YOUR candidates for Ellesmere Port & Neston:

Katherine Fletcher (Conservative)

After attending a state school in Manchester and becoming the first person in her family to go to university, where she studied science, Katherine Fletcher, applied the values she grew up with, responsibility, tolerance and hard work, to a career in business.

She said: “I’ve worked hard for everything I’ve achieved in life. But I haven’t been able to do it all alone.

"Throughout my life, I’ve depended on our NHS, which saved my life when I was a child. I’ve depended on our state schools and I’ve depended on our infrastructure, like roads and railways, to get on in life. Because I've depended upon these things, I know what matters most to hardworking people in Ellesmere Port.”

Mrs Fletcher has identified five key priorities if she is elected on May 7th. They are:

Economic responsibilityOpportunity for allA society in which everybody plays their partMore investment in the North WestAnd jobs for local people so we all have economic security

She added : “On May 7, every vote will count. The MP we get is up to you - and so is the Government.

"When you vote, I hope you will vote for me, the Conservative candidate with the real-world experience to be a strong voice for local families. If you do, it will also be a vote for David Cameron over Ed Miliband, as one of these two men will lead our country after this election.

“Let’s secure a better future for you, your family and everybody in our area by voting Conservative on Thursday, May 7.”

Justin Madders (Labour)

I grew up locally and live in Little Sutton with my family. I know the area well as a local councillor of 17 years experience and have a track record of fighting for local people.

As the former Leader of Ellesmere Port and Neston Council and Labour Group Leader on Cheshire West and Chester Council I know how neglected our area has become in recent years under the Conservative Council and Government.

If elected as your next MP I will champion the town. I want to see improved street cleaning and better transport in our area. I championed a petition about improving local bus services.

I will fight for more affordable housing as many young people cannot afford to set up home in the area. For too long sites have been left empty in our town centre which could be used for housing. Labour will abolish the bedroom tax which has penalised some of the most vulnerable.

Our future has to be in creating well paid, sustainable local jobs. Labour will support small business by reducing business rates and energy bills which will help individuals and residents alike.

I am concerned that another Tory Government will spell the end of our cherished NHS - I will protect it. Labour’s plans for the NHS will mean a real difference on the ground to our local health services, including direct investment of £100 million in GP surgeries to deliver a guarantee of a GP appointment within 48 hours, 20,000 more nurses, 8,000 more Doctors and cancer tests done within a week. Contrast this with the desperate unfunded promises from the Conservatives.

If elected I aim to be an accessible local MP and will base myself in the heart of the town. As a local man with many years experience representing the community I believe I am the best person to be your voice in Parliament.

Trish Derraugh (Liberal Democrats)

I was born in Liverpool, left school at 16 and have worked all my life in the private sector including construction, manufacturing and housing.  

I live in Neston with my partner, whois an industrial chemist working in Ellesmere Port, and I have been a Neston Town councillor for four years.

A member of Greenpeace for over 20 years, I care about protecting our environment and the need to address the threat of global warming.

I am proud to be standing as the Liberal Democrat candidate,  offering voters the opportunity to elect a local woman who has:

A wide range of life and work experienceA record of delivery as an active and effective town councillor and campaigner and who understands the opportunities and challenges ahead for our constituency.

If elected on May 7 I will campaign for:

Better public transport connectivity, to overcome those missed employment opportunities and help reinstate the lost quality of life for those who cannot get out and about without public or community transport.More pro-active policing; neighbourhood problem solving; justice for victims of  crime and anti-social behaviour.An end to the blight of empty shops.Reinforced safeguards for our precious environment - I have signed up to the Frack-Free Promise Campaign.

I believe that a vote for Trish will allow this very diverse constituency of ours to get past the polarised politics of Left and Right.  

We need growth and prosperity in all areas  - industrial, urban and rural - and moderate progressive policies, based on the principle of fairness, will deliver the best outcomes".

Jonathan Starkey (UKIP) 

Jonathan Starkey recently gained a distinction in a music Masters Degree, is married with a young family.

He was educated in the constituency and continues to live, work and play in the constituency.

A former councillor and school governor, Jonathan is very aware of the town’s history in political and community terms.

Professionally, Jonathan, a virtuoso pianist, was trained at the prestigious Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.

He is a production music composer and his music is distributed to over 54 countries by SonyATV, Universal and Amphonic and as such, is very much a part of the export industry of the UK. His music is heard regularly on programmes such as Coronation Street and Eastenders, adverts and feature films.

He is well known in the constituency and has featured campaigning with a rainbow coalition of former councillors for worthy causes like Free Parking in Ellesmere Port and Gated Alleyways in many of the roads in its centre.

Jonathan would like to see a closer relationship with Neston and highlight the many positives of the constituency, for instance, the vibrant Neston market, the picture postcard landscape of Parkgate and Ness Gardens and the many attractions in Ellesmere Port, such as the Boat Museum, Blue Planet Aquarium and Cheshire Oaks.

He would like to see the constituency’s issues addressed and questions the previous administrations why they have not been sorted after many many years - the transport service in Neston, the main road through Ellesmere Port Town Centre and why there are 5,000 people in Cheshire West and Chester having to use a Foodbank.

Jonathan believes in digital democracy through the immediacy of avenues like the internet, Facebook and Twitter.

Felicity Mary Dowling (Left Unity)

I am standing as Left Unity candidate, for a fully funded NHS, free education from nursery to university, children well fed, good social services and social security, dignified care for our elders and a major council house building programme, with rent control and secure tenancies in the private rental sector.

We oppose fracking and call for urgent action on air pollution. Ellesmere Port and Neston needs good public transport; for workers, the young and retired people. We call for a £10 minimum wage - people deserve dignity in work and money to spend and revive the economy. 

Britain needs a pay rise and strong trade unions. Ellesmere Port is an international industrial centre, crucial to the future of the country and of science. Industry must serve the needs of the people and the environment. 

Austerity and the cuts are unjust and cruel. They hit hardest at women (85 per cent) and of them, most on women with children - and harder on people dealing with disabilities. The poor, children, people with disabilities have paid for a crisis caused by the rich, while the very rich have become massively wealthier.  

I live in Neston and have four children and six grandchildren. I was born (in the NHS) in Liverpool and went to University, for free, with a grant. I studied History and Politics, then a teaching qualification (again, free).

In teaching I specialise in Learning Support, so I see the impact of the cuts daily. The children I teach in Ellesmere Port should have as good opportunities as I had.

I have a strong record of campaigning and trade union work, locally, nationally and internationally. I will be a workers’ MP, taking only the average wage, donating the rest of the MPs salary to support worthy causes.