Who will you vote for? Neyland goes to the polls tomorrow

Voters living in the town's east ward will go to the polls tomorrow (Thursday), tasked with picking two new members to represent them.

Here, potential candidates explain why they think they should win your vote.

Elections will take place at St Clement's Church Hall, 7am until 10pm.

Jessica Hatchett

I'M 32 and I've lived in Neyland all of my life, with the exception of the time I spent at university.

I live with my husband and stepson, but many of my relatives are within walking distance.

I believe my job as an advocate gives me ideal skills for the role of a town councillor.

I want to have a say in what goes on in our community, and make sure people's voices - across all generations - are heard.

While I support the development of the new community hub, I want to make sure it's not at the expense of other facilities - and that these facilities are spread out across Neyland.

I'd like to work with PAVS to introduce the time-banking initiative into Neyland.

Time-banking allows people to share their time and skills in a way that will benefit the local community and help others.

Everyone's time is valued equally, and there are many different ways of spending the earned 'credits'.

I also want to see more disabled people involved in local politics.

If something is made accessible to disabled people, it's made accessible to everyone, and I want to help more people realise this.

Peter Davies

I CAME to Neyland in 1985. I’ve lived in Neyland ever since and in 2003 I moved to Neyland Heights with my wife Jill, a Neyland-born girl.

Neyland is a fantastic place to live, I never want to live anywhere else, and I am standing for the Town Council because I want to be part of making it even better.

I have been involved in town sports clubs ever since I moved here first as a rugby player then as a coach, junior coach and Team Manager for 30 years. I have also been involved with Neyland football and cricket sections and I am currently First team manager of the rugby and cricket teams.

I am also involved in the Neyland Carnival and Neyland Activities Fortnight and worked at Neyland Youth Club and I’ve loved every minute giving back to this special community.

I am and always have been a huge supporter of the Neyland Community Hub project. The plans represent the biggest ever investment in community facilities in our town and I’m determined to do all I can to make sure the project is a massive success.

If I’m elected to the Town Council I will work hard on behalf of every Neyland resident. I’ll fight for the interests of the town and I’ll do all I can to honestly and transparently represent the Neyland people. I’m passionate about our community and I’d be really grateful if people would consider voting for me on Thursday 26th of October.

Adam Pollard

I WOULD be honoured to receive your support for the Neyland Town Councillor position, as I run a business in the town and have strong connection with Neyland going back to the 1980s.

I will do what I can to help the local people, whether this is to help the growth of local businesses or to improve the local environment.

I am fully behind the new community hub as I believe we should improve facilities for generations to come.

Road safety is an issue to many of us, and I will campaign to make the streets safer for all of us

As a Labour Party member, I will do what I can to help the vulnerable to get support, and to improve facilities for the disabled and the elderly in the town

As a business owner, I will support local businesses in a marketplace dominated by tax-avoiding global corporations.

As an IT worker, and designer of website for the Town Council, the Pembrokeshire U3A, and the Mayor, I have technical knowledge I can bring to the council.

For many years I was a volunteer for the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, helping to clear and improve footpaths in the county. I am pressing for a volunteer scheme to improve green spaces in Neyland.

I am always willing to listen to local people‘s views and my door at PC Rescue in High St is always open.

Pam Passmore

IF PAM Passmore gets elected, this will be her second time on Neyland Town Council.

The 64-year-old was a member in the early 1990s, but as a teacher and a busy mum found it difficult to keep up with the commitments of council life.

Now she's hoping for a second chance to represent the town she calls home.

She will be familiar to most locals for her work with Bethesda Baptist Church, as chaplain with the army cadets, and a secretary and director of the Adam's Bucketful of Hope charity.

Her priorities include fighting for more housing for the people of Neyland, meaning fewer families have to relocate from the town.

"It would be so nice if people could not be forced out of Neyland," she said.

"The county council is making it very hard for some people to stay in the town."

She is also supportive of the council's commitment to move into the new Athletic Club development.

"We have got to improve the council offices because at the moment if you are disabled you can't access the building properly, and the current facilities are not good," she said.

She said she sees town councils as still having an important role.

"You can't always get and answer from Pembrokeshire County Council, but if you local have representatives who will work with them it will help gets people's voices heard."

Pam said she is proud of living Neyland, and hope she can work for the good of the town.

Gareth Lawlor

HAVING lived in Neyland all his life, Gareth Lawlor says he is proud to call the town home.

Describing himself as the "common sense and working class candidate", he feels his hard-working approach to the challenges Neyland faces will help bring about change.

"We've a fantastic community here and I wouldn't want to raise my children anywhere else," he said.

"Over the past 12 months I've been working with the town council to improve the facilities in our town.

"I've done a lot of voluntary work maintaining and improving Neyland Play Park, and there are lots of other pressing issues which I'd like to address."

His priorities are working to return afternoon appointments to St Clements Surgery, securing a traffic survey for John Street, delivering more housing for Neyland people, and working with Neyland Community Interest Company (CIC) to make sure the community hub at the Athletic Club is a success.

"I ask you to use your vote on October 26 to elect me to town council," he said.

"I promise to make sure your voice is heard."