After the recent Parliamentary win by Hannah Spencer of the Green Party in the Gorton and Denton by-election (26th February 2026) which was started due to the suspension of the sitting MP for sending offensive WhatsApp messages, it became clear to me that we all needed to stand-up and work together to bring back a level of trust, decency, honesty, and fairness to our communities.

Full statement

Every day we’re bombarded with digital messages, print media, television, radio, and social media messages from other parties like Reform, what’s left of the Conservative party, a Labour party (sadly) in turmoil and disarray, and a Lib Dem party (usually strong in local elections), but falling behind in the polls. The messages are typically divisive, full of fear, division, blame, and hate. Well, to put it bluntly, I’m fed up of the stale, hate filled, blame filled, and (far too often) lies and fictional content that many of the parties that the other candidates are standing for represent, and are sadly not strong enough to call out.

I freely, and without any agenda admit that I don’t know any of the other candidates personally, or even through their political parties they represent, so I can’t and would never comment in any way as to their beliefs, actions, what drives them, what they like, dislike, or what their take is of the present state of the country; Stephen Cawley (Conservative), Ann Christine Fryer (Reform UK), Tony Hulme (Liberal Democrats), or Yavin Michael Owens (Labour), I’m sure, like me, all they all want to do is to make our communities better, offer support, and guidance to those they represent, and above all to be honest, trustworthy, dependable, caring, accountable, and true to their words they use when presenting themselves to the voters.

The present Councilor for the Ward; Stephen Cawley is liked on the Council, his attendance is consistent (always good to see), and I’m sure he’s a decent person who, during his time has represented the Ward well, and has been part of many local issues. Ann Christine Fryer (Reform UK) candidate, again, I do not know Ann, and again, I’m sure she has given a lot to her community, her friends, and those around her.

We’re often told that local issues are not representative of national issues. That “pot holes, litter, dog poo bins, refuse collections” are local issues, and that we shouldn’t look at the bigger picture of what is transpiring in our communities, towns, counties, and country.

So, should we look at the local council elections on the 7th of May, 2026, simply as something small, something that will not make a difference to our lives, that your vote won’t change the rhetoric of the parties backed by billionaires, millionaires, and overseas lobbyists?

Let’s just take 5 minutes and look at some of the recent “events” that, although national issues’, quite literally affect everyone, especially from a local perspective directly;

We have the Sue Gray report, the Russia report, the COVID inquiry, Post Office scandal, PPE scandal (with over £4,000,000,000 wasted in PPE that could never be used), 232,112 COVID deaths while the Government partied, a Prime Minister whose disastrous budget cost us in excess of £30,000,000,000. Like me, I’m sure that Stephen Cawley looks at these facts as horrific, and knows exactly what our community lost in funding because of the obscene decisions made.

Reform portray themselves as the “People’s Party”. In their previous incarnation, they were UKIP, and they gave us Brexit. This has cost the UK somewhere between £140,000,000,000 and £240,000,000,000 (to date) Investment to the UK is between 12% and 18% lower, UK trade has been heavily impacted with studies suggesting goods exports are significantly lower. Independent analysis also shows that Public Finance has cost in excess of £90,000,000,000 a year.

In 2023, studies suggested around 1.8 million to 2 million fewer jobs existed in the UK compared to a scenario where Brexit did not occur

Did you know that Reform leader, Nigel Farage who portrays himself as a “man of the people”, is actually a privately educated millionaire.

Did you know that Joint research by the Mirror and the Good Law Project in 2024 and early 2025 revealed that the Reform UK owner has four houses in the South of England as well as the one in Clacton he eventually acquired being the local MP (which is owned by his partner, no doubt for prudent financial reasons). That’s 5 houses…!

In 2013, The Mirror revealed that Farage had set up an offshore trust fund on the Isle of Man, in 2016, he also refused to release his tax returns, unlike a number of high-profile politicians, in the wake of the Panama Papers tax avoidance scandal. His huge earnings again came to light when his disclosures were made in the latest Register of Members’ Financial Interests, an obligation for any MP, showing he is the UK’s highest earning MP. Farage earns over £1.2m a year on top of his MP’s salary of £91,346. Remarkably, he has declared a £81,607 payment from GB News for 32 hours work, a rate of more than £2,500 an hour.

During the recent general election, a broad sweep of far right and extreme right groups and figures, including Tommy Robinson, Britain First, Patriotic Alternative and the Homeland Party, all urged their supporters to vote for Reform UK.

Farage is a longstanding critic of the NHS, and has argued that the UK should move to a private insurance-based health service. He said: “I think we’re going to have to think about healthcare very very differently and I think we’re going to have to move to an insurance - based system of healthcare.

So, as I said earlier; Ann Christine Fryer (Reform UK), I’m sure has given a lot to her community, her friends, and those around her, and is a valued member of the Eaton Socon community, but the political party she represents, do you, your families, your businesses, your communities truly want to be represented in any way by such a party?

These are some of the reasons why I am standing for the Green Party. I feel that it’s time to stand-up, to make a statement of intent that the direction our communities, and country has been heading towards, is not one that I want to know. So, here’s a few things about me …..

I was actually born in St Neots, at home. I grew up in Bedford, went through the comprehensive school system. My first job was in a Travel Agency in Bedford (Allen Sturges Travel. Sadly, no longer there). I’ve travelled greatly through work, as well as for leisure. Work wise (up until 2011) I was head of marketing and communications for an international consultancy. Then in 2011, things took quite a sharp turn (downwards).

On the morning of the 12th April 2011, I fell to the floor (at home) dead. I’d suffered a massive bilateral pulmonary embolism. The amazing East of England Ambulance service, and the NHS hospital (Hinchingbrooke NHS) truly stepped up, and they will always have my undying support, and admiration. Then in 2013, my wife and I were in a serious RTC by the A14 in Huntingdon. A chap in a Mercedes thought it a good idea to be using his phone as he drove down the slip road, straight into our broken-down car. Again, my never-ending thanks and support goes to the East of England Ambulance service, Cambridgeshire Fire service, Cambridgeshire Police, and Hinchingbrooke NHS. Suffice to say, all of these services that so many take for granted will have my full support if elected.

Workwise after two such severe incidents has been problematic. I wrote CV’s for a few years, and even supported youth offenders (previously in custody at Little Hey prison), with employment advice, CV writing, and acted as a mentor through the Trailblazers Charity.

In 2016 I started my own charity; “Charity Oars”, and raised a lot of public awareness of the signs and symptoms of thrombosis. The campaign was supported by many celebrities like; Joe Root, Devon Malcolm, Paul Grayson, Oliver Phelps, Liam Plunkett, Jonny Bairstow, Miles Jupp, Jack Russell, James Taylor, Tanni Grey Thompson, Steve Coogan, Martin Bayfield, Austin Healey, Helen Glover, Gordon Greenidge, James Phelps, Stephen Merchant, Simon Jones, Billy Connolly, Paul Young, Alec Stewart, Allen Lamb, Ashley Giles, Andrew Triggs Hodge, Dara O’Briain, Nick Robinson, Jos Buttler, Charles Spencer, Martin Corry, Ben Morgan, Doctor Dawn Harper, Fern Britton, Boris Johnson, Kumar Sangakkara, Matt Lucas, Michael Atherton, Jason Gillespi, Naseer Hussain, Rob Keys, Wojciech Szczesny, Gyles Brandreth, Mathew Pinsent and Clare Balding

https://www.rbrlegflow.com/charity-oars

Then in 2019 I started RBR legflow™, I even made it onto BBC’s Dragons Den (series 19, episode 9). So, not only are we now raising continued awareness for thrombosis (Deep Vein Thrombosis, and Pulmonary Embolism), but we’re preventing further deaths caused by blood-clots with the RBR legflow™. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVyp8Da1nJk&t=175s

It’s been quite a journey to get here, where we are today. Did I ever see myself prior to 2011 undertaking all of the things that I have done since then, and would I have thought about standing for the Green Party in a local council election? Honest answer is probably not.

The truth is however; I have embraced every day, challenge, opportunity, and task with a new-found respect for those around me; and for those who work tirelessly (quite often behind the scenes) to make our communities safe, happy, welcoming, respected, and valued. So, for me to represent the community of Great Staughton, would be a privilege.

Thank you for taking the time to read my words …

Vote Paul James Westerman (the Green party) on the 7th May 2026