Ahead of local elections on May 22nd, and our Vote Jesmond 2014 elections hustings event on May 19th, JesmondLocal is profiling each of the 10 candidates for councillor in North and South Jesmond. Continuing our five days of profiles, the Liberal Democrat party.

Catherine Walker

Lib Dem candidate for North Jesmond

Early career

Catherine Walker has been a councillor for six years and is involved with a wide range of interests such as the planning committee, for which there is a hearing next week. Walker also works with the licensing committee and the Mansion Trust. She says has a good team around her to work with HMOs and night noise but says there is still a lot to be done.

What North Jesmond needs?

“We need to tackle transient noise, which is an ongoing problem,” Walker says. “Being transient, it’s difficult to pin it down and because it’s transient obviously when the police go along, it’s likely the people have moved on.”

Parking problems and transport problems associated with Osborne Road, including the state of the roads and pavements, are issues Walker would like to take on were she elected once more. A paritcular grip is th issue of  taxis turning around in the middle of the street, while revellers “frequenting the pubs can make it difficult for residents to walk along Osborne Road, particularly on bank holidays if the weather’s fine and on some race days.”

The state of the HMOs is also important to address with the behaviour of some of the occupants, the litter and broken glass and overflowing bins being a problem.

On a national level

National-level politics can trickle down to regions and localities, Walker says: “obviously policies that are decided [in Westminster] influence things locally.”

Voter turnout

Walker agrees that the postal vote system has helped encourage people to vote but adds that “there’s only so much you can do to try and encourage people to vote. It’s up to the individual to decide whether they vote or not.”

Tom Woodwark

Lb Dem candidate for South Jesmond

Early career

Tom Woodwark has been involved with the Liberal Democrats since 1989 whilst at university, starting off in the Tyneside area. In 1997 he stood in the South Gosforth ward and won and has been a councillor ever since, moving to the South Jesmond ward in 2004.

Why the Liberal Democrats?

When asked about why he chose the Liberal Democrats over the other parties, Woodwark referred to growing up in the late 1970s and early 1980s, saying “I saw a world of extremes. The Conservatives just didn’t seem to care.” Woodwark says Liberal Democrats are all about knowing the value of money but also knowing about the sense of community, and that to his mind is what is so appealing about the party.

What South Jesmond needs?

There are of course the issues around parking and planning that are always pressing but for Woodwark there is also the issue of having strong partnerships, which he says he has built up during his time as councillor, and regular engagement with the community and consultancy on issues.

He claims that the council has a history of not consulting properly such plans, highlighting previous cases on local avenues and Acorn Road. Woodwark notes he is working hard to combat this by being involved in a website that provides plans for the avenues. Good consultation is key to giving people “on the outside” a voice and making sure their voices are heard. He claims that the council needs to move away from simply putting letters through letterboxes.