Sunderland City Council elections 2023: Meet the candidates standing in Copt Hill

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 Copt Hill 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.*

Nana Boddy (Liberal Democrats)

Wearside Liberal Democrats are providing a positive alternative to decades of the same party being in charge of Sunderland Council.

Liberal Democrat councillors are a strong opposition voice on the council fighting for a fair deal for communities across the Houghton and Hetton areas which often get forgotten by council bosses.

Successful campaigns by the local Lib Dems have seen free pest control services introduced and the £25 replacement wheelie bin fee axed.

Lib Dems believe that instead of wasteful spending on councillor allowances or renting new council offices costing [around] £2.5 million a year, council bosses need to improve and invest in basic services like street cleaning, tackling litter and flytipping, clamping down on anti- social behaviour and repairing our crumbling roads and pavements.

Local Lib Dems are also campaigning to get the council to listen to local people on issues like saving the National Glass Centre and bringing back Sunderland Airshow.

Philip John Dowell (Independent)

As an independent candidate, no party affiliations.

I can offer a truly impartial mind and voice to the Copt Hill ward and make my decisions based on what’s in the best interests of our community as a whole.

I host a platform for local business, a committee member of Hetton Local and Natural History Society, Hetton Town Council Chair-Education and Training, and continue to be active in lifelong education.

My experience includes management, education, sports, community, and charity organisations.

I understand and appreciate the importance of equality and diversity, encouragement of working practices in line with governance arrangements, ensuring that regulatory, statutory legislative and citizenship responsibilities are continually met and maintained.

I would like to be part of influencing and championing real changes that will make a difference to people’s lives.

Pat Francis (Conservative Party)

This month, over 53,000 pensioners in Sunderland, Washington and the Coalfields will receive a 10.1% increase in their pension, families will receive cost of living support and the Government has provided the council with Household Support Fund grants to pass on to local people.

The government is taking an active approach to helping with the cost of living – but the council is undermining these efforts by increasing council tax for residents across the city.

Local Conservatives outlined a fully-costed plan to reduce Labour’s increase in council tax in our alternative budget.

If you’re sick of council tax going up year on year, vote Conservative.

Andrew Robertson (Green Party)

I have lived in and around Houghton all my life.

As your Green councillor, I will act to tackle both the cost-of-living crisis and the climate crisis.

I will work to establish community energy schemes, bringing cheaper, renewable energy to residents and local businesses, and creating jobs.

I will campaign for more affordable housing, prioritising the repurposing of empty properties – both retail and residential – and brownfield sites, protecting our green spaces.

I will also push for Sunderland to trial Universal Basic Income – proven to reduce poverty, enable education and entrepreneurship and support carers. I will push for better public transport links to workplaces, in particular for out of hours shift working times, which are currently severely lacking especially with recent routes being changed or removed.

Above all, I will work closely with you to ensure your voices are heard. Vote for change this May – vote Green!

Sheila Samme (Reform UK)

I have lived in Sunderland for 37 years and I am now retired after working inthe NHS for 17 years.

I am standing for Reform UK because I think the residents of Sunderland deserve something better than the councillors we have now.

Reform Councillors are allowed to vote according to their beliefs, and they donot have to toe the party line so if I am elected I will concentrate on dealingwith the concerns and problems of the people of Copt Hill.

Our aim is to regenerate our local economy across the city, not just in the town centre.

Melanie Thornton (Labour Party)

It has been a great honour to work as a Labour councillor in the Copt Hill ward for the past four years.

I hope to be re-elected so I can continue to work hard for my community bysupporting residents and making advancements so we can all benefit from the betterment in the ward, and love where we live.

I will continue to bring investment to the ward, to improve our parks and green spaces, and to make our community in Copt Hill a safer and cleanerplace to live and work.

Your vote really does matter and I ask for your support on May 4, so I can continue the work in making Copt Hill a community we can all be proud of.