Four candidates are vying for the vacancy on Witney Town Council.

A byelection will take place on August 25 to represent the Witney East ward.

The candidates are Hannah Bailey for the Liberal Democrats who lives in the ward and works at a local school.  

The Lib Dem priorities for the town are to help to tackle the cost of living crisis, calling on the Government to cancel October’s energy price hike and proposing an immediate cut in VAT to help local families struggling to pay their bills. 

They will campaign to rebuild the Oxford-Eynsham-Witney-Carterton rail link, put pressure on Thames Water to do more to clean up our local rivers and waterways, calling on them to increase the capacity of sewage treatment works and to be more transparent with the monitoring of discharges. 

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David Lyon, who has lived in Witney for 25 years and is involved in many community initiatives, is the Labour candidate.

He said: “As the landscape of Witney East changes I will do my utmost to ensure proper transport infrastructure is in place including bus routes, cycle lanes and the Shores Green junction”.

He aims to help the Labour-run Town Council "to continue their great work in protecting, promoting and opening up green spaces such as the ground-breaking tiny forest at Tychwood".

And he will "fight for projects that will benefit us all including a community garden on Madley Park and other grassroots initiatives".

Sandra Simpson for the Green Party has lived in Witney for over 20 years.

She was a lecturer for the Open University and the University of Hertfordshire where she was Head of Continuing Studies, supporting mature students.

She has also taught in prisons and helped unemployed people in Witney and Oxford with English, Maths and preparing their CVs.

She volunteers at a local parent-run playgroup, taught lifesaving at her children’s swimming club, is a qualified bowls coach and is an active member of several wildlife groups.

She founded the Woodgreen Area Waste Action Group, which started the first green waste collections at the council offices. The group also gave demonstrations and talks on recycling and arranged monthly Swap Shops. 

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Darren Thomas, the Conservative Party candidate, said: "Labour have been running Witney Town Council for nearly four years now and have nothing to show for it other than hiking up your council tax to record levels and increasing Town Hall costs.

"The poor financial management at Witney Town Council recently resulted in plans to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee scaled back as the town council had ran out of money.

"Residents were rightly angered at the lack of celebration shown in the town with many asking why the Town Council weren't doing more to celebrate this historic occasion." 

Mr Thomas, who lives on Madley Park, said: "We have Labour councillors teaming up with Lib Dems and Greens to rush through plans for 20mph roads and pushing through the High Street closure without a proper plan and against the views of residents - a common theme with these new coalitions.

"It's time for change and I hope people vote for me to get that." 

 

 

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