Kenilworth and Southam Liberal Democrats

ABBEY WARD

Ann Blacklock

After nine years as a town councillor for Kenilworth Abbey ward, Ann is proud of her achievements but keen to do more.

She says:

"I'm delighted that Kenilworth is moving into the 21st century with new buildings and facilities, but we also need to modernise our institutions and the way we represent people - to ensure that ALL sections of the community are heard, not just those who shout loudest and know how to manipulate 'the system'. Equally, in an ambitious and prosperous town, there are instances of hardship: many people not sharing in the general affluence, whom we must not forget and who need real support."

As a long-term High Street resident, Ann is very well known by many people in the area. She was a founder member of the Friends of Abbey Fields, and is keen to preserve the character of the Fields and to protect them as a unique feature of the town.

Local causes that Ann has championed in the past four years have included the new allotments at Beehive Hill, the skateboard park at Castle Farm, retention of toilet facilities at Kenilworth cemetery, and bringing the Citizens Advice service back to Kenilworth.

Kate Dickson

Although standing for the Town Council for the first time, Kate has been an active Kenilworth citizen for much of the sixteen years that she and husband Richard have lived here - especially during her time as Chair of Kenilworth Ladies Circle.

Living close to the town centre, Kate is well aware of the problems associated with increased traffic in the area, and is keen to support proposals for cycle paths and improved transport links.

She says:

"Living in such a beautiful area I am proud of the town's efforts to provide recycling facilities, and would work for this to be monitored and improved.

Sadly, Kenilworth is the only town in the district not yet signed up to the Fairtrade commitment. If elected I would work with other Liberal Democrat councillors to ensure that this position is soon changed."

Kate believes that councillors must stay in touch with the residents they represent, in order to identify the needs of the community. As a busy mother with three daughters going through Kenilworth schools, and as an active and involved member of the St. John's church community, she feels well placed to do so.

Sue Edwards

Sue's family has lived in Kenilworth for four generations now, and she knows this town very well indeed.

Brought up in St.Nicholas Avenue, she went to St. John's Primary and Kenilworth Grammar School. She went on to study French and Spanish, serving as Entertainments Officer for the Students' Union, then worked in France for a while as a bi-lingual secretary.

Sue works part-time in the Argos store in Warwick Road, but is better known to Kenilworth's longer-term residents as "Sue from Discotrak in Abbey End", where she helped to run Kenilworth's independent music shop until she started a family. Now she and husband John have two sons at university in Lancaster and Southampton, and a daughter at Kenilworth School.

She has been part of the Kenilworth in Bloom Committee, organising various children's projects including the "Seeds for Schools" campaign and "the Queen's Jubilee Poster Competition".

Sue has seen many changes in Kenilworth over the years, and is standing for the first time for the Town Council for three main reasons:

• to provide a voice for local people's everyday concerns,
• to ensure that the improvements and future development of our town will harmonise with the beauty of its past,
• to promote action rather than endless discussion.

Pat Ryan

Pat has been a leading member of Kenilworth Town Council since being first elected as an Abbey ward councillor in 1991. He was Mayor in 1996-97, and is the current Deputy Mayor and Mayor Elect. He leads the Liberal Democrat group on the Town Council.

He believes that the electors of Kenilworth need to get better value for money from their Town Council. "We have a town council of seventeen while Leamington, a much larger town, manages with twelve. A slimmed down council would spend less on administering itself and more on projects for the town. Many small parish councils do more for their local communities than this large town council does."

Pat has recently initiated a Crime survey in the ward. It confirms that Kenilworth is a relatively safe town and fear of crime is low, but there are concerns about vandalism and graffiti.

"We must make a big effort to use the Safer Neighbourhoods scheme to bear down of the small anti-social minority that are causing some parts of town real distress." He welcomes the new Youth and Community Centre and wants the Town Council to help the new centre become a success.

John Whitehouse

John was elected county councillor for Kenilworth Abbey in 2005. He is the Lib Dem county spokesperson for Schools, and serves on a number of county committees spanning education, young people and families, and the environment. He has represented the council at national education and social services conferences.

He and wife Ann have lived in Kenilworth since 1979. They have three children and two young grandchildren, the eldest of whom attends a local primary school. John took early retirement from the international automotive business in 2003, having travelled to many countries and cities across Europe, North America and Asia.

John is a school governor and chair of Finance. He is a member of a number of national and local environmental charities and groups. He is also foster parent to two children through Plan International, in Nepal and Zambia respectively.

He is a member of the management committee of the Kenilworth Youth & Community Centre, and of the Joint Town Centre Steering Group, the Town Centre Partnership and the Safer Neighbourhoods Panel.

John says:

"Becoming a town councillor would be bring me even closer to the issues affecting local people, and help me to become a better county councillor on behalf of Kenilworth residents."

PARK HILL WARD

Eric Deal

Eric and his wife Doreen have lived in Kenilworth for over forty years. His career as a local government officer specialising in education administration included a spell with the Warwickshire County Council, followed by a senior post with the Birmingham City Council, as Assistant Education Officer responsible for the Administration, Services and Personnel Branch of the Education Department.

Since his retirement, Eric has worked in the voluntary sector, particularly in organisations set up to advise charity trustees on aspects of funding and questions of charity governance. A founder-member of the West Midlands Charity Trustees Forum, Eric was until recently its Honorary Secretary, and is currently assisting in the development of "Trustees Together" in South Warwickshire.

As a long-standing Liberal Democrat member he has been involved in many previous election campaigns, both as candidate and agent.

An active member of Kenilworth Methodist Church, Eric takes a keen interest in Kenilworth affairs and has been involved with several local community groups. He is a former school governor.

Ian Fenwick

Ian and his wife Anne have lived in Kenilworth for the past five years. They previously lived in Reading for many years, where he was a Liberal Democrat councillor for seven years on the local authority and leader of the opposition group on the council.

For many years he worked as a university lecturer, and continues to teach adults in Kenilworth and at Warwick University. He is actively involved in several local groups, and regards the fostering of a strong local community spirit as vital for any councillor.

As a Liberal Democrat he is passionate about the need to take local decisions locally, and that is why he despairs of the present Town Council which spends most of its income on administration and civic functions.

Ian says:

"I want to encourage ambition in Kenilworth - ambition to capitalise on the opportunities which exist if the Town Council and volunteer groups work in partnership, and ambition to create a vibrant and interesting town and community."

Doug Golby

Doug was first elected as a Park Hill ward councillor in 1995, and has served continuously over the ensuing twelve years. He had the honour of becoming Mayor of Kenilworth from 2003 to 2004.

As the retired editor of the local weekly newspaper, Doug has a very wide knowledge of the town, its history and the key issues that affect its development in the interests of all sections of the populace.

He is an active and involved town councillor, with a particular focus on the many planning issues that come up for consideration. He serves on a number of the council's sub-committees and working parties. He takes a close interest in environmental and heritage issues, and values the benefits of conservation areas and tree preservation.

Doug says:

"We must ensure that the ongoing development of Kenilworth strikes the right balance between the need for new housing, especially affordable housing, and not over-developing to the point that the town loses its special character.

As well as developing the town centre, we also need investment in the road and public transport infrastructure."

Mary Harrison

Mary is standing again for election to the Town Council, having been a Park Hill town councillor for the Liberal Democrats for four years from 1995 to 1999.

She has been a resident of Kenilworth for many years, and her family also lived here in the early part of the twentieth century. She was a teacher at Priors Field School for many years, during which time she studied for and gained an Open University Honours degree. On retiring she stayed involved in the education of the town's children by becoming a governor of two local schools.

Mary is well known to many of the town's older residents as the founder of Kenilworth Teapot, set up thirteen years ago under the auspices of the Kenilworth Community Care Council. The Teapot is a drop-in place for elderly Kenilworth residents and especially new comers to the town so that they might have some help in finding out about the many activities taking place in the town. The Teapot is still thriving, and Mary continues to run it on a weekly basis.

As a member of the management committee of the Youth & Community Centre, she has been involved in the planning of the new building which opens later this month.

Kevin Holt

Kevin and wife Christine have lived in the heart of Park Hill ward, in the same house, for the past twenty five years. He is very committed to the area and the local community, and serves as a governor of Park Hill School.

With two sons going through the local schools, Kevin helped their sporting development by managing junior football sides at Kenilworth town and the Wardens over seven years, and now supports them regularly at Kenilworth Rugby Club.

He has spent thirty years working for the National Health Service, most of this at Warwick Hospital where he works as a laboratory manager. He was Chair of the Unison branch there for ten years, during which time he played a role at national level as well, and he now chairs the staff association at the hospital.

Kevin believes that his long experience working with NHS patients and staff have equipped him well for the challenges of becoming a councillor. "It's about listening to people, and being prepared to give advice if asked. When you put yourself up for election, you need to be there for residents when the need arises. I look forward to the challenge."

Alison Tyler

Alison has been a town councillor for less than three years, having won the Park Hill Town Council by-election from the Conservatives in August 2004. She has since been involved in various town council committees and has worked hard to protect Kenilworth's green aspect.

She supports local town groups where possible and has been a member of the Sunday morning swimming club and Priory Theatre for several years. She has also been an active member of Kenilworth Lawn Tennis & Squash Club and Golf Club.

Alison was born in Coventry and lived there until 1978 when she and her husband, Mick, moved to Kenilworth. They have three children, two of whom have finished university and are working and the youngest is studying land management at university.

She is a member of Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, The Ramblers' Association and CRPE (Campaign to Protect Rural England). She enjoys being outdoors and often walks around Kenilworth's footpaths at the weekend.

She says:

"There are good vibes around Kenilworth now and the 'feel good factor' is almost tangible. We need to support new initiatives in the town centre such as a civic centre for Smalley Place and new developments in 'Talisman Square and Warwick Road - but not forget the rest of the town either."

ST. JOHN'S WARD

Richard Dickson

Having made Kenilworth his home for the past sixteen years, Richard is proud to be a part of the Kenilworth community. He feels privileged previously to have served the people of St John's ward as Chair of Governors at St John's Primary School and also as a warden at St John's church. For fourteen years he was also an active member of Kenilworth Round Table.

He previously worked for a major high street bank, and now works for the international charity CORD, headquartered in Leamington Spa, which runs self-help projects for people caught up in wars in developing countries across the world.

Richard says:

"Kenilworth is a wonderful place in which to live life and bring up a family. My vision for Kenilworth is of a town that is known as Warwickshire's most friendly community, where there are facilities and services that welcome and encourage people of all ages and backgrounds, and where the people are happy to share and preserve their local environment."

Richard Sweeney

Richard is Kenilworth born and bred, having lived here all his life. He and his wife Sarah have a young daughter, and his father Colin still lives in St. John's ward.

He stood unsuccessfully for the Town Council four years ago, and is trying again because he wants to see the council playing a much more active role in supporting the further development of the town.

He was until recently the Chair of Governors at Park Hill School.

Richard works as a Business Support Officer for the county council, having spent his previous working life in the local manufacturing industry. He is pleased that Kenilworth has started to attract new inward investment after years of stagnation, but is impatient to see the town centre improvements and the improved shopping experience that this will bring.

He says:

"I've always felt that Kenilworth was a safe and pleasant place to live, and I still do. We can't be complacent, though. Things need to be kept moving forward, and it's up to the council to provide a lead."

John Wilson

John is a relative newcomer to the town, having moved here eighteen months ago from Leamington.

He was an active Liberal Democrat member in Leamington's Milverton ward, focusing particularly on traffic calming measures. His concern was not only about the real dangers posed by inappropriate speed - particularly to the young and elderly - but also how inconsiderate driving can damage the quality of life in a community more generally.

With the support of local Liberal Democrat town councillors and working with county councillors and the police, his campaign in Milverton successfully led to a number of effective traffic calming measures being introduced and the construction of new pedestrian crossings.

John has a partner Genny and a grown-up son. He is a partner in a business which provides confidential whistle blowing hotlines on behalf of large corporate clients, as well as offering their senior managers an innovative tool for communicating with frontline employees.

Outside of work and political commitments, he took up golf last year and is taking part in this year's Two Castles' Run.