My name is Mark Dobson and I am honoured to have had the privilege of representing Garforth, Swillington, Great & Little Preston, the Glencoe Estate and, more recently, Skelton Lakes on Leeds City Council for the last 19 years.

Full statement

Before that I was a community activist and chair of the local residents’ association. I’ve lived in the community for the last 38 years.

In my day job , I am Chief Operating Officer of a Queens Award-winning charity supporting older people. In my spare time I am a member , and three-time President, of Garforth Lions and I am currently president of both Garforth Brass and Garforth Rec Bowling Club.

Over the years I have been involved in many high profile campaigns, such as saving our fire station from closure (on three occasions), fighting to protect our community from an unwanted category A prison, and twice working with the community to stop Labour’s housing plans for 10,000 houses , with no supporting infrastructure, on the Greenbelt. A challenge we are soon to face again.

But it is the day-to-day involvement and engagement with other local people, dealing with thousands of pieces of individual casework, that gives me the most satisfaction. These can be issues of huge significance to the everyday work of getting somebody’s bin emptied. I give due diligence and respect to every piece of casework and attempt to answer in a timely and efficient manner.

Politics is not a precise science, and I can’t always get the desired result, but I guarantee I will always try. That I promise.

We llive in very troubling times. I understand that people want change. I understand that people are fed up with a political elite and an establishment that takes you and your votes for granted. I understand the frustration that local people feel when their voices are ignored.

I share those frustrations. For the last eight years you have voted for independents. You have been trailblazers by electing independently minded people who put our community first, not tribal party politicss or the personal interests of career politicians.

Please allow me to continue working for you and give me your vote on May 7th or by post.

Thank you

Mark