Ipswich Liberal Democrats are contesting all sixteen seats up for election on Ipswich Borough Council on 3rd May 2018. The candidates that have been selected to stand for the Liberal Democrats are listed below.
Richard Thompson - Alexandra Ward
I'm Richard, your Liberal Democrat Candidate for Alexandra Ward. I work as an IT developer at Wattisham Airfield, and I am a HM Forces veteran. I live in Ipswich with my Fiancée, who is a Nurse working in the mental health sector, and a collection of rescued animals. We are also foster carers, and do our best to make a positive difference to the lives of vulnerable young people, having been a foster child myself.
As Labour and the Conservatives diverge back to the extremes of their respective roots, the Liberal Democrats are the voice of political reason. The values of liberalism, with a deep respect for freedom and human rights, alongside a clear programme of support for the poorest in society was and remains crucial to the party and are key reasons why I am a Liberal Democrat.
If elected to serve as your Councillor I will endeavour to reach out to all sectors of our community, and campaign on local issues that affect us all locally, such as the proposed Upper Orwell crossings which could significantly relieve traffic pressure on the town centre. Liberal Democrats know better than most the value of building relationships and working with others in the interest of the common good, and a strong Liberal Democrat showing in the council will help us get away from party politics and infighting between Labour and the Conservatives.
Trevor Powell - Bixley Ward
Born in Suffolk, I joined what was then the Liberal Party in 1983 having decided it was necessary to campaign for a realistic alternative to Margaret Thatcher's Conservatives and a fairer voting system. I subsequently got involved in local politics where I lived in Essex and served for eight years as a Liberal Democrat District Councillor from 1991 to 1999.
In addition to my experience as a councillor I worked for over 25 years in banking and have also worked in education, care and hospitality. I am a great believer in policies being based on evidence rather than ideology. In my view the Liberal Democrats are the best party at offering this and have a proud record of helping elect some of the most hard working MP's and councillors in the Country.
Immo Weichert - Bridge Ward
Immo was born in Germany and is married to a Canadian. They have two teenage children. Immo came to the UK 23 years ago having been head-hunted for a job with the NHS. He is currently a consultant in acute medicine at Ipswich Hospital. He is keen to stay in the UK and help the NHS and Ipswich be successful whatever obstacles the Government put in the way.
Email info@ipswichlibdems.org.uk
Tim Lockington - Castle Hill Ward
Tim Lockington will be known to some as Councillor Inga Lockington's husband, serving with her as Mayor's Consort 10 years ago and working with her and supporting her in her work as a Borough and County Councillor. He is known to others as a Medical Consultant at Ipswich Hospital (since 1995) with a passion for solving problems for older people and especially people with Parkinson'S Disease. He has been president of the local branch of Parkinsons UK for many years.
Tim's passion for trying to find opportunities for people with complex health problems sits together with his strong commitment to Liberal Democrat values as a member of the Party since 1986. For him the Liberal Democrat belief that no-one should be enslaved by poverty ignorance and conformity extends to include those enslaved by long-term illness, physical and mental frailty. He has worked for 38 years in the NHS and cares deeply for its guiding principle that people should be supported according to their need rather than their wealth.
Tim has already served as a Liberal Democrat Councillor in the Liberal Democrat-run London Borough of Sutton, before moving to Ipswich. This experience and 19 years working with Inga means that he has the knowledge understanding and commitment to serve local people well as their local Councillor.
Email tim.lockington@ipswichlibdems.org.uk
Robin Whitmore - Gainsborough Ward
Robin has lived in Ipswich for all but 2 of his 52 years and was born and brought up in Gainsborogh Ward. He was second to Labour in the 1994 election when they threatened closure of Ipswich Airport. A member of the party and it's predecessors since 1984, he formed an Alliance Society at college and after graduating worked for the party as organiser until the 1987 General election in the East Midlands.
From 1992-1994 he was Business Manager for Liberal Democrat News. At the 2002 all up borough elections in Town, as agent he successfully steered the party to win 4 seats and laid the foundations for the eventual 9 seats that they held when in coalition from 2004-2011. He has worked as Political Assistant to the Liberal Democrat Leaders of Chelmsford Borough, Norwich City & Isle of Wight Unitory authorities. Most recently he was agent to Sir Bob Russell MP.
He is currently a Royal Mail postman,part time researcher and supporting artist. He has been married to Hilary for 30 years.
Email info@ipswichlibdems.org.uk
Robert Chambers - Gipping Ward
Son of former Mayor Jane Chambers, Robert has been active member of Ipswich Liberal Democrats for over 10 years. Robert is passionate about local issues andwould work with local residents to achievethe best possibble outcome. In the recent referedum Robert was one of the minority of Liberal Democrats who voted to leave the EU. He hopes to serve the residents of Gipping in future years.
Email info@ipswichlibdems.org.uk
Paul Daley - Holywells Ward
I have lived in Ipswich all my life. I worked in insurance for some 26 years although am currently taking a career break. In this serving customer was key and I was able to exceed customer expectations on manyoccasions. Outside of work I have been involved in volunteer work through my church in the social justice sector serving the poor and homeless of Ipswich.
I believe that a councillor's job is to help local people with issues that are personal to them and to find solutions and also to work to improve their area of responsibility and Ipswich as a whole for the benefit of everyone. Through my work and voluntary experience, I have had to be tenacious and innovative to get the results that people need. These are skills that every councillor needs and describe well the Liberal Democrat way.
Email paul.daley@ipswichlibdems.org.uk
Nick Jacob - Priory Heath Ward
Nick is founder and principal of NJ Architects, a practice that has grown and developed over the last 20 years and is based in Ipswich. He has been a member of the Liberal Democrats for many years and has stood for election in Priory Heath previously.
Email info@ipswichlibdems.org.uk
Julie Fletcher - Rushmere Ward
Julie is a retired prison nurse with a keen interest in local politics. She is a passionate advocate for Trangender rights, and is a long term member of the Liberal Democrats, because this is the party that truly values everyone irrespective of their background or history. She has lived in Ipswich for many years and is therefore very familiar with the issues the town faces. However, if elected she will listen to the concerns of local residents too, and will work with them to identify solutions. Julie believes residents deserve much better! She says "if you vote for the same you get the same" and would welcome the chance to offer Rushmere residents a real alternative.
Email info@ipswichlibdems.org.uk
Conrad Packwood - Sprites Ward
Conrad has cerebral palsy but has lived independantly for over 25 years. He has always been interested in politics and for many years supported the Labour Party but in 2015 became disillusioned with the Labour Party and could not support Jeremy Corbyn as party leader so joined the Liberal Democrats. Conrad has made a significant contribution to the work of Ipswich Liberal Democrats and the Liberal Democrats Disability Association. Because of his disability he faces great challanges when communicating verbally but his mastery of modern technology has opened up new possibilities. If elected he would be given the support he needs to undertake the role of councillor effectively and would bring a new perspective to council debates.
Email conrad.packwood@ipswichlibdems.org.uk
Edward Packard - St John's Ward
My name is Edward Packard and I am your Liberal Democrat candidate for St. John's Ward. I am a lecturer at the University of Suffolk, where I have worked since 2010. I am a keen advocate for Ipswich, and am particularly interested in raising awareness of our local history.
I joined the Lib Dems last year partly because I was fed up the way in which our local politics is too often reduced to partisan point-scoring between the Conservatives and Labour. I think that Ipswich would be better served by the Lib Dem approach: compromise, consensus-building, and basing policy on solid evidence rather than ideology.
I believe that two of the main problems affecting St. John's from a Borough Council perspective are planning and parking:
Do you feel that your current councillors are genuinely listening to your concerns?
Do you think that you are given enough information on proposed developments in your community?
Are parking regulations being properly enforced to enable pedestrians and traffic to move freely?
If elected as your borough councillor, these are some of the issues that I would focus on. If you would like to get in touch, please email me at ed.packard@ipswichlibdems.org.uk
Inga Lockington - St Margaret's Ward
Inga needs little introduction to most residents in St Margaret's having been the Borough and County Councillor for the area for many years. Governor of St Margaret's Church of England Primary School for over 17 years. Founder member/Trustee ICENI IPSWICH for 18 years. Trustee of Cranfield Court. Member of "The Friends of Christchurch Park".
Email inga.lockington@ipswichlibdems.org.uk
Maureen Haaker - Stoke Park Ward
Martin Hore - Westgate Ward
I recently retired after 24 years as Suffolk County Council's Outdoor Education Officer. In this role I advised and supported local schools on all aspects of school trips and adventure activities for their pupils. I'm proud that during this time very many Suffolk young people were able to benefit from these opportunities.
At the County Council I also learned about how Councils work and how to get things done. I believe a Councillor's job is to listen to the concerns of local people and make the Council work for you. That's the Liberal Democrat way.
My wife and I have lived in central Ipswich for nearly 30 years. We now live in Valley Road close to the junction with Norwich Road and Chevallier Street. I am very aware of the traffic congestion in this area and share residents concerns about air quality. We need to look very carefully at how to tackle these problems before new housing is built in Ipswich that would make things worse.
Email martin.hore@ipswichlibdems.org.uk
Malcolm Mitchell - Whitehouse Ward
Following his Wife's death 5 Years ago, Malcolm moved to Ipswich from Devon in order to be nearer to his family. He was a Councillor in Devon for 19 years, serving on both the Planning and Finance Committees and had been Chair of the Footpaths and Rights-of-Way subcommittee for 12 years. He had also supported his wife during her 2 years as Deputy Mayor.
Prior to Retirement, he had been a Computer Programmer in the design of one of the fore-runners of the Large Hadron Collider and then as a Senior Programmer in a project putting Computer Systems to link Medical Records between Hospitals and General Practice Surgeries. Since retirement he had puppy-walked 5 Guide Dog puppies and was a volunteer driver for the local Hospice Care.
Email info@ipswichlibdems.org.uk
