A BY-ELECTION will be held on Thursday 11th July to elect a town councillor to fill the Melksham Central Ward vacancy.
The vacancy was created following the resignation of Michael Swanton after he moved from Melksham to Trowbridge.
There are three candidates standing for election. Here they tell us more about themselves and their vision for Melksham.
Martha de Bruxelles representing the Labour Party says, “I want to improve Melksham! I have lived in the area for over 22 years and I have see the changes that the town has gone through – I want to make my contribution to these changes and help in any way possible to improve the quality of life for residents.
“Using my experience of sitting on the committee for the GMB trade union, I will bring to the table an ability to propose policies created by listening to the concerns of the community – feasible and realistic policies that can be developed and adopted by the council. I want people to see progress being made, rather than hear about ideas that are left on the table and not followed through.”
Conservative Party candidate, Claire Forgacs, says, “I am excited and extremely privileged to be selected to stand for Melksham Central ward. I have lived in Melksham for over 20 years with my family, and love living in our town.
“I very much believe in community first and taking pride in the environment that we live in. I was previously a town councillor for four years from 2013 until 2017, and I understand the issues that Melksham faces. I want to use my local knowledge and experience to be a voice for Melksham and campaign on issues that will make Melksham a better place to live and work for all.”
Representing the Liberal Democrats, Clive Jeffries, says, “I am a lifelong Melksham resident. I worked in local industry and was a Union representative for the UNITE union.
“I believe there is a simple choice between a Conservative who will continue to cut services in our town or the Lib Dems who are investing in and delivering for Melksham.
“I believe the town centre and playgrounds maintained by Melksham Town Council look spectacular. Contrast that with the unkept amenity areas that Conservative-controlled Wiltshire maintain.
“The whole of Melksham is looking forward to the splashpad and the park improvements. These were the vision of, and brought to you, by your Liberal Democrat-controlled town council.
“I believe that it makes much more sense to save up and pay for something rather than promise the earth and fail to deliver. Just where is the campus?”
