Interview with Brenner Munden, Liberal Democrat candidate for South Weald, Brentwood

 Interview with Brenner Munden, Liberal Democrat candidate for South Weald, Brentwood

• Why a LibDem candidate in South Weald?

In South Weald we used to have a Liberal Democrat councillor named James Shawcross, he was a really good LibDem, he used to knock on the doors of everyone. All the residents remember him, although he is no longer a councillor. Then the Conservatives just got elected and were in power ever since. The LibDem presence in South Weald died off, but last year there was a tie between us and the Conservatives, although the Tories won; but we’re becoming strong again in this area.

• What are the main issues you want to prioritise?

The biggest issue this year is overdevelopment, there’s two major development sites along our main street, and this road is a very busy one, so what’s going to be built there adds to the pressures we already have on our local schools and GP surgeries. That’s the biggest concern, we think there’s not enough infrastructure and this is quite a risk to local residents.

Other issues are the state of the roads and pavements, not just the potholes, which are terrible; it’s really difficult to walk around South Weald because it’s been neglected for the past few years. Not enough money has been spent on repairing roads and pavements. 

Of course there’s other issues locally that affect South Weald, for example: there’s no longer a police station in the ward, we want to see our green belt being protected, and I’ve recently done a health survey where residents are very concerned about local access to GPs and high waiting times. More has to be done to improve access to healthcare. 

• Why are the LibDems the best alternative to the Conservatives in South Weald?

I personally live in South Weald, a lot of residents know me, so I’m a local face and any issues directly affect me. In terms of the LibDems, we’re in opposition and we just want to recover our voice in the council, having an extra voice to put pressure on the Conservatives to address all the local issues. That’s why it’s really important to get a LibDem councillor. In South Weald there’s a race between the Conservatives and the LibDems, Labour can’t win here, so we are the alternative. If people aren’t happy with the way South Weald’s been neglected during the past few years then this is the time to change by electing a Liberal Democrat.