Tory candidates vow to fight to defend green spaces

THE Conservatives have named their first  candidates for next year’s Warrington Borough Council elections  – and pledged to fight to defend green spaces.
They are parish councillor Val Allen and local businesswoman Wendy Maisey  and they will contest the Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft ward.
Cllr Allen who is the former Parliamentary candidate for Warrington North and parish councillor for Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft, says proposals included in the borough council’s local plan to build 500 more homes locally would be dreadful.
“The current volume of HGV’s on Warrington Road through Culcheth and Glazebury, and through the village of Croft, makes it unsafe for our children to walk to school, we don’t have the infrastructure to cope with this level of building”.
Mrs  Maisey, who runs a successful locally based IT business believes the council’s plans aren’t wanted by local residents and don’t meet the needs of people looking to get onto the housing ladder.
She said: “We need to direct developers towards urban areas, make full use of derelict brownfield land and build homes nearer to employment sites, not in the middle of the countryside.”
The pair are fully behind residents who are objecting to plans to demolish the 16th Century Raven Inn and replace it with 10 new homes.
Cllr Allen says the village is becoming nothing more than a housing estate.
“This historic building adds character and interest to the street scene. If we’re not careful we’ll lose all of the places which create jobs and provide valuable services to the community”.
Speaking ahead of Culcheth Greenbelt Action Day, this Saturday (February 9) the two candidates have launched a campaign to deliver a clear message to Warrington Council that they want to protect green space.
Deputy chairman of Warrington Conservatives Andy Carter said: “Both candidates understand the issues that matter locally. We’ve seen Warrington’s councillors grow increasingly out of touch with the views of the people they are supposed to represent. Wendy and Val are great examples of the sort of people who get things done, successful business women and mums, hardworking and genuinely caring for an area where they’ve brought up their families.
“These are our first candidates to be selected for the 2020 elections and we really want to hear from other people interested in representing their communities, who want to stand as candidates and deliver the change needed for Warrington”.
Anyone interested in standing as a councillor can contact the Conservatives on 01925 231267 or email [email protected]