I am the parliamentary candidate for Newcastle East and Wallsend representing Reform UK in the next general election.

Full statement

I’m a Wallsend girl born and bred, my father was a crane driver in the Neptune shipyard and a shop steward for the G.M.B union. My grandfather before him was a miner in the Rising Sun Pit for 48 years, so I come from a family that has been part of this area's shipyard and mining communities, and I'm sorry to say they were Labour voters.

As a child, Wallsend and Byker were so exciting, it was thriving with different kinds of businesses, there were fresh fish shops, Tom Owens fruit and veg in Wallsend, also a bike repair shop in Byker, we even had big department stores like Parishes in Byker and the co-op in Wallsend. Over the past few years, I've watched Wallsend High Street and Shields Road deteriorate and now we have barber shops, charity shops, vape shops, nail bars and more takeaways than I can mention, gone are the fresh fish shops and fruit and vegetable shops. Our elected MPs Nick Brown and Mary Glindon have let these areas go to ruin. Voters did not vote for this. From the end of April, I will be holding surgeries in every part of Newcastle East and Wallsend, I will be putting up posters in the local shops to let you know the times and days.

I'm happy to help. I'm fed up with these councils and the continuous letdown and wasting our council tax. So, my question is where is our money going? I am now meeting with all the directors of Newcastle City and North Tyneside Councils and asking all these questions and I will not be fobbed off by them. It is not acceptable that they can afford to renew all their vehicles with electric ones. Yet they say they don’t have enough money to support our disabled children to go to school, or our elderly with social care, and the potholes!

I will be for the first time in years, your voice and I WILL sort these areas out.