Following the news that Councillor Robert Clegg OBE will be standing down in the Wardle & West Littleborough ward in 2018 we are delighted to announce that long term local resident and Conservative campaigner, John Taylor, has been selected to stand for the seat in the 2018 local elections.
John said "I am delighted to have been selected as the Conservative candidate for Wardle and West Littleborough in next year’s local Elections."
"Cllr. Robert Clegg is standing down after many years of public service and I welcome the opportunity of continuing his excellent work alongside Cllr’s Ashley Dearnley and Rina Paolucci. It is an honour to represent the Conservative Party with whom I share many core values but when it comes to electing local Cllr’s I believe it is also important to know about the person as well as their politics."
"I am from Littleborough, I grew up here, went to school here and together with my wife Sue we have chosen to live here with our family too. We live on Union Road and prior to that in Wardle village, in fact I have lived in or around our Ward virtually the whole of my life. Our Ward is unique and in my opinion it is the jewel in the crown when compared to other Wards across the Borough. I would fight to keep it that way and make sure we receive our fair share of resources and funding."
"I have a long history of public service having spent thirty years working as a police officer and was fortunate enough to serve our Borough for quite a few of those years at varying ranks from Constable to Chief Inspector. Before retiring in 2015, I was responsible for the delivery of Neighbourhood Policing, Community Engagement, addressing anti social behaviour and working with Rochdale Council to make our Borough a safer place. I also spent many years working directly with Oldham Council tackling community safety and crime reduction issues."
"Throughout my service I recognised the importance of working closely with people, understanding their needs and taking action to improve the quality of their lives. My policing experience coupled with my working knowledge of Rochdale and Oldham Councils has given me an excellent grounding in addressing local concerns and I want to use my experience for the benefit of our community."
"I have chosen September to launch my election campaign, I know we are eight months away from the local elections but I believe it is important to demonstrate commitment to our area and prove myself to be a suitable election candidate who is worthy of people’s votes. Being an elected Cllr. would be a huge privilege and at the same time a significant responsibility. It is a position I would take very seriously and I recognise there are many challenges to overcome. I am absolutely committed and ready to work hard for the residents, businesses and visitors to our Ward."
"Over the coming weeks I will be delivering the first of my information leaflets / questionnaires and listening to what residents have to say. I hope people can spare the time to tell me about the issues they are concerned about and feel need to be addressed."