Sunderland City Council elections 2023: Meet the candidates standing in the Millfield ward

Voters are due to head to polling stations on Thursday, May 4, to either re-elect or replace holders of around a third of seats on Sunderland City Council.

All candidates have been given the opportunity to tell readers why they’re standing and why you should vote for them.

Here’s what candidates in the Millfield ward have to say:

*Candidates are listed in the order they appeared on Sunderland City Council’s list of candidates at the close of nominations.*

Hardip Barad (Conservative Party)

I have lived in Millfield with my family for several years.

Millfield has many roads in need of repair, all of which have big potholes and uneven patches on the roads.

There is also rubbish that has been dumped in back lanes and graffiti on the walls of public places.

All of this brings down our area – but I have a plan to challenge the status quo that has been in place for the last 7 years and [to] deliver improvements.

There are issues that need to be resolved and only by voting Conservative will we have a chance to do that.

We need [a] safer and better environment for ourselves. We want our ward to have lower crime rates, better roads, more parking spaces and clean streets.

Please vote for me: a local guy who is willing [to] deliver change for the better and make this a cleaner, safer place to live.

Richard Bradley (Green Party)

Local government should be about improving the everyday lives of residents.

As a resident of Millfield, I look around and see neglect. Litter, potholes, fly-tipping and dog mess.

We need pride in our surroundings so I would seek funding and support to turn our back lanes into ‘garden lanes’ with unintrusive plants and shrubs.

In some areas, this has reduced fly tipping, litter and dog fouling, fostered a sense of community and improved biodiversity.

Local government can also act on the big issues. We are the most nature depleted country in the world.

We need the council to declare an ecological emergency, stop using pesticides immediately and support nature by establishing wildflower meadows and community orchards.

We can also cut carbon emissions, and bills, by properly insulating homes and investing in community owned renewables.

We can have a happier, healthier future in Millfield – vote Green on May 4.

David Craig (Reform UK)

I am standing to be the local councillor for the Millfield ward in Sunderland.

I have lived in Sunderland all my adult life and believe the only way for change to happen is to get involved, have discussions with open minded locals, understand multiple points of view and try to work solutions that work for the majority.

It’s time to make Sunderland great by focusing on the issues that matter most.

I will push for better investment into our area, and for better representation of the people of Sunderland on the council.

We need change,something only Reform can offer.

Kingsley Okojie (Labour Party)

I became interested in local politics having worked in our local NHS and seeing first-hand the impact of mental health on service-users and their families.

As our city develops, it’s time to bring this development to our residentialneighbourhood.

Thanks to our people’s manifesto of 2022, more CCTV cameras have been installed to tackle fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour.

Having lived in the city centre, Thornhill, and Millfield, I care deeply about our area.

I’ve reported potholes and roads for repairs, while rolling up my sleeves to personally clear fly-tipping.

I’ve seen the impact of austerity and the cost of living on residents and if elected, will work tirelessly to support those in need.

I will also work with other councillors to bring support to residents as we can achieve great things if we work together and not against each other.

Please join me in this journey by voting for me on May 4.

Julia Potts (Liberal Democrat Focus Team)

It has meant a lot to me to serve the community in Millfield, Pallion, Thornhill and Sunderland city centre as local councillor.

You should expect that your councillors will work hard for the area. I hope that the local Lib Dem team have proved through our work and campaigns that we’ve done just that.

Unlike the others who only show up at election time, we work hard and keep in touch all year round with FOCUS newsletters.

Working with Niall Hodson and Andrew Wood we have managed to reduce councillor allowances and stop free meals and perks; helped get roads andfootpaths across our area repaired; reversed cuts to street cleaning and flytipping enforcement; axe the £25 replacement wheelie bin fee; and get free pest control services.

I want to keep working hard to clean up our city, improve basic councilservices and campaign to improve our communities.

Julio Romero Johnson (Communist Party of Britain)

We are embroiled in an economic crisis that the current system can not solve.

They say we are all in this together, but we are not.

The increased cost of living is a sustained attack on working class living standards, and we are not responsible for this, the capitalist system and its big business monopolies are.

Companies such as Shell and BP are making super-profits from people’s basic need for energy.

This crisis has led to many workers feeling forced to go on strike. The Communist Party stands in solidarity with all of them and if elected we will defend their struggle from within the council.

We are also facing a climate crisis that we can only start to resolve with a wholesale change in our economic system.

Let’s build a united front between the labour movement and progressive organisations.

On May 4 vote for the Communist Party.