West Lancashire Conservative Association are fielding a candidate in every ward at this May's local Borough Council elections.
The full list of candidates for the WLCA area is as follows:
- Ashurst - Stacey Griffiths
- Aughton Park - Graham Jones
- Aughton & Downholland - David Westley*
- Bickerstaffe - David Griffiths
- Birch Green - Craig McCann
- Derby Ward - David Sudworth
- Digmoor - Ryan Waite
- Knowsley Ward - Rob Bailey*
- Parbold - May Blake*
- Scarisbrick - Andrew Fowler*
- Scott Ward - David Meadows
- Skelmersdale North - Amanda Shaw
- Skelmersdale South - Sarah Ainscough
- Tanhouse - Irene O'Donnell
- Up Holland - Carolyn Evans
- Wrightington - Pamela Baybutt
(* Denotes sitting councillor)
Among the new faces battling to get a seat on the council for the first time are local campaigner David Sudworth, who hopes to be elected in Derby Ward following the sad passing of long standing Conservative Cllr David Swiffen; Wrightington's Pamela Baybutt, who hopes to succeed Cllr Michael Tattersall, who is stepping down through business commitments, and Aughton Park's Graham Jones, who is bidding to succeed former Mayor and Council Leader Cllr Geoff Roberts, who is retiring from local politics after 27 years.
The youngest Conservative candidate is local 18 year old student Ryan Waite, who is flying the Conservative flag in his home ward of Digmoor, Skelmersdale, and will bring a youthful voice to the Council.
Cllr Ian Grant, Conservative Group Leader on West Lancashire Borough Council, said: "This is a first class team of new candidates, each one of whom will make for effective councillors if elected on May 5th. They will bring new and fresh ideas to an experienced Conservative controlled Council.
"They would be joining a Group who have cut Council Tax in real terms from when Labour were in control, invested in Ormskirk, Burscough and Skelmersdale town centres and done a lot of work to protect frontline services as well as preserving local jobs and local spending power.
"For the past two years, we haven't increased Council Tax and yet at this year's Budget, the Labour Group put forward plans which had a £830,000 black hole in them. This would put 12% on the rates, hitting hard-working families and vulnerable people at a time when they need the council off their backs and on their side.
"The Conservative Group is the only one with fresh ideas on how to deliver the best services possible whilst protecting taxpayers' hard earned money, such as our pioneering partnership with West Lancashire Leisure Trust, which has delivered improvements to our leisure facilities, and our partnership with Lancashire County Council which has already provided an improved service and revenue savings.
"We are working on further opportunities at this very moment. There are exciting prospects of bringing new employment opportunities to Ormskirk and Skelmersdale. If that goes through, it would protect services and jobs at a time when Labour-run councils are slamming on the brakes and consigning thousands of people to the dole queue.
"Our four year business plan and our approach to protecting jobs and services was acknowledged by Unison as a measured approach in difficult circumstances."