
Is 2024 the year you decide to make a difference? Being a candidate is empowering and an effective way to bring change to your local area and the UK. If, like us, you are passionate about Worcester and its community, we need people like you. We welcome applications from people from all walks of life. Our approvals process is inclusive, transparent and clear. It assesses competencies and skills rather than qualifications and who you know. If you would like to join our growing team of activists and bring about change for the good of your local community, we are the party for you. Represent your community and be the change you want to see. Contact us for an informal chat if you are interested.
Join Us
You can help us to get more Liberal Democrats elected in Worcester. We work hard, hear your concerns and never take you for granted. Our values have put us on the right side of history: From leading the fight against the Iraq war and tripling renewable energy production, to legalising same-sex marriage and calling for a “Robin Hood tax” on energy giants to support families with heating bills. If you would like to join our growing membership you can do so here. A portion of your membership fees will go directly to our local party and help us to gain even more seats in future elections. You would be joining a local team of motivated individuals who all want to campaign for a fairer deal for residents, their families and friends. We hope you will consider joining us.
Volunteer
If you can spare an hour or two each month and would like to help us win locally, perhaps you’d be happy to deliver for us in your street. The more deliverers we have, the more time we can spend talking to our neighbours and persuading them to vote for us in the upcoming elections. If you can’t deliver, perhaps you would enjoy getting involved in other administrative tasks. You might even want to join our canvassing team and come out knocking on doors with us. If you’d like to help, please let us know.
If you have any problems or queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Cllr Sarah Murray – sarahmurraylibdem@gmail.com
Cllr John Rudge – rudge.john@yahoo.com
Paul Jagger – pauljaggs@me.com
Kind regards
Sarah, John and Paul
