Meet Crawley's new councillors following their victories at recent elections

Eight new councillors – six Labour and two Conservative – will join their 30 colleagues at their first annual council meeting on Friday May 24.

They are:

Esther Barrott (Lab, Gossops Green & North East Broadfield)

She said: “It is a privilege to have the trust of voters and I look forward to serving everyone in Gossops Green and North East Broadfield.

“It was an honour to meet voters on the doorstep in the lead up to the election and I will work to ensure decent, affordable homes, job and training opportunities, and support for the most vulnerable in Crawley.

“I encourage residents to get in touch so I can assist with local issues.”

Thomas Bidwell (Con, Pound Hill South & Worth)

He said: “Our democracy is an essential component of our society, and it is an honour to have been elected to represent the community in which I live.

“Conversations with residents have highlighted parking and aspects of the Three Bridges station development as areas of concern, and I will aim to address these.

“As someone who believes in our democracy, I look forward to repaying the faith placed in me, and to doing my part to improve the lives of local people.”

Shelly Bushnell (Lab, Langley Green & Tushmore)

She said: “I am very honoured to be elected as Labour and Co‐operative councillor to represent the residents of Langley Green and Tushmore.

“There are many issues that residents have told me about which really affect their day-to-day lives.

“Many of them, such as housing and antisocial behaviour I can help directly with, working alongside my councillor colleagues Imran Ashraf, and Tahira Rana, but many are technically beyond my remit as a Crawley Borough councillor such as potholes and parking issues but this won’t stop me fighting their corner with the relevant bodies.”

Nick Hilton (Lab, Pound Hill North & Forge Wood)

He said: “I am really excited after 26 years to be elected again as a borough councillor.

“After listening to many residents in Pound Hill North and Forge Wood, I will support them with chasing West Sussex County Council over potholes.

“I know they want better facilities, safer streets and our natural environment protected.

“I also found lots of cynicism about politicians generally and I want a kinder politics to show how local councillors can make a real difference to improve people’s quality of life.”

Dominic Ramsay (Con, Maidenbower)

He said: “I’m over the moon that the people of Maidenbower have put their trust in me at this election.

“My immediate focus is on continuing to work with West Sussex to stop dangerous parking on Harvest Road and to keep children safe outside Maidenbower Junior School.

“In the long run, when I eventually reflect on my time as councillor, I’d love to be able to say I engaged people who don’t normally interact with local politics.”

Benazir ‘Beni’ Yianni (Lab, Ifield)

She said: “I am deeply humbled by the support of our community. I look forward to giving back and serving the people of Ifield with passion and integrity.

“I am eager to roll up my sleeves and address the issues that matter most to our residents from the developments in the West of Ifield to the planting of more flowers and trees.

“I am excited for the opportunity to make a positive impact and uplift the voices of Ifield.”

Olu Adeniyi (Lab, Tilgate) and Dipesh Patel (Lab, Southgate) were both approached for comment.