Local Elections 2021

Supporting our Communities.

We’re proud that our party is made up of local people who care about our town. We support community facilities like Friendship House when we see them threatened by the Conservatives and we come together to say no to overnight closures at the QE2 Hospital in Welwyn Garden City. Our members lead community support groups, serve in foodbanks, and work in the fantastic NHS vaccination programme.

Your Labour candidates in Handside
Helen Beckett – Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council
Alan Chesterman – Hertfordshire County Council
Philip Ross – Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner
(Scroll down to read more about your candidates)

Vote Labour on Thursday 6 May 2021

This election if your chance to choose a positive plan for Welwyn Hatfield’s future.

Labour will keep your council tax low while protecting key services, much like the Labour-led Council have done in Stevenage.

We’ll stand up for Health and Care workers. Labour Councillors voted for a proper pay increase for those who have been there for us during the pandemic while the Conservatives were proposing NHS pay cuts. Only Labour will bring in free parking for nurses and health workers while fighting cuts at the local QE2 Urgent Care Centre.

Labour is fighting to save vital community services like “Friendship House” in Hatfield as the Conservatives block it from being used while they work out how to pocket as much money and profit from the site as possible.

For too long greed, waste and dodgy deals have come before local people and local needs.

You can stop this right now. Vote Labour and help us put you first.

Our Pledges

*Labour Stevenage Band D Council Tax = £1904.20
Conservative Welwyn Hatfield Band D Council Tax = £1970.47

Visit our Elections 2021 page to read our pledges across housing, business, the environment, emergency services and supporting our local community in full and see what a Labour council could do for Welwyn Hatfield.

Your candidates

Helen Beckett
Labour Candidate – Borough Council

I have lived in Welwyn Garden City with my family for over 20 years and enjoyed many of the positive aspects of living here. There are things that could and should improve though.

I believe that Councils can be inspirational and Councillors should be proactive – always listening and always searching for ideas for how to improve things for residents. The local Labour policies for this election are an indication of how local government can deliver change by investing in the local community, in town centres, in housing and public services. Our policies would put people and planet at the centre of any council initiative. We have taken inspiration from local policies that are successful around the country.

The Labour Council in Preston, for example, which has made a huge difference to the lives of residents as a result of concentrating on building community wealth (https://www.preston.gov.uk/article/1791/The-definitive-guide-to-the-Preston-model).

The pandemic has revealed to everyone the power of community action. I have always tried to put this in action for example, volunteering locally for Home Start, Age UK, Oxfam, local environmental groups and local schools and supporting Herts Young Homeless, the local food bank, renters’ groups and the local Women’s Refuge.

Alan Chesterman
Labour Candidate – County Council

I’ve represented my home ward of Howlands for 17 of the last 22 years. I’ve lived here with my family since 1981 with my children and grandchildren attending local schools. Living in the ward means that I understand the issues that we all face, and I’m always ready to listen.

I’ve campaigned for better facilities and GLL provided new equipment for children and young people in King George V Playing Fields. Working closely with my Labour colleagues and County Councillor we have seen some improvements to parking and roads in the area, but we cannot be complacent as there is still much to be done.

I have constantly voted against the loss of our hospital and campaigned against the proposed closure of the Urgent Care Centre at night. I voted against charging for emptying the brown bins.

Like many of you I live within the Estates Management Scheme and serve on the Appeals panel. All too often residents are penalised for not conforming to some rules that make the scheme inequitable. I will work to ensure that any such scheme encompasses fairness and takes note of the climate change policy that the Council has adopted.

My biggest campaign is to build more social housing for those of us who have family members who will never be able to buy property in the area where they were born and bred. We have too many local people on the housing waiting list who deserve to have a roof over their heads.

Philip Ross
Labour Candidate for Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner

My goal is to ensure that we are all safe online, in our homes, and on the streets. Our key priority is to focus on anti-social behaviour. I am going to appoint a new anti-social behaviour commissioner who will ensure that councils, the police, and other groups such as housing landlords must work together to solve complaints. We will be focusing on county-line drug gangs that target school-age children. We will introduce an intelligence-led policing model so that we can prevent and detect crime and go back to effective community and neighbourhood policing.

Remember, have your say on the local elections.
Vote Labour on Thursday 6 May!