Election special: ‘My time has come’ – second time lucky for Green candidate in campaign to take Stroud Central?

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The Green Party’s candidate for the Stroud District Council by-election for the Stroud Central ward on May 1 is Cate James-Hodges, who narrowly lost last year to Labour’s David Drew, writes Susan Fenton.

Despite her being only 19 and a relative newcomer to local politics at the time, Cate gained 326 votes while Mr Drew was re-elected with 408 votes. The Conservative candidate gained just 70 votes, meaning this year’s contest will be a straight choice between Labour and Greens.

Cate said: “When the results were announced after last May’s elections, a senior Labour politician at the count told me ‘your time will come’. I took that as a compliment; an endorsement of the effort I’d put into my campaign.

“Now that David Drew, a well-known and popular councillor, has resigned, leaving this seat is empty, I think my time really has come.”

In the year since the 2024 elections, Cate has gained valuable experience by working as the political assistant to the 22-strong Green group that leads Stroud District Council.

This has given her great insight into how the council and the political process locally works, and knowledge of the many issues that district councillors are involved with. Cate has been interested in politics from a young age and remembers being fascinated when she was a child and her mum took her to a polling station.

It was the Brexit referendum that really sparked her interest in the democratic process when she was a teenager. She has been a member of the Stroud District Youth Council (SDYC) for more than five years and is its previous Leader. Being on the SDYC has given her public speaking and communication skills, experience of being an elected officer, an understanding of how councils operate and make policy, and experience of connecting with individuals and groups in the local community. She has also had the chance to get involved in scrutinising and monitoring council performance.

Cate, who won the 2023 Stroud Town Council Young Person of the Year award, believes her profile among young voters and her youth, enthusiasm and commitment to addressing local issues, will serve her well on May 1.

She added: “Two of the three councillors who represent Central ward on Stroud Town Council are also Greens, so I know there is enormous support for the Greens in this ward and I have a really good chance of winning this seat at my second attempt.”

If elected, Cate will help residents in any way she can and will get involved in a variety of issues, including recreation, women’s safety and protecting the local environment and biodiversity. She would be one of the youngest people ever to be elected to Stroud District Council. She believes her youth will be an advantage, especially in appealing to voters who are disillusioned with politics and might not otherwise bother voting.

“My youth, energy and passion definitely helped me get so many votes last year,” she said. “I think many voters found it refreshing to have the chance to vote for someone with ideas and a sense of urgency to get things done for the community.

“Local democracy really benefits from having councillors from different age groups, from different personal and career backgrounds and with different perspectives.

“Having councillors with diverse backgrounds makes the system more inclusive and that breadth of representation means things get championed and pushed forward that might otherwise never happen.”

Promoted by Rob Brookes on behalf of Stroud District Green Party, at 17 Great George Street, Bristol BS1 5QT.