"I’ve been privileged to represent Pluckley, Little Chart and Charing Heath on Ashford Borough Council since 2007.

Full statement

As a result of boundary changes these villages, together with Hothfield, form the newly-created ward of Upper Weald, and I am delighted to be standing again as your candidate on May 2nd.

Over the past 12 years I have worked closely with parish councils to protect villages from unsuitable development, whilst at the same time endeavouring to keep our rural communities thriving and sustainable.

I have been pleased to use my ward member grant to support a variety of local causes and projects, including village hall equipment, junior football and other sports and play facilities, World War 1 commemorations, speed limit reduction measures and village fetes.

I have served for 6 years on Ashford Borough Council Cabinet, with responsibility for Tourism, Customer Services, Grounds Maintenance and Waste/Recycling, including litter and fly-tipping enforcement. Cracking down on those who blight our streets, parks and verges by carelessly or deliberately dropping litter and fly-tipping is a top priority for me – we live in a beautiful part of the world and I want to see it kept clean and attractive for residents and visitors alike.

My husband and I have lived in Ashford borough since we married 27 years ago and have 3 grown up children. I am passionate about our area and believe that, despite the challenging financial times, it should always be our aim as your local council to deliver high quality services, whilst keeping the tax burden on residents as low as possible."