WHO will get your vote when Tameside goes to the polls on Thursday, May 6?
Residents who are registered to vote can have their say in the local borough elections and also the Greater Manchester Mayoral Elections.
For the local borough elections, one new councillor per ward will be elected from nominated candidates to represent the area on Tameside Council. Residents can have their say for the ward in which they live.
There are different ways to vote in the elections: at your local polling station, by post or by proxy (appointing someone to vote on your behalf).
You will receive a poll card telling you where to vote if you wish to vote in person at your local polling station on May 6.
Significant efforts have been made to ensure that all polling stations are Covid safe. Voters and staff will be required to wear a face covering (unless they are exempt), observe social distancing and use hand sanitiser which will be made available. Voters can bring their own pen or pencil should they wish to do so.
If you registered for a postal vote, you will receive a voting pack in the post including instructions on how to vote. Make sure you send it back so that it arrives by 10pm on election day.
The counts for local elections will commence at 11am on Friday, May 7 at Plantation Industrial Estate, Whitelands Road, Ashton-under-Lyne and is expected to be completed by 4pm. Admittance is strictly by ticket only.
To find out more go online: www.tameside.gov.uk/elections/ or call 0161 342 8355.
Here are the candidates standing in Hyde/Godley ward:
Sally Ashe, Liberal Democrats
AS a proud resident of Tameside, I am standing for the Liberal Democrats in Hyde Godley because I want to see Hyde flourishing again after the awful impact of Covid on all our lives and many of our local businesses. Skills for young people and help for business start-ups will be top of my list.
My professional background in health means I know just what an impact it has made on our NHS, and I will be a strong champion for better local medical services and social care, too.
Locally we should be building on brownfield sites to offer more affordable housing. My priorities are keeping our community clean and safe, with more attention to street cleaning and potholes, and make Hyde a greener and much more sustainable town.
Let’s work together and show the world just how wonderful Tameside is. As a community we can achieve anything.
Andrea Colbourne, Conservative Party
MY main concern for the residents of Hyde Godley Ward is the proposed Godley Green Garden Village. I have been against these proposals from the start, unlike all three Hyde Godley Labour councillors who have voted to destroy our greenbelt.
I believe your local councillor should be the voice of the community that they represent, acting on your behalf for your priorities. Even though many of us have had to stay at home this past year, I have been active in our community by reporting the potholes, blocked drains/gullies, streetlights that don’t work and lots of fly-tipping that you have come to me with.
I would be proud to work for this community and to be a voice for the residents at all times – not just in the run up to the election.
I am asking you to lend me your vote in this election and together we can make our area a better, cleaner and greener place to live.
Ken Cooper, Green Party
RELATIVE newcomers to Hyde, moving from Sheffield five years ago, myself and partner Annie feel incredibly lucky to have settled into a welcoming community surrounded by beautiful countryside.
In local politics, I believe that we need to listen to constituents, find solutions that are practical and that serve our common interests. The toxic clashes I see between the two main parties only serve to put people off. It does not have to be that way. It is possible to work together.
I joined Tameside Green Party to help promote a sustainable economy that balances the needs of local people while preserving and enhancing the natural environment. It is essential for our physical and mental wellbeing.
Since learning of the proposed Godley Green Garden Village, I have been determined to oppose it. This is in fact Green Party policy.
We have a Green councillor in Ashton, and we challenged the big parties in a third of seats, last time, proving that we are electable.
If you want green, vote Green.
John Edge, The Liberal Party
I HAVE lived in the local area for around nine years now with my wife. We left Salford to be in more green surroundings, so I am very eager to protect the greenbelt from further destruction.
The pandemic has been hard for everyone and I think it is essential to not only look to a more local approach to recovery but to look at ways to future-proof our area in case of another situation like the one we just endured.
I seek to be an alternative to our virtually two-party system that couldn’t even work together during a national emergency! I would also like to thank everyone who voted for me during the last General Election – I appreciate your support.
Joe Kitchen, Labour Party
I AM delighted to have been re-selected to be the Labour Party candidate in the local elections for Hyde Godley.
Last year I completed 30 years’ service for the NHS at Tameside General Hospital where I’ve seen many changes for the better. I am also a director at Hyde United football club.
We have also seen the completion of Hyde swimming pool which should be open to the public by the end of May 2021.
Godley Green has many supporters and many people who object to the greenbelt being built on. If this development goes ahead it is important that as local councillors we make sure we get the maximum benefit out of the scheme for the people of Hyde and make sure the rest of the greenbelt is protected for generations to come.
If re-elected, I will continue to work for the people of Godley.