College ward candidates

Three candidates, one seat available.

Lee Carter, Labour (incumbent)

Lee Carter is seeking re-election as your borough councillor and town councillor. Lee has campaigned hard on the things that matter most to College ward residents including fighting to protect hospital services at the Princess Royal Hospital and Wellington Medical Practice. He has secured monies for the regeneration of Wellington and helped to secure investment into improvements to roads and footpaths right across College and will continue to lobby for more investment if re-elected.

Lee has secured money to refurbish the Lychgate War Memorial and has donated £10,000 of his council allowances and ward funding to help local good causes including Shortwood School, YMCA, local cultural groups, the People of Wellington Event and to fund bursaries for local young people.

Having grown up in Wellington and worked as Managing Director of AFC Telford United, Lee has also served as Telford and Wrekin cabinet member for finance, helping ensure that front-line council services are protected in the face of continued government cuts.

Lee is passionate about College Ward and is determined to continue working hard to bring people together to get things done to get the best for all residents of College ward. If elected, Lee will continue to work hard on your behalf.

Eddie Lowe, Conservative

Many of you will probably have heard of me and the annual Help for Heroes fundraising events I have held over the past 10 years in Wellington. I was born and raised in our town and, following my Army service; I returned home to work at local firms including GKN Sankey and Glynwed before becoming landlord of the Plough public house.

As a truly local candidate, I believe passionately in our town and have watched with dismay problems which have beset Wellington such as speeding traffic, parking and declining numbers enjoying our shopping centre. The borough council could have done much more to help us reopen Wellington’s valued Post Office.

Wellington has many attractive features and great potential which needs to be unlocked – most importantly, it needs someone with belief and drive to be in a position to deliver real progress, working hand-in-glove with other local organisations . College Ward needs someone who lives in the town itself to fully understand what needs to be delivered. I believe I can do just that for us all, regardless of background or beliefs. However, I need your support to show what an active, local, borough councillor can deliver. Many of you already know that I deliver exactly what I promise. This is why I am taking the huge step of putting myself forward for election. It is time for a change, so let us all change Wellington for the better!

Pat McCarthy, Green

I am standing in College Ward for the borough council on behalf of the Green Party.

I have lived in King Street, in the heart of the ward, for 20 years and have a business in the same road. Personal experience of the provision of adult social care in Telford and Wrekin has made me particularly concerned about the affect the years of austerity have had on the vulnerable people in our community and, if elected, I would be calling for increased funding.

Wellington, and College ward in particular, has a very mixed community. This is where the largest portion of our Muslim community reside and we have a large group of of people from Eastern European cultures. I am proud of the diversity this brings to our community. However, we also have in College ward,pockets of social deprivation which are amongst the worst in the country. This must be addressed – we need to improve social housing and the infrastructure in this ward. The plans for our local hospitals are well-known. I have constantly actively campaigned for the retention of both and A&E departments in Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin and will continue to do so.