By Kira Gibson

A councillor who proudly admits to being a bit of a nuisance has been re-elected to represent Braunstone Town on the county council.

Amanda Hack had already been a county councillor for a term and has now begun her second term within the council.

The Labour representative is only one of a small amount of Labour councillors on the mainly Conservative council.

She said: “There’s only four of us out of 55 councillors. Whilst we poll about 20-23 per cent, actually in terms of percentage of councillors we return less than 10 per cent.”

Although Cllr Hack is located in Thorpe Astley, she said she spends a lot of her time building relations within the community of Braunstone as she is also on the Braunstone Town Council.

When she is in Braunstone, Cllr Hack said she spends her time getting to know her constituents and talking to them whilst doing other things, such as litter picking.

She said: “I will collect litter off the streets in the division I serve, I have a bit of an area that I will do quite regularly. We have a primary and a secondary school that are right next door to each other, and there’s a walkway between the two so I will probably litter pick that every two or three weeks.

“It’s more than just being a volunteer. I am people’s county councillor and I’m a bit of a nuisance and I will talk to people that I see. When I’m doing these kinds of things I will always chat to individuals within the community.

“I find it really important for people to feel that if they know my face, they know that I’m around.”

Alongside her conversations with others during her volunteering, Cllr Hack said she also talks to people during her time doing door knocks. Although this is mostly done during an election campaign, Councillor Hack said she plans to see people regularly in the time prior to the next election.

“Not everybody would do regular door knocks, and that’s not always a feature of all politicians but it’s something that I will try and get out, and at least knock on everybody’s door in a two-year cycle. Being visible is really important to me.”

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the way that she works, but that hasn’t stopped the door knocking for the election campaign. However, it did mean there was an increase in the amount of people inviting Councillor Hack in for a cup of tea – something that was caused by the loneliness of isolation and being unable to go out and see friends.

In a way to fix this problem, Cllr Hack has requested to the town council that a bench is installed outside the library in Braunstone, specifically for others to meet up and talk, and potentially make friends.

She says: “One of the things I really really wanted after seeing it was a ‘friendly bench’. That’s where you’ve got a bench that sits either side of each other and it encourages people to meet and make friends. I’m really pleased that we’re looking to install a ‘friendly bench’ outside our library.”

The Labour councillor said she aims to spend the next year bringing people together, to try and alleviate the difficulties that the pandemic has left, and the loneliness that people suffer.

by Abigail Beresford

Syston Fosse is set to elect a councillor to represent the ward in the upcoming Leicestershire County Council election this week (May 6), with current councillor, James Poland, facing competition for the position.

With election day rapidly approaching, in a fight for the title of the county councillor for the Syston Fosse ward, candidates in the ward have been actively campaigning

Councillor James Poland was elected as the ward representative in May 2017, and hopes to maintain this position, despite facing competition from Labour Party representative Samanta Zubrute, and the Green Party representative, Laurie Needham.

Cllr Poland won by a majority for 67.6% in the previous election, with 1,716 votes supporting him, awarding him with the seat on the county council.

Cllr Poland has pledged to make Leicestershire more sustainable environmentally and financially, to ensure stability for jobs, and help the environment.

In alignment with the current issues that community currently face in regard to the pandemic, candidates have continued to show their support to residents, assuring them of the work they will be able to achieve to ensure stability.

Labour Party representative, Samanta Zubrute, has actively helped local communities throughout the course of the pandemic in alignment with her work with the GMB Union, providing support for young workers.

The GMB Union represents workers across the UK. Activist, Ms Zubrute continues to work alongside the union, working towards her pledges of supporting families that lack funding, and campaigning against social injustices.

The Green Party representative, Laurie Needham, is no stranger to the local electoral process.

Ms Needham participated in the previous local elections but was unsuccessful receiving 5.2% Ms Needham was elected to Charnwood Borough Council in May 2019, becoming an active community campaigner for Charnwood.

She also stood for the Charnwood seat in the 2019 General Election, but was unsuccessful.

After working on grass root campaigns to protect public services in the area, Ms Needham plans to continue her support for the community, pledging that she wants to see people get real representation in Parliament.

In hopes of being elected Ms Needham has stated that she would prioritise a Green New Deal, ensuring investment in the community, whilst also providing secure, well-paid jobs for residents, following the increase of unemployment throughout the duration of the pandemic.

Syston town fact file

Syston, located in Charnwood, in the North-East of Leicester, is an Anglo-Saxon originated town, with the name of the town deriving from Viking descent.

The town is believed to have come into existence during the nineth century, and still holds on to parts of its history, with many houses retaining their thatched roofs.

The Church of St Peter and St Paul is a landmark within Syston, with it being the most ancient building in the town, with remains of it that date 200 years after the Norman invasion.

The Syston Parish Council was established in 1894, later adopting the status of ‘Town’ council in 1987, due to its growing population.

During the twentieth century, the industry of boots and shoe production brought many people to Syston, looking for employment, alongside its easily accessible transport links.

Syston is also the location of the headquarters for Pukka Pies, employing the most people in the town, with 250 employees.

By Kira Gibson

The area of Braunstone in Leicestershire has five candidates fighting to get a seat on the county council.

Running as an Independent, David Di Palma is a local from Braunstone.

Mr Di Palma intends to actively campaign for improvements towards road surfaces, environmental issues and class sizes. He also intends to continue campaigning against any forms of bullying and discrimination, with the saying “be kind always” attached to his campaigning.

The independent has served multiple councils over the last 10 years and says he has first-hand experience in financial pressures towards social care and supporting people services due to his disabilities ensuring that he needs support from a social worker.

The Conservative party representative for the seat is Nigel Grundy, who has been a councillor for the Pastures Ward as part of the Blaby District Council for more than three years.

Cllr Grundy is also now in his second term as the chairman of the Enderby Parish Council, and during his time there he has set up a monthly meeting in Enderby library to hear the thought and opinions of those who live there.

This decision was very successful and has been used as an example for excellent community engagement by the county council.

Councillor Amanda Hack is the Labour representative. She lives in Thorpe Astley and was the Braunstone Town Mayor between 2013-2014.

Cllr Hack has been a county councillor for four years after being elected in May 2017 for the Braunstone division and is aiming to keep her seat on the council by winning the election on May 6.

Mary Kapadia (Green Party) is a newcomer to the position with her current party but is enthusiastic about the role.

Previously, she had attempted to become a councillor in the 2019 elections for Fairestone in Blaby as a member of the Labour Party but has since switched parties. She was not elected in 2019.

The final candidate for the county council seats is the Liberal Democrat’s party member, Chris Merrill.

Cllr Merrill has been a councillor for Glen Parva Parish Council for several years. He is also the vice chairman of the Glen Hills Primary School Governors.

The area of Braunstone has got in total five candidates who will be fighting their best to get one of the only 55 seats in the county council elections on May 6, 2021.