Test Valley election: Ampfield & Braishfield and Andover Downlands

These are the candidates and their own words as to why they are standing.

Ampfield & Braishfield

M-J Rawson-Smith (Local Conservatives)

MJ has lived in Braishfield all her life and has ridden many a pony and walked many a dog in Ampfield Wood, Farley Mount and around this lovely area. Educated locally, she has travelled the world returning to the village 28 years ago and taking up a family legacy of volunteering at The Romsey Show, becoming horse and livestock chairman for many years and latterly a very enjoyable three-year term as chairman of the society. Alongside this, she has run her own catering business and is a volunteer and supporter of the fabulous Braishfield Pantry.

Sally Yalden (Liberal Democrats)

Sally Yalden is the candidate who works hard for Ampfield and Braishfield residents, listening to their concerns and taking action on their behalf. A Braishfield resident for over 10 years, Sally is passionate about our area and is invested in seeing it thrive. As a parish councillor and former governor at a local school, Sally has the experience required to be your next councillor. After years of being taken for granted by the Conservatives, it’s time for a fresh voice standing up for our area. Sally has a long track record of dealing with issues from speeding on our main roads to helping residents during the recent water shortages seen across our area.

Andover Downlands

Colin Stuart Burgess (Liberal Democrats)

Colin moved to Romsey from the Glasgow area, 17 years ago.

He retired in 2015 after spending most of his career working in IT; in the government department responsible for a modest UK Aid program.

Colin freely admits to not being local to Andover. But looking at it from the outside he brings a fresh insight. In comparing Andover to East Kilbride in Scotland – where he lived prior to moving south – Colin believes this 1950/60s new town was planned with a holistic approach. Fundamental to its success, he says, “was having an evolving infrastructure of adequate nurseries, schools, GPs, dentists, policing and public transport sufficient to meet the needs of its businesses and residents”. East Kilbride also has an abundance of green space and boasts a variety of recreational facilities.

Sadly, the Andover of today was never planned with such a holistic approach. To fulfil government housing targets, Conservative-run TVBC decided to make available in piecemeal fashion parcels of land to developers for house building with little thought of adequate infrastructure for the entire Andover. Colin observes, while the Conservative Party receives thousands in donations from developers, it fails to force them to build “green” homes.

Kristian Nicholas Cotter (Labour Party)

I am standing in these elections because I want to make sure that Picket Piece, Ox Drove and Picket Twenty have a strong local voice on the borough council. Living in the ward, I know how annoying the potholes, the issues with developers and the length of time to get things fixed is. I want to make sure that you have an active councillor who will communicate with you, stand up for our area and vote in our best interests.

Christopher David Donnelly (Local Conservatives)

Chris lives in Picket Twenty and has represented Downlands since 2019. A barrister, he now works in the sports sector focussing on community outreach. Chris has been heavily involved in youth work for almost 20 years and has a focus on supporting our young people to realise their potential. He has held developers and management companies on our new estates to account since being elected and will continue to do so.

Kevin Paul Hughes (Liberal Democrats)

I put my name forward for election because I feel I can help contribute to the success of the borough and town in which I live. I have not applied to further my own ambition or increase my profile within the town in any way, shape or form. My only interest is to represent the residents of the town and my neighbours, with the sole aim of improving the lives of those residents. I was born and live in Andover, work in Andover from home for a multinational company and have been working from home since March 2019, so pre-coronavirus. I live in Andover with my wife and now four children. So, I am very keen to see the area in which they are being brought up improved and offer them the best of opportunities as far as possible.

My main message is that I would like to help both the borough and town councils to get back to the business of serving the residents of Andover to the best of their ability. I am quite happy to work with anyone. Although obviously, I am a member of the Liberal Democrats, I have no problem with working with anyone who wants to help our community and make things better, and we need a better deal for us all.

Nick Lodge (Local Conservatives)

Dr Nick Lodge is a chartered engineer who leads international research in hi-tech media. He holds an MBA degree and has been chief executive of university spin-out companies, today running his own consultancy. He has also worked on strategy in the Prime Minister’s innovation unit and champions technologies for disabled people throughout Europe. Nick has lived in Test Valley for 40 years and currently resides in Picket Piece. He is chairman of Andover’s almshouses trust, which also provides direct grants to those in need, he runs a public science forum and is a trustee of a Hampshire-based educational charity.

READ MORE: Test Valley election candidate profiles – Andover St Mary’s

SEE ALSO: Test Valley candidate profiles - Bellinger, Blackwater and Bourne Valley