Local Elections 2023

Braintree District Council Elections - 4 May 2023

The Green Party, together with our Independent colleagues in the Green and Independent Group, are contesting 23 of the Braintree District Council wards. There are 22 Green Party candidates and 9 Independent candidates standing for election with the target of increasing the strength of the Green and Independent Group, which is the official opposition to the ruling Conservatives on the Council.

Our amazing Green Party candidates, who are campaigning for a green and fair Braintree District, are:

 

Cllr. Paul Thorogood - Kelvedon and Feering Ward

Paul Thorogood was elected as a Green Party councillor to represent the Kelvedon and Feering ward of Braintree District Council in May 2019. In 2021 he was also elected as a Green Party councillor for the Braintree Eastern division of Essex County Council.

Paul grew up in the Cressing Road area of Braintree, and attended the Alec Hunter High School (now Academy) before gaining a 2.1 Honours degree in Politics from Southampton University.

Paul has an NCTJ professional qualification in journalism and worked as a journalist for 23 years. He started his journalism career at the Braintree & Witham Times before moving on to the Colchester Gazette, Ipswich Evening Star and several Fleet Street titles including The Daily Mirror when Piers Morgan was editor.

Paul now runs his own small business and lives in Coggeshall and is married with two children who attend local state schools. He became involved in local politics when plans for the Rivenhall Airfield waste incinerator were gaining traction and he began reading about the subject. Now a committed environmentalist, Paul is concerned with protecting and preserving the natural environment from pollution and overdevelopment. He believes strongly in the principle ‘Think globally, act locally’ - globally campaigning against climate change; locally improving services such as schools, saving libraries from closure and protecting wildlife and the countryside.

Please download a poster and put it in your window to show your support for Paul and Milli.

Camilla (Milli) Finch - Kelvedon and Feering Ward

Milli Finch is standing as a Green Party candidate for the first time in Kelvedon and Feering ward, alongside existing district and county councillor Paul Thorogood. Milli is standing to replace district councillor Jenny Sandum who is standing down at this election, and we thank her for her work over the past 4 years.

Milli grew up in Kelvedon and has worked in a local independently run business in the village, through which, and with the generosity of the community, managed to allow her to raise a substantial amount for a local charity. During the pandemic, Milli was able to reflect on her environmental values finding a passion for a more eco-friendly and ethical lifestyle. She loves the sense of community within the village with its numerous local groups and community events. Milli supports what the local Green Party has achieved so far and now wishes to play a role in building on that success.

Please download a poster and put it in your window to show your support for Milli and Paul.

 

Cllr. James Abbott - Silver End and Cressing Ward

James Abbott is an experienced Green Party district councillor, having been first elected to Braintree District Council in 1999 to represent Silver End and Rivenhall, and since 2015 (due to boundary changes), Silver End and Cressing Ward (which still included Rivenhall). He was also elected as a parish councillor in Rivenhall in 1999 and has been Chairman since 2006. He was elected to Essex County Council to represent Witham Northern division in 2013, having stood at each county election from 1989, and held the seat until 2021.

James is the Leader of the Green & Independent Group (G&I) at Braintree District Council which is the main opposition to the ruling Conservatives.

He has stood as the Green Party parliamentary candidate at each General Election since 1992 and also stood as an MEP candidate in Eastern Region several times.

James has been a national Spokesperson for the Green Party on Climate Change and Science and Technology and has held other national and regional Green Party roles, including as a press officer.

James has lived In Rivenhall for 33 years with his family and before that lived in Witham where his family on his mother's side have roots going back to the 1800s.

He went to primary school in Witham and secondary school in Colchester before studying for a degree in Astronomy at University College London, from where he graduated in 1982.

After working in archaeology for 4 years he set up a local small business in the 1980s when he also began campaigning on environmental and community issues.

James joined Greenpeace and CPRE in 1983 and the Green Party in 1988. He has been active in many campaigns including against nuclear weapons in the 1980s and live animal exports in the 1990s.

James writes magazine and monthly popular articles on astronomy and has given many talks to local groups, schools and colleges as well as appearing regularly on local and regional TV and radio. 

James works on many issues in the community and on the local councils he is a member of, including planning, transport, recycling, green energy and climate change, local health services and supporting local groups with their projects.

Working with G&I colleagues he is supporting new initiatives for a network of safe cycling routes in Braintree District and new community woodlands.

You can contact James here:

Phone: 01376 584576

Email: james.abbott@greenparty.org.uk

Twitter: @JamesAbbott2013

Please download a poster and put it in your window to show your support for James.

 

Cllr. Bob Wright - Silver End and Cressing Ward

In 2011 Bob Wright was elected to Braintree District Council to represent Silver End and Rivenhall ward, and since 2019 Silver End and Cressing ward (which includes Rivenhall).

Bob was born in Colchester and was the third youngest of a large family of 9 children. He was educated at a local school before going on to technical college to further his education. Leaving college with an HNC in Mechanical Engineering, Bob secured an apprenticeship with Marconi Radar. After 9 years he moved on to another company before setting up his own company manufacturing automated handling equipment.

For 16 years Bob worked as an Engineer Surveyor, carrying out statutory health and safety inspections on lifts and cranes. He retired at the end of 2020 and is now enjoying retirement.  

Bob has 2 daughters from his first marriage and one grandson and 2 step daughters and 2 granddaughters from his second marriage to Anne, who he married in 1994 when they then moved to live in Rivenhall. He has five grandchildren in total.

Bob has had a passionate interest in environmental issues for 50 years and also is keen to support the local village and so became a Rivenhall Parish Councillor. Bob is also a primary school Governor in a local school.

Please download a poster and put it in your window to show your support for Bob.

 

Cllr. Stevie Hicks - Witham North Ward

Stevie Hicks has been a member of Witham Town Council in total for 12 years, and was elected to Braintree District Council in 2019 in the 2 seat Witham North Ward with his Green Party colleague Michelle Weeks.

Stevie married in 1978. He and his wife have travelled together everywhere and known each other since 1969. Stevie relocated to Witham in 1988 from Cambridge after being relocated by The Automobile Association as a Senior Mechanic /Electronic / Mechanical Engineer. He then moved onto British Telecom, travelling to many parts of the world on Telecommunication projects. Stevie has also been a Driving Instructor for 20 years, and since the pandemic works in the care industry as a supportive living care worker.

Stevie has been an active Greenpeace member since 1974. He was briefly a University Secretary to the Conservative Party but changed alliances to The Green Party in 1998 as he saw being Green as the way forward. Stevie supports a vision for the future of clean renewable energy, with healthy food being farmed, produced, grown locally, where we produce less packaging, and recycling wherever possible, travel more on cycles and on foot, creating a green economy with greater job security by supporting local economies.

In Witham, Stevie has been a champion for protecting the environment and wildlife habitats under threat from unsustainable development. Stevie is a strong advocate of the global approach Greens take towards a safe, healthy planet where the air is clean to breathe, water is safe to drink, and there is a peaceful environment for people today and in the future.

You can contact Steve here:

Email: steviehicks57@outlook.com

Please download a poster and put it in your window to show your support for Stevie.

 

Cllr. Philip Hughes - Witham North Ward

The Green Party have also held the second Witham North Ward seat since May 2019. Philip is campaigning to replace Cllr. Michelle Weeks, who is not standing for re-election due to health issues. Thank-you to Michelle for all your work these past 4 years.

Philip lives in Witham, his family moving to the town when he was 18 months old, and he has lived in Witham or Silver End since then.

He went to Templars Infant and Junior Schools, before moving on to Colchester Royal Grammar School.

His first job was working at Witham firm Hugh Baird and Sons, before becoming a self-employed motorcycle despatch rider. He spent 15 years as a courier, occasionally also working for a local landscape gardening business. He completed a City and Guilds in Photography and then became the manager of a photographic department in Braintree. As that work came to an end with the growth of digital photography he returned to courier work.

Philip has been a Silver End Parish Councillor for over 20 years and has also previously been a member of Witham Town Council. In 1999 Philip was elected to Braintree District Council to represent Silver End and Rivenhall ward alongside James Abbott, becoming the first Green councillors to be elected in Essex.

His main Green interests are renewable energy and reducing traffic congestion and consequential air pollution.

Please download a poster and put it in your window to show your support for Philip.

 

Simon Attwood - Braintree Central and Beckers Green Ward

Simon Attwood has lived in Braintree for most of his life and has longstanding family connections locally. He was born in the town and attended school at John Ray and Notley High schools.

Simon is a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) and is passionate about protecting biodiversity and policies to tackle the growing threat of climate change. He is keen to support the local community and he volunteers as a Neighbourhood Watch coordinator. He supports the calls from residents to clean and protect the River Brain through the town.

Simon believes that whilst Braintree town has grown rapidly over recent years, that has resulted in pressures such as increased traffic congestion and demand for GP services which need addressing.

A key need is to make sure that the planning system works for local communities to deliver homes and jobs in the right places. Under the Conservatives big developers have far too much control.

 

James Astley - The Colnes Ward

James Astley lives on the Honywood Estate on the edge of Coggeshall with his wife Hannah and two boys.

James is passionate about Essex and works in the county for a nature conservation charity, having previously worked at a London-based social welfare charity. He believes strongly in the principle of volunteering and has previously served as a Parish Councillor, including a successful spell as Chair of Coggeshall Parish Council, which followed a period as Chair of the Planning Committee. He is also a Trustee of a major national and local grant making body. His primary leisure interests are local history and the study of our outstanding but often overlooked natural heritage.

He is a committed but fundamentally pragmatic environmentalist who believes that global change starts locally. He has a keen interest in the planning process and believes that where development must take place it must be of efficient, sustainable, affordable homes, and come with the consent and input of local communities. He believes in accountable, open and fair representation where representatives listen to the needs and concerns of local people and support local services and communities, rather than impose policies based on a centralised, top-down party line.

 

Edwyn Gerrard-Abbott - Witham Central Ward

Edwyn Gerrard-Abbott is the Green Party district council candidate for Witham Central ward. Edwyn grew up in the Witham area and went to school in the town.

He recently graduated from Essex University and is the youngest G&I candidate for the May local elections. Edwyn plays league hockey with the Witham Hockey team.

 

 

 

 

David Andrews - Bocking Blackwater Ward

David Andrews has lived in Braintree for over 30 years, working for almost as long as that at Essex County Council in the Planning Department’s Environmental Services Branch as an archaeologist and conservation officer.  As such, David has a good knowledge of the County and District, and their issues.  David has a life-long commitment to environmental conservation, and has long been a member of the Green Party.

For many years David was warden of a small Essex Wildlife Trust reserve in Bocking.  David is also an active member of several county historical and heritage groups, doing planning conservation for the Essex Gardens Trust. David was instrumental in setting up the Friends of Cressing Temple.

 

Poppy Gerrard-Abbott - Great Notley and Black Notley Ward

Poppy Gerard-Abbott grew up and went to school in Braintree district and went on to study for a BA and MA from the University of Essex, where she was president of the politics society.

Poppy is currently finishing her PhD in Sociology and Social Policy. She teaches and writes across social and political sciences disciplines, mostly on research methods and criminology, currently lecturing on drugs and the law. Poppy is soon to start a postdoctoral programme focused on digital crime interventions, with a particular emphasis on the government’s new Online Safety Bill.

Her core policy interests relate to mental health, economic inequalities, poverty, and homelessness, having worked in government interventions and in charity sector roles before and during her doctorate.

 

Jonathan Barker - Hatfield Peverel and Terling Ward

Jonathan Barker lives in Silver End with his family having previously lived in Hatfield Peverel.

He is a self-employed local businessman who helps to run an agroforestry smallholding. He also manages a community allotment project. He is passionate about the need to respect and care for the countryside and has helped to plant several new woodlands and orchards in mid-Essex.

Jonathan actively supports a number of local community and environmental projects and has stood as a Green Party candidate previously. He is a strong supporter of maintaining key local services in rural areas and villages including bus services and libraries, which have come under pressure from spending cuts in recent years.

Jonathan is concerned about the issue of social isolation in rural communities and is keen to promote community engagement projects to help support lonely and vulnerable people.

Parts of Braintree District have come under great pressure from developers including around local villages and Jonathan supports the Green & Independent Group position that whilst there is a clear need for local housing, it must be planned with local communities, not imposed and needs to include genuinely affordable homes. Development should utilise brownfield land as much as possible, not sprawling out across the countryside.

 

Cllr. Mark Posen - Stour Valley North Ward

Mark Posen is a Chartered Engineer, working in satellite communications. He lives on the outskirts of Foxearth in a home that he shares with his partner Christine, their three children, six cats and two dogs.

Mark is a committed vegan, and is passionate about acting locally (as well as nationally) to reverse the climate emergency and to protect local services to ensure that the people of Essex get the help and support that they need, especially at this time of soaring inflation and rising energy costs. If elected to Braintree District Council, Mark will take an active interest in promoting the needs of the rural communities in the district, especially with regard to planning and development and access to local services, as well as holding the Council to high standards with respect to the impact of its activities on the environment and the climate.

Mark is a non-party parish councillor, and the Vice-Chair, of Foxearth and Liston Parish Council, where he has a particular interest in planning, traffic, broadband, and mobile communications. Mark was the Green Party candidate for the Hedingham Division at the 2021 Essex County Council elections where he achieved an 8% increase in the Green Party vote.

You can contact Mark here:

Phone: 07355 703782

Email: mark.posen@witham-braintree.greenparty.org.uk

Twitter: @cllrmarkposen

Mastodon: @posen@mastodon.green

 

Cllr. Susan Ager - Witham West Ward

Susan Ager is a Green Party Witham Town Councillor who is standing for re-election to Witham Town Council as well as standing for election to Braintree District Council in Witham West ward.

Susan has lived in Witham since 1998 after having grown up and lived in Chelmsford, attending local schools.  Susan started work in the research laboratories at English Electric Valve Company working on colour television and ‘see in the dark’ technology (infra-red). After having her two sons she did a variety of jobs and worked in Witham at the then Sedgwick Office for five years. Susan started her own business in Complimentary Therapies and ran her own school teaching adults, having qualified as a teacher in order to do this.

Susan has mainly concentrated on helping the Community during her time on Witham Town Council. Susan is involved in all the community events, runs the pop-up information stalls and has helped “Home Alone on Christmas’ deliver meals on Christmas Day to those who would otherwise be on their own. Susan is also active and passionate about the environment and climate change, and has chaired the Climate Change Working Group at Witham Town Council for the last two years.

If re-elected Susan wants to continue with this work but concentrate more on the environment and green issues.

Please download a poster and put it in your window to show your support for Susan.

 

Andrea Phillips - Bocking North Ward

 

Karl Handy - Bocking South Ward

 

Stuart Wicks - Braintree South Ward

 

Nick Scales - Braintree West Ward

 

Jenny Bishop - Gosfield and Greenstead Green Ward

 

Paul Robinson - Stour Valley South Ward

 

Steven Crane - Witham West Ward

 

Stephanie Bills - Witham South Ward

 

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In addition to the wards being contested by these Green Party Candidates, our Independent colleagues in the Green and Independent Group are fielding 9 candidates. 

We invite Green Party supporters to vote for the following Independent candidates, in order to further strengthen the Green and Independent group on the Council:

Braintree Central and Beckers Green Ward - Colin Riches

Coggeshall Ward - Cllr. Tom Walsh

Coggeshall Ward - Cllr. Dennis Abram

Hedingham Ward - Cllr. Jo Beavis

Hedingham Ward - Wendy Taylor

Rayne Ward - Cllr. Ann Hooks

Three Fields Ward - Cllr. Michael Staines

Three Fields Ward - Mark Ault

Yeldham Ward - Julia Allen