Worcester elections 2023: Bedwardine ward candidates

Bedwardine has regularly returned Tory candidates to the Guildhall, usually with a healthy majority, but Labour will indeed be eyeing up a huge win here.

Alan Amos was re-elected by a landslide for the Conservatives in 2021 – a huge 745 votes ahead of closest rival Labour’s Sue Smith, who again returns to contest the seat – but the margin of victory was not so wide last year when she pushed Conservative candidate Shafaz Ditta as close as it gets.

Last year’s contest in Bedwardine proved even trickier for the Conservatives when a row erupted among the party over the successor to outgoing Tory councillor Bill Amos - and whether he would be replaced by his son Joe Amos or Shafaz Ditta, the son of Tory bigwig and former mayor Allah Ditta.

The city’s Tories eventually picked Shafaz with Joe vowing to stay in the contest and stood as an independent candidate.

The final results saw Shafaz Ditta take the victory with Labour’s Sue Smith making him sweat for the win – finishing a mere 23 votes behind in a three-councillor ward that has been loyally Tory for years.

The fight in Bedwardine will again prove interesting with the Conservatives having to field another new face and Labour will be hoping to finally stick its head above the parapet and snatch a win in a ward that has long evaded them.

Marc Bayliss, who had led the city council’s Tories alongside several stints as leader of the whole council since 2018, announced he would be quitting the Guildhall after 21 years – and 12 years representing Bedwardine – and will be replaced by Adele Rimell, who is the wife of the city’s Tory party chair Chris Rimell.

Also standing in the five-horse race is Lib Dem John Ondreasz who finished fifth out of seven candidates last year and in penultimate place in 2021’s contest and Phillipa Gilfillan for the Green Party.

Eloise Davies stands again in Bedwardine for the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition.

ELOISE DAVIES (TRADE UNION AND SOCIALIST COALITION)

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PHILLIPA GILFILLAN (GREEN)

“I moved to Worcester in 1988 to undergo teacher training and fell in love with my adopted city. I taught for over 20 years in Worcester and a few years ago left teaching to open a plastic-free refill shop, Pack It In, in the Cornmarket, to serve the local community. We are hoping to develop a community pantry there and run workshops.

“I joined Transition Worcester, was a founding member of Plastic Free Worcester, and am now Co-Chair of Transition Worcester, which runs the Pitchcroft Community Garden, the Repair Café and Food Rescue. As a teacher I ran the eco-schools initiative for many years.

“I enjoy guiding people towards becoming more sustainable and I give talks to schools and groups. My desire has grown, over time, to do more for the city and to get involved in Green politics.  I particularly enjoy campaigning and chatting to new people around the city.”

JOHN ONDREASZ (LIB DEM)

“I was born in Worcester. It is in Bedwardine Ward that I grew up, was educated, and currently live. For many years, I worked for major broadcasters covering conflicts in places like Bosnia and Somalia.

"In my experience, I have seen the good and the bad in humanity. For that reason, I am passionate about protecting our democracy. I believe proportional representation is a way of ending the dominance of single-party council chambers and opening councils up to a diversity of voices.

"I do not have a list of meaningless promises. My commitment is simple. Regardless of how you vote, I will represent you. I will listen to your concerns and issues and address them to the best of my ability. I will not take your support for granted and hope to make our beautiful city a better place in which to live.”

ADELE RIMMEL (CONSERVATIVE)

“Adele has lived in Worcester for 25 years with her husband Chris. They have a daughter who is a doctor in the NHS. A former Sunday school teacher and chair of Worcester Swimming Club, she worked with Conservative councillors to ensure a championship eight-lane pool was built – against opposition from all other political parties.
 “Adele is the finance manager of a local engineering company, and she will work to make sure that every penny of your council tax is spent prudently.
 “If elected, Adele will be your voice on the city council, working with colleagues to make sure that your voice is heard. Adele’s priorities are to maintain the high standard of roads and pavements in the area, protect and enhance our green spaces and public areas, fight the Labour/Green car park fee increases and oppose any unnecessary developments.”

SUE SMITH (LABOUR)

“I have lived in Vernon Park Road in the heart of Bedwardine for over 30 years.  

“Residents tell me they are disappointed at the condition of the shopping district. I would work in collaboration with the St John’s councillors to assist small traders to make our shopping district vibrant; I would also try and bring traders back to the shopping area in Lower Wick at Canada Way. 

“We need cleaner streets and footpaths and better provision for walking and cycling. Our young people need activities to keep them busy. I would work with local community groups to help provide activities for them. We need more control on builders and developers to ensure they follow the rules and don't cause problems for residents.

“We need to do more to protect our green spaces such as Pitmaston Park, Cripplegate Park, the riverside and the Green at Lower Wick.  To that end, I am currently working towards setting up a Friends of Pitmaston Park group.

It’s time for a councillor who cares about residents rather than personal ambition. Bedwardine residents are being let down. I want to change that. If elected, I would put Bedwardine residents at the heart of all I do as a councillor.”