Claremont is a pretty nice place to live - but there's room for improvement.

Full statement

After gaining a degree in Manchester I worked at a variety of IT companies before joining a housing developer. I'm pretty much retired now and, if elected, would commit to representing Claremont full-time with a focus on making it an even nicer place to live.

Much of the traffic in the area is generated by commuters, anyone who lives on or near Lancaster Road or Claremont Road will know the misery that brings. Having spent almost 40 years on The Height I'd push for measures to be put in place to dissuade commuters from using our streets as rat-runs. Reduced traffic volume and speed would make our streets a safer and more pleasant environment for walking and cycling - with the added benefit of fewer pot holes.

I'm a regular bus user and whilst I appreciate the recent improvements that have been made to public transport, particularly the return of the Night Bus, as a councillor I'd lobby the Bee Network for more frequent services and an occasional 'express' service via Bolton Road that bypassed the Precinct and reduced the journey time into Manchester.

When the sun is out, there's nothing nicer than sitting outside reading a book or just soaking up the sunlight - until a neighbour decides to jet wash their drive or mow their lawn. I'd advocate for a 'quiet Sunday' once a month where people were strongly discouraged from making noise between 11:00am and 9:00pm. I'd also encourage the council to be more proactive in dealing with noise complaints, whether it be persistent barking dogs or off-road motor bikes.

As a long standing Green Party member I'd abide by the Green Party's commitments to the environment and social justice. I'd encourage the building of council and social housing on brownfield sites and push for rent controls and an end to the conversion of family homes into HMOs.