Labour unveils candidates for Cambridgeshire County elections including two in Fenland

Cambridgeshire Labour Party has combined experience of running the county council with fresh talent, in its first announcement of candidates for this May’s local elections.

The candidates will be fighting for seats on Cambridgeshire County Council when the elections are held on Thursday, May 1.

Candidates being unveiled today in the City of Cambridge, Fenland, East Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire, include the current Labour leadership team in the council's joint administration, plus new candidates drawn from business, education, local community volunteering and military service.

The May elections will see Labour seeking to extend joint control of the County Council which it won four years ago, as well as seeking to re-elect a Labour Mayor for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

"As we approach a period of negotiation about the future shape of local government in the county and seek to continue to improve the Council's services working with the new Government, Labour is best placed to maximise opportunities and influence to serve the interest of local people," chair of Labour's Cambridgeshire local government committee, Cllr Richard Howitt said, in making the announcement.

Labour leader in the county council, Cllr Elisa Meschini added: "With Labour in power, we have made a real difference to the most vulnerable residents of our county, from providing free school meals over the holidays to ensuring we pay the real living wage across all our sectors. With a Labour government now in Westminster, we can enact even more lasting and positive change to the lives of those who need us the most and I am looking forward to a positive, uplifting campaign."

The first tranche of candidates includes two for the Fenland area.

Chatteris - JAMIE EAMES – He is an Army Veteran, with professional experience in Geospatial Data Science. An active campaigner, responsible for political education and community outreach.

Wisbech West - GEORGE BROUGHTON – he works in family law at a local solicitor's, with significant experience helping victims of domestic abuse. George is the co-founder of and activist with the Feed Fenland charity providing meals to people in food poverty, for which he won the 'Pride in Fenland' award.

This is the first of a rolling programme of announcements, with further Labour candidates to be unveiled soon.