CONSTITUENTS in Bromsgrove’s Sidemoor ward will soon be voting for their new councillor in an upcoming by-election.
Bromsgrove District Council called the vote for Thursday, September 19.
Sidemoor’s new councillor will take over from former Labour councillor, Graeme Stewart who was elected in May 2023.
The candidates standing are James Clarke (Liberal Democrats), Rita Dent (Conservative), Peter Measham (Green) and Jennifer Smith (Labour).
We asked each candidate and their party to tell voters why they are running for election.
Local campaigner James Clarke (Liberal Democrat) lives in Bromsgrove and raised his family here, sending his children to local state schools. James has managed and coached junior football teams in Bromsgrove and now runs his own business.
He ‘wants to pay back into the community’ and ‘use his passion and skills to build a better future for the people of Sidemoor.’
The Liberal Democrats say he has been working hard for Sidemoor outside of election time, having stood here at the local elections last year when he finished second to Labour with the Conservatives in third.
James is campaigning against Labour’s 82 per cent increase in housebuilding targets for Bromsgrove, which would see over 700 houses built every year.
James is opposing the building hike and believes housing should be built on brownfield sites first as a priority rather than on green belt.
Where housing is built, he is ‘fighting for the council to prioritise more affordable housing over executive homes’, along with ‘campaigning for these to be built in the right places with the right infrastructure in place.’
James said he sits in traffic too often and ‘congestion is only getting worse’. He has campaigned for a real solution to tackle traffic congestion in Bromsgrove by supporting local Lib Dem councillors who recently proposed a new study into traffic relief options – a move voted against by Labour and Conservative councillors.
Rita Dent (Conservative) has lived in the area for more than four decades, raising her family there and calling Sidemoor her ‘home’.
She feels sad to ‘see our community not as connected as it should be’, requiring a ‘strong voice to work with partners to ensure the area remains a great place to live’.
Rita has 20 years of experience as a councillor in Bromsgrove, adding she is the ‘only candidate with a proven track record of delivering for residents.’
She took a break from politics a few years ago to care for a close family member and says ‘Sidemoor is not living up to its full potential.’
She added: “Now I’m in a position to serve our community once again – I want to get back involved and work with partners to improve issues that matter to residents.
“Speaking to residents across Sidemoor, I know they’re concerned about anti-social behaviour and lack of day-to-day police presence.
“If I am given the honour of representing you, I will reintroduce community meetings with the police to address the issues raised with me.”
Rita also plans to campaign to ‘protect the historic character of Sidemoor’ and aim ‘to improve local infrastructure before any new housebuilding, which must then be sensitive to the local environment and crucially meet the needs of the community’.
Jennifer Smith (Labour) grew up in Bromsgrove and calls it her home. She says it is an honour be selected as Labour’s candidate.
She has worked in children’s social care for two decades and ‘understands the daily challenges faced by families’ and the ‘consequences of cutbacks in recent years.’
Jennifer wants to use her experience in the public sector to ‘advocate for the people of Sidemoor.’ She has worked with housing and community projects and aims to ‘develop a good working relationship with local providers’.
She believes in the ‘importance of effective public service and how they can improve daily life for people’. She plans to continue the good work of Coun Graeme Stewart who she said ‘had been a fantastic supporter for the people of Sidemoor’.
Jennifer plans to campaign for investment in the local park, improved funding for local services such as libraries, ensuring infrastructure is provided with new housing developments, improvements in congestion and air quality, public transport improvements and enhanced community policing.
We did not receive a response from the Green Party by the time we went to press.
