My name is Christopher Way and I am your Reform UK candidate for Ryde South East ward.
I’m a Ryde-based taxi driver, and I expect that I may have transported many of you and had to apologise for taking diversions, sitting at temporary lights or bouncing over potholes.
I’m a part-time dad to two teenage children and, even though they have their issues like many of our children do, they are my reason for wanting to stand to make our Island, and in particular Ryde South East, better.
I was born in Preston Close and for the past 15 years have lived on St Johns Hill. I remember when Oakvale was a scrap yard, and I lived opposite Nicholson Road when it was still just fields. I went to Oakfield Primary School, Bishop Lovett Middle School and Ryde High. My family have been in Ryde for over 100 years.
Why am I telling you all this? So that when I ask you to vote for me in the upcoming Council elections, you know I’m not someone imported who has no idea of our area, and that I’ve gone through hard times like many of you have or are going through now.
I hope to meet you all before you go to the polls to select who will put our area’s concerns to the Council and make sure that the best is done for people in this ward, as well as making the best choices for the Isle of Wight as a whole.
I’d like to see an increase in the amount of social housing to ensure that no one needs to stay in hotels, and that Island people who can’t afford to get on the property ladder have a permanent home. This is so important as we are a minimum wage and highly seasonal employment Island.
I would like to see our car parks returned to being free overnight.
I stand for Reform UK and, as with places that already have Reform majority councils, will aim to do better than what was there before, cutting waste and putting the whole before the few with the choices that can be made outside of government control.