Here are the County Council candidates fighting for your votes in Chard South...

Jason Baker, Liberal Democrats

I WANT to be your next county councillor in Chard South because I want to help improve our roads, care for our elderly and ensure we have leisure facilities available locally.

I am currently involved in many local groups including Chard Youth Club, Chard Town Team, Chard Carnival Committee and I am a governor at Manor Court School.

It gives me great pleasure to be involved in these groups that have managed to save Chard Carnival, put on the summer festival each year, as well as the Christmas lights and much more.

We have steadily been losing public services over the past eight years of this Conservative administration.

We have had cuts to our bus services, cuts to our libraries and our roads have been neglected. It’s time for a change.

I want to see our adult and child social care services restored to a good standard and I will fight to see that the Laurel Centre is kept open and campaign to keep Chard Hospital wards open.

I want to make Chard a better place, with your backing on Thursday, May 4, I will work with the Liberal Democrat team at County Hall to make Somerset better once again.

Dave Bulmer, Indepedent

AS an Independent councillor on both the town and district councils for many years I have always been passionate about serving our local communities.

I now feel the time is right to stand as a candidate for Chard South in the county council elections. Independent councillors are free from the clutches of party politics which require councillors to tow a party line.

The truth is there are going to be tough times ahead because of central government austerity measures since 2010 and previous administrations’ debt.

This has resulted in severe cuts to local government funding, the main political parties must take responsibility for these cuts and dept.

I will focus on how to deliver statutory services in a more efficient way, while achieving a balanced budget.

These services include education, social services including adult and child care, public transport, recycling, highway maintenance and infrastructure.

Other matters that must be addressed include swimming provision in Chard and the much talked about cycle link between Chard and Tatworth.

I have a friendly and down-to-earth approach to council work, sincerely believing people in our communities should come first.

I will work with Tatworth and Forton Parish Council and Chard Town Council.

Peter Heather, UKIP

I’M proud to be a member of UKIP.

UKIP is the party that brought about the referendum and our independence day giving us back sovereignty and democracy, taken away when the Lisbon Treaty was signed.

I believe that UKIP listens to the people and makes their voice heard.

I will continue to listen to all the electorate and be ready to present there views and concerns at the council meetings.

The party I represent has brought about change and as a member of that party, I will continue to fight for improvement and change in Chard and the surrounding area and ensure the people I represent get a fair deal.

The improvements I would like to see are:

  • The regeneration of the town
  • The infrastructure
  • The Chard bypass
  • Ringfencing of the extra council tax paid by you for social care

I could list others, some of which you will see on the leaflets put through your letterbox.

Please use your vote wisely on May 4.

I have out lined the reasons why I feel UKIP and our candidates are the ones to vote for on May 4, therefore I look forward to becoming your county councillor.

Gemma Verdon, Conservative

GEMMA has been listening to residents and learning what the important issues are.

Highways – Well planned and maintained roads around Chard, could help relieve pressure on the town centre and help in the development of new businesses – as your county councillor I will maintain Chard’s high profile.

Community Support – Helping deliver voluntary and community support through social enterprise projects makes us stronger as a neighbourhood.

Feeling safe in our home environment leads to less crime and a sense of community pride in the local area.

Let’s be part of a community, not just a street of houses.

Education – I will support local and national initiatives to provide further education, training and work experience, particularly those leading to employment, assisting our young people to get the skills they need to get on in life.

Gemma moved to Somerset in 2015 from Wiltshire and is an industrious businesswoman, stimulating and enthusing teams to work together for a common goal.

Gemma is an active member of the Chard community, particularly interested in charitable events.

She is motivated and gets involved with local issues that affect Chard South and acts to make a local difference.

Her personal motto is ‘service above self’.

Melissa Whittaker-Mather, Labour

BUS services across Somerset are isolating members of our community and effecting people’s abilities to gain access to health services and, in many cases, suitable employment and reducing aspirations.

Buses do not interface well and there’s minimal competition in this market, creating the perfect conditions for higher-priced fares and yet another barrier to getting around.

Given we’ve had a Conservative-led council and government that views work as the route out of poverty, they have yet again contradicted themselves by making it almost impossible to travel via bus to workplaces.

Many people have told me they intend to leave the Chard South area as they cannot obtain or travel to suitable employment or attend medical appointments.

My main priority is addressing this by pushing to reinstate the Somerset Transport Forum so people and employers can state their needs and the bus services become tailored around the needs of people and employers. 
I strongly oppose the three weekly bin collections.

Given the increase in flytipping, the high cost of clear up and the charges to dispose of goods at the recycling centres, this is simply counterproductive and just a cost-cutting exercise. Nothing more.