Jonathan said: I am new to local politics, having been elected to Prudhoe Town Council for the first time back in May. In that short time, I have already experienced what can be achieved collectively to improve things at a local level. I work in the retail sector, and for many years I have acted as a Union steward for the GMB. In this time I honed my skills in problem-solving, it would be a privilege to use these skills to the benefit of the people of Hexham East. I divide my time working in stores in Hexham and Prudhoe, working in both towns daily means I understand the issues and regularly talk to local people, many of the issues experienced in both are the same and we need to work collectively to tackle them. The current administration has shown time and again that they are not up to the task, and the only way that we can change things for the better is by increasing the number of Labour voices in County Hall. We’ve already seen the benefits in Prudhoe and Bywell of local people returning a Labour County Councillor and now Hexham can do the same.