General Election Candidates

Thomas Daw, Weston

 

As an advocate for community empowerment and progress, I am proud to announce my candidacy for Member of Parliament (MP) for my hometown, Weston-Super-Mare. With a deep-rooted commitment to serving the people and fostering positive change, I am driven by a fervent belief in the power of democracy and the potential for transformative leadership.

I was voted onto North Somerset District Council in 2023, since then I have shown that I am able to work well alongside others. As we have a coalition Council the ability to work collaboratively is crucial. Already I have created an amazing track record of working with the local community.

After my election, I got stuck straight in, getting myself onto the CYPS (children’s and young people’s services) and Licensing scrutiny panels. I’m dismayed by the lack of funding and support from central government, particularly in Special Needs education. This lack of funding, support and even respect of the most essential people that bind our local society together has made me want to work against this austerity to protect our town.

I was born in Weston and grew up in the local community. I have been an environmentalist since I can remember but soon realised it was an unachievable goal without solving social and economic inequality. I studied A-level Law and Politics however, instead of progressing to university I decided to stay to help at home with my family. Being the oldest of 6 children, the cost of living hit hard after covid. So, whilst working 40+ hours at McDonalds in Winterstoke, I had the challenge of pursuing my passion of bettering local politics. I saw change was needed and that the time to act was now. I understand the struggle of normal life and the meaning of working hard to achieve the basic minimum. This drives me to tackle the wealth inequalities in our once great country.

Together, let's build a future we can all be proud of. At the general election, I humbly ask for your vote to be your voice in Parliament. Together, we can create positive change and build a better tomorrow for generations to come.

tom.daw@northsomerset.greenparty.org.uk

Oscar Livesey-Lodwick, North Somerset

I am a 25-year-old full of both enthusiasm and political nous ready to tackle the issues of our towns and parishes. Improving North Somerset is at the centre of my ambitions, and putting pressure on the powers in place is something I believe my skill-set is tailormade for.

I first joined the Green Party in North Somerset as a teenager way back in 2015.  We now have an incredible 8 Councillors and an ever growing membership. In light of this, I believe we are in a great position to achieve a record-breaking result in North Somerset this year. I have been involved in the last 3 GE campaigns (largely through canvassing), multiple local elections and activist campaigns whilst away in London. I am a self-confessed election boff whos’ love for numbers and data will hopefully aid our cause in firstly getting to 5% , but then critically exceeding the highest Vote percentage for a Green party candidate in North Somerset of 6.5% , somewhere close to 10% and beating the Liberal Democrats into 3rd would be brilliant wouldn’t it?

A more loving, fairer and all-round sustainable society is what I believe we all want to see. We have nearby hope in Carla Denyer who we should all do our bit in supporting as she hopes to take Bristol Central and become our 2nd MP. Here in North Somerset I will do my best to hold Liam Fox to account and it will be my privilege to represent not only an amazing local group of Green Party members but hopefully the array of individuals who reside in the constituency.

oscarliveseylodwick@gmail.com

Peter Welsh, Wells and Mendip Hills

I am proud to have been selected by local members as the Green Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the newly formed Wells and Mendip Hills constituency.

Standing for a political party that promotes societal and environmental justice offers me the privilege to campaign across our beautiful area. I will engage with individuals, families and groups to better understand their priorities and concerns.

I have lived in Wells since 2008 and my wife and I have two children in local schools. I work as a NHS Mental Health Practitioner across GP Practices and so am fully aware of the pressures caused by a poorly funded NHS on patients and staff alike.

In my view its time the 'Big Two' local parties budge up a bit and I will invite voters to take the risk of hope and vote Green for real change. Issues such as public transport, housing developments and education affect us all in Wells and Mendip Hills so let's look together at a Greenprint for a better way together.

peterawelsh@aol.com