Seven candidates are fighting to take the Ellesmere Port and Neston parliamentary seat in the general election taking place on May 7.

It has been held by Andrew Miller for Labour since 1992.

Five years ago, Mr Miller, who is retiring, held off four other Westminster hopefuls to retain the seat with a 4,331 majority over the Tory candidate Stuart Penketh.

There was a turnout of 70.1%, with 44,233 residents casting their vote.

When nominations closed last Thursday, those with their hats in the ring were:

Katherine Fletcher, Conservatives

Conservative parliamentary candidate for Ellesmere Port and Neston Katherine Fletcher at the M53 where she has welcomed a smart lane together with investment in the M56. Pic supplied by Katherine Fletcher.

Conservative candidate Katherine Fletcher, 38, was chosen by members from across the area. She said: “Firstly, and most importantly, I’m delighted to be selected as the prospective parliamentary candidate for Ellesmere Port and Neston in my home county of Cheshire.

“The pride I have in the North West bubbles from me and to be able to be your voice in the House of Commons would be both the greatest honour and the greatest responsibility.

“I’m passionate about the national interest. I’ve a heartfelt vocation toward doing my bit, but have only been actively engaged in grass roots politics for about 18 months.

“In 2012 I looked in the mirror and realised I could, and should, be doing more to serve this brilliant nation of ours. I’ve heard the call from much of the voting public to have representation from people who’ve lived a life outside politics.

“I hope to demonstrate my virtues as a communicator, my heartfelt vocation towards public service and explain why, in part, my modest background has pushed me to step away from a very successful business career to be with you.

“But I also look forward to bringing a common background and understanding to Ellesmere Port and Neston. “

Cllr Myles Hogg, Conservative chairman and the party’s candidate at the 2005 general election, congratulated Katherine on her selection.

He said: “We were delighted that so many outstanding candidates wanted to carry the Conservative banner into the 2015 election.

“In Katherine, we have picked a candidate who will fight every step of the way to get the best for the people of this constituency.”

Michelle Palmer, Green Party

The Green Party's Ellesmere Port parliamentary candidate Michelle Palmer

Green Party candidate Michelle Palmer says: “I have lived and worked in Ellesmere Port for over nine years and I have being employed in finance, self-employed and even occasionally unemployed.

“I have started my family here and I believe passionately that this is a good place with friendly people. I want to help give the people of Ellesmere Port and Neston a voice. I will listen to what people want and I will fight for them.

“It is a lack of trust which I believe has seriously disenfranchised the people of the UK and believe we can only repair this lack of trust by having people in politics who live up to that trust and who know what it is like to live as a normal person.

“I live in the constituency, as do my family and children, so I genuinely care what happens here.

“I have been increasingly unhappy and angry at how politics and politicians in this country have been behaving. I finally decided that if I wanted this to change I needed to do something about it myself.

“This is why I am standing as a Green Party candidate. I want to be a force for change in politics, to re-centre politics around the people and to make it something which benefits our daily lives.

Justin Madders, Labour

Justin Madders, Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate for Ellesmere Port and Neston

Previously Labour opposition leader on Cheshire West and Chester Council and Ellesmere Port Town ward borough councillor Justin Madders was selected by the party faithful as their prospective parliamentary candidate to succeed Mr Miller.

The vote to select Cllr Madders, an employment lawyer who is married with three children, came after a shortlist of six candidates had been heard by party members.

Following his selection, Cllr Madders said: “I am honoured to have been chosen as Labour’s candidate to represent the people of Ellesmere Port and Neston.

“As someone who has grown up in the area I know the place well and the challenges we face. I will stand up for the people of Ellesmere Port and Neston.

“Life seems to have got harder for most people under this Government and I want to do what I can to make life better for the many people who have seen their living standards drop in the last four years.

“I know from my work as a councillor how difficult people are finding things and I want to do my bit to create a better future for us all. I’ll always do what is best for Ellesmere Port and Neston.”

Cllr Madders was leader of the former borough council and became leader of the Labour opposition on Cheshire West and Chester following the death of Cllr Derek Bateman.

Prior to his selection he said: “I’ll make sure the people of Ellesmere Port and Neston are represented with energy and passion to ensure we get the very best for our constituency”.

Felicity Dowling, Left Unity

Felicity Dowling, Left Unity Parliamentary candidate for Ellesmere Port & Neston

Standing for Left Unity, a broad left political party formed in 2013, Felicity Dowling helped launch her party’s General Election manifesto in a London squat.

The party said it had chosen the venue to highlight the number of large buildings sitting empty in London.

Felicity said: “This is a manifesto launch with a difference. Instead of using a glitzy venue like the main parties, we want to highlight the growing crisis of homelessness.

“Rents are rocketing and good housing getting further out of reach for so many, yet there are 700,000 empty buildings in Britain that could be brought back into use.

“It’s just not right that so much space is wasted while people are sleeping on the streets.”

On the Left Unity web site Felicity is described as a local teacher and an active member of the NUT, a founder member of the local trades council/TUC, an activist against fracking, chairing the first anti-fracking meeting in Chester in February 2014, a campaigner for the NHS, for women’s rights and against racism, an organiser of #raisetheroofforhousing and against the bedroom tax, a defender of children’s rights.

Her issues include the NHS free of any kind of privatisation, free at the point of need, well-funded from general taxation, free state education with fully funded special needs, well provided social services, a sustainable future for the planet without fracking, real jobs with security and decent wages, a shorter working week, time for family, for sport, for culture and even fun, a house building programme to build a million sustainable homes that people can afford and respect for trade union rights.

Trish Derraugh, Liberal Democrats

Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Ellesmere Port and Neston Trish Derraugh

Hoping to become the new voice in Westminster for Ellesmere Port and Neston, Trish Derraugh has been on Neston Town Council since 2011.

Looking forward to contesting the seat she said: “As a local resident for 12 years and a proactive town councillor for more than three years, I have clearly demonstrated a commitment to my local area and I understand the opportunities and challenges ahead for such a diverse constituency as Ellesmere Port and Neston which embraces industrial, urban and rural communities.

“Given this diversity I believe that delivering improved public transport connectivity throughout the area is vital for providing access to jobs and services, improving the local economy and quality of life.” She adds she is also aware of the electorate’s current disillusionment with politics and politicians.

“One of the main criticisms of our government is that it is not representative of the electorate in terms of gender and work background,” she believes.

“I would like to give the voters of Ellesmere Port and Neston the opportunity to elect a woman who has a wealth of experience in ‘the real world’ and identifies with the concerns of ordinary people.“

Trish has had a varied career in the private sector and has experienced the insecurity of working in finance, construction, manufacturing and housing. She is also a volunteer for a local charity which provides support for the elderly and vulnerable.

Trish is chairwoman of Neston Town Council’s planning and environment committee, which is currently driving forward work on the Neston Neighbourhood Development Plan and chair of the council’s ‘greening’ group which is looking at the potential for improving neglected green spaces in Neston.

Jonathan Starkey, Ukip

Virtuoso pianist Jonathan Starkey who is standing as UKIP parliamentary candidate for Ellesmere Port and Neston

Former Independent politician Jonathan Starkey announced he was standing as the UKIP candidate for the constituency.

Jonathan, who recently gained a distinction in a Music Masters degree, is married with a young family. He was educated in the constituency and continues to live, work and play locally.

A former councillor and school governor, he argues he is ‘very aware of the town’s history in political and community terms’.

Professionally, Jonathan, a virtuoso pianist, trained at the prestigious Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, noted as one of the finest conservatoires in Europe. He is a production music composer and his music is distributed to over 54 countries.

It is not only regularly heard on programmes such as Coronation Street and EastEnders but also on feature films and numerous adverts.

Already interested in UKIP with its grass roots appeal, a chance encounter resulted in him writing the music featured in UKIP conferences.

He is well known in the town and has featured campaigning with a rainbow coalition of former councillors for causes including free parking and the gated alleyways in many of the roads in the town centre.

He believes in digital democracy through, for example, the World Wide Web, Facebook and Twitter and will be making information available at www.ukipepn.wordpress.com, Facebook ukipepn and Twitter @ukipepn.

John Dyer, Independent

Mr Dyer, who lives in a Liverpool constituency, has not previously provided information locally and has withheld his address.

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