Three members of same family stand for seats as Stafford hospital group fights election

The movement's founding member Cheryl Porter, her husband Julian and their 19-year-old son Jay will all contest seats at the election in May.

The members claim they would provide a politically independent voice for the town at Stafford Borough Council.

Mrs Porter, aged 51, who will stand in her home ward of Milford, said: "Part of me is fed up of politics but I feel I have to put myself on the line. You campaign but no one listens. I want to try and get some honesty in politics."

It has not yet been decided which seat businessman Mr Porter, 48, also a leading hospital campaigner, will fight. Their son, a history and politics student at Leicester's De Montfort University, will contest the Common ward.

Mrs Porter, a mother of four, said: "Julian has become a very big part of the hospital campaign over the last three years and Jay is a very socially aware and wants to give young people a voice. "

Other candidates so far confirmed are NHS worker Ann Jones(Baswich), Helen Martlew(Weeping Cross & Wildwood), who works in finance and law, orthopaedic plaster technician Donna Hickey(Holmcroft), HGV driver Gary Marshall(Penkside), engineer Richard Duffy(Manor), company bossTrevor Forrester(Milwich), community carer Sian Barker(Seighford & Church Eaton), unemployed IT technician Dan Jackson(Doxey & Castlefields), musician Dave Barron(Highfield & Western Downs). Wards for engineer Simon Reeves and author Geoff Small have still to be decided.

Further names may be added before the group publishes a definitive list next week.

More than 40,000 campaign leaflets are have been published for distribution later this week with personal profiles of the candidates to follow.

The protesters have registered as a political party to reflect their intention to campaign on broader issues, as well as health. All will stand as independent candidates under the party umbrella.

Most of the main Stafford wards are covered and it is still hoped to secure candidates for seats in Stone and Walton.

Julian Porter, co-owner of Wolverhampton's Wolf Mountain activity centre, claimed the group represented a better age and social mix than the current council membership.

"If we do win the seats we're fighting, we could end up holding the balance of power in Stafford.

"As independents we''ll have no leaders or whips telling us to toe the party line when it comes to voting on particular issues. We will be voting according to what the majority of people in the community want.

"Our mission statement is local politics above national. We don't want to lose our university or our youth services, and we want to see more independent shops in the town centre. "

Fellow hospital campaigner Karen Howell is standing in the general election for the National Health Action Party, fighting on a platform of protecting the NHS.