WHARFEDALE Labour have chosen Chris Hayden to contest the Wharfedale seat for Labour in the upcoming Bradford Council Elections in early May.

Mr Hayden’s background is in charity work focused on providing opportunities for children and young people and is also a school governor. He commutes for work in Leeds, where he is a civil servant.

Mr Hayden said: “I feel privileged to have been selected as the Labour candidate for Wharfedale in the Bradford Council 2019 elections and I am incredibly excited about the upcoming campaign. Being a local Councillor is about hard work, representing everybody who lives in the area and giving the people of Burley and Menston a meaningful voice in City Hall. It is clear that the current situation is not delivering when it comes to protecting our greenbelt and I am offering a different solution to this problem than just shouting from the sidelines.”

Wharfedale Labour Member Niccola Swan said: “I’m looking forward to campaigning for Chris, who will be a really good councillor for Wharfedale. I’ve stood in three out of the four last local elections but it’s time for a change now and I’ve been impressed with the energy that Chris has brought to the campaign and his ideas to improve our area.”

The ward, which covers Menston and Burley-in-Wharfedale was recently visited by Labour’s Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, who was well received by local small businesses as he set out Labour’s national plans to help them.