WE look at some of the Irish candidates across the parties who are hoping for success in the local elections. Fiona Audley meets four Lib Dem candidates standing on May 22.
WITH the Local Elections taking place tomorrow – alongside the European election and in some areas mayoral elections – the men and women hoping to secure your vote are knocking on their final few doors, hoping to talk to the voters that could furnish them with a vote.
A strong contingent of Irish candidates is evident among those representing parties at the local election level, either standing for re-election to their existing council seats or making a first attempt to secure a place as a local councillor.
JOE BOURKE is standing as a Liberal Democrat candidate in the Brentford ward in West London. With familial roots in Ireland, he runs an accountancy business in Hanwell and is married with three sons and one daughter.
Political Background: Joe is a long-term member of the Liberal Democrat Party. This is his first time standing for local election.
Why are you standing for election?
“I want to bring economic prosperity and a fairer society without abandoning the fight for the environment.”
What issues do you hope to address?
“I want to see a stronger economy and a fairer Britain, while building on Liberal Democrat achievements so far, such as making taxes fairer so no one will pay tax on the first £10,000 they earn. Also, by giving every child a fair start in life with smaller class sizes and more money targeted at kids needing extra tuition to catch up.
"Preserving our parks and green spaces and tackling the dangerous levels of air pollution in our borough is also an important issue for me. I will focus also on how we create new jobs to deliver an expanded public transport network, renewable energy programs and energy efficient homes for our residents.”
Who is your biggest challenge on May 22?
We are confident about this week’s election, in our borough there are many issues on which the Liberal Democrat party has campaigned alongside residents. We have fought with our local residents to get the council to address the Feltham Arena disaster.
"We have fought for people to be allowed to drop off passengers at Feltham Station and we organised and chaired a public meeting on the future expansion of Heathrow Airport in Brentford. We need joined up policy making not eye-catching headlines in our area and if our residents elect a Liberal Democrat councillor on May 22 they can be confident they will get a representative willing to constructively challenge not rubber stamp."
JAMES HENNIGAN, 26, is a Liberal Democrat councillor hoping to be re-elected to the Levenshulme ward in Manchester. With Irish roots in Attymas, Co. Mayo, he is a supporter of the annual Manchester Irish Festival and well known among the city’s Irish community.
Political Background: James has been a councillor for Levenshulme for four years and a member of the Liberal Democrat party for 11 years. He joined the party because he felt they were the ‘only party who represented local views and worked tirelessly to improve the community’.
Why are you standing for election?
“When I first stood for Levenshulme I wanted to make a difference to people’s lives in the area and work on their behalf. Growing up in the area I used to box at Levenshulme community centre, it was a real community hub but was neglected by the Labour council.
"When it burnt down the council promised to rebuild it and never did, in fact they eventually sold the land for £1. Initially I was annoyed by the broken promises and wanted to stand to give others the opportunities that the council denied. I still feel passionate about making a difference to the lives of residents.”
What issues do you hope to address?
“I have been fighting the campaign on all of the hard work I have done in the last four years to make the area safer, cleaner and greener. My biggest campaign is about reviving the High Street and bringing more variety in its retail outlets. Ultimately residents are concerned about the issues that affect them locally and I react to that.
"For example, lots of residents are annoyed by the amount of money being wasted in the city centre, whilst the suburbs are being neglected. Huge sums of money have been pumped into the city centre recently – including £150m on a new town hall and £900k spent on new city-centre lights – while basics like bin collections and our roads are being ignored. That’s not acceptable.”
Who is your biggest challenge on May 22?
“The biggest challenge politically is the Labour party. In the ward of Levenshulme they have two elected councillors, neither of whom lives in the area. If Labour wins, for the first time in living memory, there will not be one councillor in place who actually lives in Levenshulme.
"In Manchester, there are 86 Labour councillors and nine Liberal Democrats. Having a one-party state in Manchester would be dangerous and I think people are very conscious of that. There has been an issue of apathy in elections but I think people are very wary that to have good democracy you need a strong opposition, so we are confident of a good outcome on Thursday.”
PATRICK HARTE, 32, is standing as a Liberal Democrat candidate in the Crouch End ward in the London Borough of Haringey. Originally from Letterkenny, in Co Donegal, he came to Britain in 2005. He currently works as a barrister in London and is co-chairman of the London Irish Lawyers Association.
Political Background: Patrick is the fifth generation of his family to seek election. His grandfather Paddy Harte was a Fine Gael TD for nearly 40 years and his uncle is currently a senator. Having lived in Haringey since 2007 he is standing for local election for the first time.
Why are you standing for election?
“I chose to run in the local elections as Haringey Council is so badly managed. It is the fourth most complained about borough in London but has one of the highest council taxes. So instead of complaining about it, I decided to try and do something about it.
"The council has been run for over 40 years by the Labour party and as we know from Irish politics, having one party dominate is deeply unhealthy and invariably leads to complacency and abuse of power. The number of scandals in this borough would even put Fianna Fáil in their pomp to shame!”
What issues do you hope to address?
“In Ireland we are experienced in coalition government whereas here it is a relatively novel idea. The challenges faced by the junior coalition partner are always great and in London it is no different. That said, in Crouch End and Haringey in general the electorate is very well informed and is fully aware of the failings of Haringey Council.
"The main issues seem to be the misuse of office by council members and the continual waste of resources in Haringey, which I will focus on if elected. Also, as a commuter on two wheels, I am campaigning to make the borough more cycle-friendly. The roads in Haringey are particularly bad and the provision for cyclists in my ward very poor. Elsewhere, I will focus on campaigns to maintain and support the unique nature of the Broadway in Crouch End.”
Who is your biggest challenge on May 22?
“The ward has returned three Liberal Democrat candidates in each of the last three local elections, with the turn out being generally very good. We are confident we will return three Liberal Democrat seats again as we have a great record of delivering for local residents.”
