Help make Brentwood Council representative

Writing in the Brentwood Gazette today, Cllr Karen Chilvers appeals for candidates who represent the Brentwood community to come forward:

"Incredibly, last month, the number of mothers of school-age children was DOUBLED on Brentwood Council when Cllr Liz Cohen was elected in Shenfield. Astonishing isn't it?

"However, this has caused some excitement amongst mums in Brentwood and it occurs to me that the council is not as representative as we should be of the Brentwood community we are trying to represent. For instance, out of 37 councillors why are there only two mums of young children on the council? Why are there no non-white faces? Why are there only five councillors under 40 and only three of those under 30? Why are there only six or so commuters amongst us? Why are there no council tenants at all?

"It seems to me that one reason is that people often feel you need to be a certain "type" of person to be a councillor - a "politician" if you will, but this just isn't true. Many of us are quite normal - I'm no career politician myself having not been elected until I was 36! We do this as well as having family, friends, jobs and a life!

"Most of the Liberal Democrat councillors on Brentwood got involved because something was affecting their community - for Cllr Vicky Davies it was the presence of rats where she lived at the time, for Cllr Phil Mynott it was the William Hunter Way development, for Cllr Graeme Clark it was the speeding on his road and for me a campaign to stop a development at Thorndon Country Park. Just normal people who cared about their community and realised, on all these occasions, that it was the Lib Dem councillors who were working and fighting with them. So, we joined them and here we are!

"Recently, whilst the Tory administration have been tearing each other to pieces and their factions have finally splintered and the leader of the Labour group (of two) heralds the rise of socialism in Brentwood disregarding the fact that his party finished a poor fourth/last place with 31 votes in the recent by-election, the Liberal Democrats have continued focusing on community issues - fighting to save the play areas and town centre disabled parking spaces, get action on potholes and poor pavements and stop our local services being sold off to the highest bidder because we know these issues are important to you.

"Community has always been at the heart of Liberal Democrat policy and, locally, that is something that we feel strongly and fight forcefully for.

"Could you be our next councillor representing your residents, speaking up for them and making their voices heard? Contact us if that could be YOU!"