The Lewisham Central Team
Parliamentary Candidate: Gemma Townsend
Gemma is a native Londoner, who grew up in Wapping in the East End. Since graduating from the University of Manchester where she studied Sociology, she has lived all over London including Deptford where she was a candidate in the 2006 local elections. Gemma has been the Conservative Association Deputy Chairman in Deptford since the beginning of 2007.
Currently Gemma works for the GLA dealing with policing and crime issues for the Conservative Assembly Members, where she works closely with the Deputy Mayor for Policing. She has previously worked in a number of social policy and research roles for Southwark Council, Ofsted and Populus.
Over the years Gemma has been proud to have had an impact on policies to improve standards in education, youth crime, housing, health and social care and has learnt a great deal from a wide range of practitioners in the field. She has been volunteering with her local youth offending team since spring 2007 and also volunteers with the charity Age Concern.
Gemma is particularly concerned by the levels of violent crime in Lewisham. She will also be campaigning on regeneration, transport and education. Having worked in local government, Gemma is adamant that local authorities could be more resourceful and provide significantly better services, she will ensure her campaign holds Lewisham Council to account.
Ben Appleby:
Ben lives in Hither Green and is a management consultant with a firm that specialises in the public sector. He previously lived in Newcastle upon Tyne where he completed a degree in Politics and Economics. Ben has an interest in both local and national politics and has been an active member of the Conservative Party since he was 16. As well as his political interests he is a fan of Newcastle United, and travels to the far reaches of the country to see them play, which can sometimes be a challenge from Lewisham!
Paul Oakley:
Paul has lived in Lewisham for 15 years and is a practising barrister. The recession means cuts must come in the borough but he will argue that these should fall first on the eight fat cat council posts paying £102-188,000 salaries, not front-line staff. While money remains tight, he believes that the glossy Lewisham Life propaganda rag should be scrapped to save both money and trees. Paul also feels very strongly that too much power has been ceded to Brussels.
Long a believer that Britain would be Better Off Out of the European Union, Paul enjoys lifting weights, pike fishing and punk gigs.
James Pritchard:
James lives in Armoury Road and has been a Lewisham resident for over 10 years. He’s a graduate of Teesside University and works at Queen Mary University as a database manager. James is a keen runner and is passionate about recycling and environmental issues.
Lewisham Central Links
- Parlimentary Candidate: Gemma Townsend
- Conservative Party Website
- London Borough of Lewisham
- Greater London Authority
- Who is eligible to vote?
- How to apply for a postal or proxy vote
- Lewisham Library
- Lewisham Local History
- Lewisham Shopping Centre
- Lewisham Town Talk
- Volunteer Centre Lewisham
