AWP is happy to announce that Gavin Ridley will stand for election in the ward of Alderney and Bourne Valley in Dorset and Jane Smith will stand for election to Smallwood Parish Council in Cheshire East, in the 2023 local elections to be held in England on 4th May. 

In the Alderney and Bourne Valley ward in Dorset, with the biodiversity and climate crises a key concern, Gavin Ridley intends to focus his campaigning on the urgent need to make space for nature in the ward.

In Smallwood, Jane Smith, AWP’s Deputy Leader, will focus on combating wildlife crime, pollution, fly-tipping and inappropriate housing development, as well as enhancing local biodiversity and engaging with rural community issues including public transport, opportunities for local young people and rural access to mental health support.

Jane has managed the volunteer group Smallwood Toad Patrols for the past five years, helping boost the local population of common toads and reducing toad deaths on local roads. She says: “Over the past five years I’ve fallen in love with the local area. I’d like to help make Smallwood a model parish in terms of biodiversity and community engagement with flora and fauna.”