One Tory local election hopeful is aiming to turn his ward into the envy of its neighbours.
Ben Rayner, 27, is standing for Lichfield District Council in Alrewas and Fradley on May 7 and has pledged to raise the profile of the area if elected.
The keen cyclist revealed that his family had sparked his interest in politics and said he wanted to be a councillor who represented all residents, regardless of who they voted for.
Mr Rayner said: “I’ve always wanted to be a politician. I got in touch with local Tory councillors and just asked them what it is I needed to do to get into politics.
“I want to make Alrewas and Fradley the envy of the entire area if I’m elected on May 7, but I’ll represent everyone irrespective of whether they voted for me or not.
“One of my main priorities is to help raise the profile of local sports club and charities. Many sports clubs have told me they struggle to get any coverage. I want to change that for them.
“My dad is a former police superintendent, my mum is a nurse and I’ve two brothers and one sister who are all teachers, so politics has always been discussed in the Rayner household.”
Current Lichfield District Council leader Mike Wilcox and Cllr Margaret Stanhope have a proven track record of delivering for residents in Alrewas and Fradley, Mr Rayner claimed.
And he added that the ward was a straightforward local election fight between the Conservatives and Labour, despite the potential spanner in the works of independent candidate Derick Cross.
He said: “Mike and Margaret have built up a lot of trust in Alrewas and Fradley – I’m just trying to learn as much from them as I can.
“They’ve both worked incredibly hard with the parish and district council to stop the unsuitable development of 140 homes at the north edge of Alrewas.”
The candidates standing in Alrewas and Fradley are:
- Derick Cross – Independent
- Peter Jones – Labour
- Paula Knight – Labour
- Miles Moseley – Labour
- Ben Rayner – Conservative
- Margaret Stanhope – Conservative
- Michael Wilcox – Conservative
