Candidates confirmed for county council election

Political parties are lining up to name their candidates for the Derbyshire County Council elections on 6 May.

But one familiar figure is missing - Cllr George Wharmby won’t be contesting one of the two Glossop seats he has held for the Conservatives for a number of years.

The other Glossop seat is held by his wife Jean, who is a Cabinet member and who will be seeking re-election.

George, a former Cabinet member, has twice been chairman of the 64-seat council.

Giving his reason for not standing Cllr Wharmby, who has been a member of DCC since 2005, said he had thought long and hard about it, before deciding.

He said: “I am 72 now and (if elected) would be 76 at the end of four years. 

“We have a good young candidate and I thought the time was right and I am still on High Peak Borough Council.”

The entire council is up for election for the first time in four years and the lists of candidates contains some making their first bid for a seat.

One of the most intriguing battles will be for Whaley Bridge where Labour’s sitting councillor Ruth George takes on former Conservative Government Cabinet minister Edwina Currie Jones in a clash of former MPs.

High Peak’s Conservative, Greens, Labour and Liberal Democratic associations have accepted the Chronicle’s invitation to supply a list of their candidates, which we are featuring this week.

Next month we will include their photographs, biographical details and policy statements.

Conservatives

Glossop: Dominic Starkey and Jean Wharmby

Etherow: Thomas Wynne

Chapel and Hope Valley: Nigel Gourley

New Mills: Tony Ashton

Whaley Bridge: Edwina Currie Jones

Buxton North East: Linda Grooby

Buxton North West: Tony Kemp.

Greens

Glossop: Robyn Summers

Etherow: Robert Hodgetts-Hayley

Chapel and Hope Valley: Joanna Collins

New Mills: Mat Patterson

Whaley Bridge: Lucas Jones

Buxton North East: Peter Crook

Buxton North West: Jane Reynolds

Labour

Glossop: Damien Greenhalgh and Gerry Dominey

Etherow: Becki Woods

Chapel and Hope Valley: Phil Harrison

New Mills: Anne Clarke

Whaley Bridge: Ruth George

Buxton North and East: Caitlin Bisknell

Buxton West: David Newton

Liberal Democrats

The party was meeting after we went to press this week and their candidates will be confirmed next week.

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