LABOUR CANDIDATE FOR BY-ELECTION

In a break with tradition I am very pleased to announce the Labour candidate for the Newport North by-election a whole week ahead of the nominations deadline. It is LARAINE PASCOE (pictured) who I am personally very confident will be an excellent addition to the Labour Group and an effective councillor.

Lariane is currently the Women's Officer of the local party and is a resident of Carisbrooke. She is a former special needs teacher, who has now lived on the Island for over a decade. She has been a governor at two schools in Newport and also engages in prison voluntary work.

With the Conservative's nationally in their usual disarray over their leadership and locally figures of fun in the national media, and with Labour returning to some of its core values, Island Labour members are all determined to win this ward back. Laraine has the endorsement of former Labour councillor for the ward, Tony Tiltman, and the Labour Group at County Hall feel very strongly that Laraine is the right person to join us in effective opposition. Something the LibDems have singularly failed to deliver over the last 2 years.