Meet Shrewsbury's 77-year-old independent candidate for this summer's General Election
A 77-year-old man hoping to become an independent MP for Shrewsbury this summer says his age is no obstacle - and in fact believes it is to his advantage.
James Gollins is running as an independent candidate and has outlined his concerns for Shrewsbury's flooding, anti-social behaviour, and rough sleeping. He says he wants to pursue creative solutions to traffic management and public transport, and maximising the potential of Shrewsbury as a tourist destination.
Mr Gollins was born in Quarry Place the only child of a Shropshire farming family.
He has worked in farming, in narrow boat restoration, and for the Shrewsbury & Newport Canal Trust.
Mr Gollins will be the only independent runner vying to become Shrewsbury's MP, and is up against the Conservative Party's Daniel Kawczysnki, Julia Buckley of the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats' Alex Wagner, Julian Dean of the Green Party, Victor Applegate of Reform UK, and the English Democrats' Chris Bovill.
He has promised he will: "Work to ensure that the needs of Shrewsbury and its voters are heard loud and clear in the corridors and committee rooms of Westminster."
He said he is "keen to see a better balance achieved between being able to work with people as well as technology in banks, supermarkets and other customer facing settings".
"We are in danger of losing the human touch in a search for efficiencies and cost savings that may not be as beneficial to the bottom line or society as their promoters believe long-term."
He is seeking an "efficient, humane but effective immigration and asylum process, a military that is properly re-sourced to defend our interests home and abroad, parliamentary reform, food security, and a halving of the national debt".
The candidate does not believe his age to be a problem if he was elected and says it would be 'an advantage in fact because with age comes experience and wisdom gained'.
