Redcar – the shortlisted candidates

On July 28th, Redcar CLP will choose their candidate for the 2015 General Election. The six candidates for the seat were shortlisted recently – and we’ve profiled them below. If you know more about any of the candidates – please let us know by email. We’ll also bring you the result of the selection later this month. The candidates are:

Linda Hughes is the senior Northern TUC skills officer. She has worked with many workplaces in Teesside to improve skills including Tata/SSI steel works in Redcar. She supported the successful Save Our Steel campaign and recently won a council seat in nearby Darlington off the Conservatives. Linda has the backing of Unite and North East Labour MEP Stephen Hughes. Her website is here.

Carla Keegans works for the City of London Corporation where she leads on policy and resident involvement in housing across a number of London local authorities. She is a well-know housing commentator and speaks at national conferences and writes a regular columns in the journal ‘Inside Housing’. Carla grew up in Redcar and has the backing of the GMB.

Sherie Murphy is a Labour councillor for Boldon Colliery in South Tyneside. Sherie knows the area well having worked in the constituency.

Louise Reece Jones stood for Labour in the Wirral at the recently local elections. Louise was previously shortlisted in Dover. She is a former Army driver, store detective and campaigner for carers.

Tina Roche is a Unison officer from South Tyneside with a background in careers advice. She has the backing of Unison. Her website is here.

Anna Turley is a former adviser to David Blunkett and Hilary Armstrong on child poverty and social exclusion and was Deputy Director of the New Local Government Network. She is the editor of the blog Progressive Localism and is a driving force behind the Co-op Council initiative. Anna has the backing of the Co-op Party and Community Union. She lives in Redcar and is regarded as the early frontrunner. Her website is here.