Local Elections Candidates 2008
Stockport MBC Elections - May 1st 2008
Green Party candidates are standing in eight wards. Please click on your candidate's name or ward to view their profile.
| Candidate | Ward |
|---|---|
| Phil Shaw | Brinnington & Central |
| David Leaver | Cheadle Hulme South |
| Vanessa Kellaway | Edgeley & Cheadle Heath |
| Janet Cuff | Heatons North |
| Peter Barber | Heatons South |
| Maggie Preston | Marple North |
| Graham Reid | Marple South |
| Ken Pease | Stepping Hill |
Phil Shaw - Brinnington & Central
Although a member of the Green Party for around a year, Phil has had grave concerns about environmental and social justice issues for many years, and now works as an Environmental Consultant.
Phil says: "My interest in the natural world was sparked during family walks in the Peak District and was enhanced in biology and ecology courses at school. This led to me taking a degree in Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia (UEA), which I completed in 1994. The content of this degree was environmental problems/issues, but I also chose modules that explained the reasons behind such issues: the political and economic conditions and decisions that lead to the exploitation of finite resources, the creation of pollution and the inequality that often results from such situations."
My work is for clients in the private and public sectors, and includes:
- Undertaking Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) for planned development.
- Development and use of tools to assess the 'sustainability' of developments, plans and policies.
- Monitoring of environmental parameters such as air and water quality.
"In line with my education and experiences I am also a firm believer in social justice and equality, and in particular in redressing the massive inequalities that successive governments have been unable, or more likely unwilling, to address. The Green Party offers a viable and desirable alternative to all the other 'grey' parties whose policies and pandering to the mass-consumerism agenda, has led to the creation of a self-serving society."
David Leaver - Cheadle Hulme South
David is a 44 year old father of 2. He is a builder by day, being the managing director of DB Refurb Ltd. David attended a comprehensive school in North Manchester followed by Durham and Oxford Universities. He lives in the ward, close to Cheadle Hulme School.
David says: "I believe that we need to look after this planet much better than we have. In Stockport I want to see less congestion and hear more birdsong. I am no eco saint. But I am determined to pass on to my children a world that is still fit to live in."
My top policies are:
- Walking buses for schools.
- Protect green belt and green spaces from new building.
- Boost insulation in every home.
Vanessa Kellaway - Edgeley & Cheadle Heath
Vanessa has been a member of the Green Party for 2 years and is standing in a Council election for the first time.
Janet Cuff - Heatons North
Janet is 70, married with 2 grown up daughters, and has lived in the same house in Heaton Moor for over 30 years. She formerly worked in Manchester, as manager of a second hand bookshop, but since retirement has devoted more of her time to volunteer activity. Janet has a strong interest in public transport, and regularly attends Local Public Transport Forums held in Stockport and Manchester as well as the Stockport Walking Forum and the Cycle User Group.
Janet says: "As a councillor, I would insist that affordable housing should be part of every new housing project. I would want to see empty properties brought back into use. New housing should be built to the highest environmental standards, using as much recycled material as possible and constructed to be as energy-efficient as possible; for instance, I would promote grants for home insulation and small wind turbines."
I see local green space and trees as being very important to people's sense of well-being and I would campaign for improved maintenance of our parks and green spaces and oppose any plans to build on them, such as on the green space on the old Cannon cinema site off the A6 in Stockport town centre."
Peter Barber - Heatons South
Peter is a biologist, currently working as a biology tutor while applying to teacher training. He is a regular cyclist and strong supporter of the Heatons local shops. He is married to a doctor, and they are currently attempting to bring their Victorian terraced house up to modern energy standards!
Maggie Preston - Marple North
Maggie has lived in Marple for almost 20 years and works with young people in education. She is a keen artist, hillwalker and bird watcher.
Graham Reid - Marple South
Graham is 61 years old and has a daughter who is now at university. For the past twenty years he has been employed as a postman at Marple Delivery Office where he was the local Union Representative for twelve years. Interests include Philosophy, Psychology, the environment, listening to music, fell walking and woodworking.
Graham says: "The steady expansion of our economy is unsustainable so we need to rethink our approach. We need to all help in reducing our carbon emissions and use of non-renewable materials. The Green Party encourages the local economy in order to reduce the huge waste created by transportation."
Ken Pease OBE - Stepping Hill
A forensic psychologist by training, Ken is currently Visiting Professor at University College London, the University of Loughborough and Chester University. Before retirement, he held chairs at the Universities of Manchester and Saskatchewan where he worked in the maximum security Regional Psychiatric Centre (Prairies). He has acted as Head of the Police Research Group at the Home Office, and has been a member of the Parole Board for England and Wales. He is a member of the Home Office Design and Technology Alliance and sits on the Steering Group of the current DTI review of Home Office science. The bulk of his published work over the last twenty years has concerned crime reduction and he was recently flattered by a book published in his honour under the title 'Imagination in Crime Prevention'.
A candidate for the Green Party in elections over twenty years, his current work includes the integration of security and sustainability in home design; patterns of dog theft; and the application of evolutionary psychology to crime science.
