Dawley and Aqueduct ward candidates

Six candidates, three seats available.

Some candidates who belong to the same party chose to submit a combined manifesto.

Kate Barnes, Conservative

I live in Finger Road with my husband, Councillor Steve Barnes, and my young family. I am passionate about community and love to volunteer. I currently volunteer for Contact the Elderly, help with my daughter’s school’s PTA and am now in my fifth year as a governor in Aqueduct Primary school.

I work as an English teacher and assistant headteacher in a local secondary school and therefore understand the needs of our youth. This is particularly important in terms of strengthening our community, reducing anti-social behaviour and improving road safety (I have campaigned for lower speed limits in the area, particularly Castlefields Way). I am often seen supporting local events and have worked with local businesses to encourage people to shop locally.

I would like to see Dawley remain an area we can be proud of so I volunteer for the Friends of Dawley Hamlets Local Nature Reserve; I want to see this beautiful area promoted further for the benefit of all our residents and to ensure further green spaces in Dawley and Aqueduct are protected. I am standing as a borough councillor this year as I want to make a real difference in our area.

Steve Barnes (incumbent), Conservative

Having lived in Telford my whole life I have seen first-hand how the town has grown and developed over the years. I currently live in Dawley with my wife and young family. I work in a local secondary school and in my spare time I volunteer for Friends of Dawley Park, Friends of Dawley Hamlets LNR and I have been a governor for five years, previously at Aqueduct and now at Ladygrove.

I have been a borough councillor for Dawley and Aqueduct for the past four years and I can regularly be seen out and about in the community supporting residents. For the many of you that I have already worked with, you know that I work hard to get your issues resolved and ensure that your views are heard. It would be an honour to be re-elected as your voice at the elections in May.

My priorities are to protect our green spaces and ensure neglected areas are tastefully re-developed in alignment with the needs of the area. I have campaigned for lower speed limits and better traffic management around our schools – the safety of our children has to be paramount. Finally, I am strong community player; I would like to see Dawley High Street promoted further (I have worked with local businesses this year to encourage more people to shop locally) and to work with partners to tackle the scourge of anti-social behaviour.

Andy Burford (incumbent), Concepta Cassar and Jane Pinter (incumbent), Labour

Andy, Jane and Concepta are proud to represent the place they call home. As councillors and residents, they have got on with the job of supporting the communities of Dawley and Aqueduct.

Andy and Jane, since being elected, have delivered a record investment into our roads, footpaths and new parking spaces for residents. They have also worked with businesses, residents and community groups to ensure Dawley High Street continues to grow by supporting shops with grants and the redevelopment of the fantastic Dawley Town Hall.

Jane, who lives in Little Dawley, has worked with young families to ensure local schools will benefit from investment in safer routes to school. This investment is possible because Labour has balanced the books and created record numbers of jobs and opportunities for young people.

Concepta is passionate about providing a strong Labour voice for residents. She has spearheaded efforts to set up a Local Nature Reserve in the Dawley pools area to protect the area for families and residents. Concepta has also worked with Jane and Andy to guarantee Aqueduct will benefit from the £1million investment in our estates.

If elected, they will:

• Continue the regeneration of Dawley High Street.

• Fight for continued investment in roads, footpaths and green spaces

• Guarantee the £1million investment in estates like Aqueduct.

• Continue to protect our green and open spaces.

Stephen Dunne, Conservative

For me local government, even at town or parish level, is key. Too many times while canvasing for this round of elections we heard from the public: “We only ever see you when there’s an election coming up!”

To that end I’d like to be seen as a very public and approachable member of the council who speak to residents to find out what local issues people really care about and how we can help them find solutions that work for them.

The main points I’m campaigning for are, firstly, dealing with anti-social behaviour and the vandalism problem we have within the ward. Working with the local schools, property landlords and local PCSOs, I’d like to use all the powers at our disposal to put a stop to the few that spoil it for the many.

The future of our high street depends on how we act now. I’d like to see local high-street businesses focus less on struggling to survive and more on investing to grow.

I’d like to curb the overdevelopment of the borough and to start building the homes that are needed in locations where they are needed, rather than the soulless housing estates that big developers inflict on us to increase their profits. It’s high time our local planning authorities began to take stock of what local communities really need: genuinely affordable homes, on brownfield sites wherever possible.