STANDING as the Independent candidate for the Tollesbury seat on Maldon District Council in the elections on Thursday, 6 May is village activist volunteer orgnaniser Emma Stephens.

Emma, who moved to Tollesbury six years ago following her retirement from the NHS, is clear about her reasons for wanting to stand for the seat as an Independent candidate.

She said: "I follow the news and take an interest in Westminster politics, but I don't believe they have a place at the local council level. I feel it's all too tribal and although it's not always the case, sometimes people elected on behalf of a political party can feel they always have to do what their party wants them to do. An independent doesn't have to do that at all."

Emma is on the steering group of the 120 member-strong Tollesbury Volunteers and, two years ago, formed HART (Housing Action by Residents of Tollesbury) in response to plans for the Gladman housing estate. Maldon District Council rejected the plans after the HART group launched by Emma managed to get residents to raise 1,500 objection letters.

She also believes the issue of the proposals for a new nuclear power station at Bradwell is an important one, mostly because of the potential environmental impacts of building a power station in the Blackwater Estuary with its diverse and precious wildlife.

Emma's Key Priorities:

Included in Emma's key priorities are:

• social housing, as she saw first-hand some of the issues around this in her work with the volunteers during the pandemic, particularly with regard to ensuring Housing Associations meet their obligations to tenants

• the relationship between the district council and local people and how this can be 'warmed up' and made more effective.

"I love this village," Emma added, "I didn't realise what village life was all about until I moved here and now I know it's what I've been missing all my life."