8 December, 2017

With the 2018 District Council election due on 3rd May, here's the ninth in our series about the Conservative candidates by the candidates.

Charlie Nightingale and Ben Shelton, who both live in Stapleford, are two highly experienced District Councillors and Parish Councillors – they have over 20 years' service between them as District Councillors for The Shelfords.

They are standing for the new Shelford ward – as a result of the boundary changes which take effect from May, the new Shelford ward will be represented by only two District Councillors, instead of three, to cover Great Shelford, Little Shelford and Stapleford.

They have a good track record of working hard to support local businesses and their constituents, and listen carefully to any concerns you may have.  They have helped support funding for three new pavilions in Great and Little Shelford and in Stapleford – all three now have top class facilities – as well as the new play areas in Gt Shelford and Lt Shelford and the recent Community Chest grants for the local bowls and football clubs.

Here's what they have to say.

Charlie Nightingale
Charlie moved to Great Shelford 1972 and now lives in Stapleford with Susan – they have been married for over 50 years.  He was first elected to SCDC in 2002 and served as the Council’s Chairman from 2008 to 2010.

"Over the past few years I have enjoyed serving as your District Councillor.  I enjoy it because every day is different with planning, neighbourly disputes, parking and housing being the most difficult one to solve.

I have made efforts to have parking restrictions decriminalised by the police, who are not treating parking as a priority any more – this would enable the District Council and Parish Councils to issue parking ticket and keep the revenue for investing in local services.

Serving on the Joint Development Control Committee (it comprises members appointed by the city and county councils and South Cambridgeshire District Council) has seen a new town of Eddington on Huntington Road, Trumpington Meadows and Great Knighton come on stream giving many new jobs and much needed housing.  In 2018 we will have the new Darwin development started along with the Wing development at Marshalls.

As councillors, many of our duties are done behind the scenes, serving on planning and licensing committees (on licensing, we vet all taxi drivers to check they suitable to drive your family around) all things that make your life better place for us to live.  South Cambridgeshire District Council is making it one, if not the, best in the country live: with your vote I would like to continue to do my best for you and your family.

Shelford is one of the best places to live in the county – let's try to keep it that way."

Ben Shelton
Ben became a District Councillor for The Shelfords in 2010.  He is also on the parish councils and works closely with other partners including the police, the County Council and other regulatory bodies,  “Listening to residents and parish councils is vital,” he says.

“The vibrancy of our high streets is very important, as is ensuring local services are available and accessible to all users – including available parking spaces and more recreation space for our expanding villages.

Our various clubs and charities are essential in rural settings like ours: we must maintain positive links with these organisations, including financial where possible.

People often comment to me that there is a lack of housing in the villages for younger people or people who want to downsize.

On Macaulay Avenue, we are supporting three self-build houses to give three more families a step on the ladder and we are actively looking for some sites to come forward in the near future to be available for our village people only.  All these which should help solve some of the housing issues we see currently.

Of course we appreciate and understand development can only be of benefit if it's sustainable and in the right place – as a councillor, one of my responsibilities is to also ensure it is right for our villages."

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Charlie Nightingale and Ben Shelton

Conservative candidates, Shelford ward
South Cambridgeshire District Council election / 3rd May 2018

Charlie Nightingale
       12 Aylesford Way
       Stapleford
       CB22 5DP

Phone
       01223 844 763

E-mail
       Charlie Nightingale

Ben Shelton
       2 Forge End, Stapleford
       Stapleford
       CB23 8ES

Phone
       01223 841 085

E-mail
       Ben Shelton

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South Cambridgeshire Conservative Association

You can write or visit us at:

       South Cambridgeshire Conservative Association
       Broadway House
       149-151 St Neots Road
       Hardwick
       CB23 7QJ

       01954 211 444
       scca@sccf.org.uk

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