One week today the General Election will take place but, who will you vote for in Sefton Central?

A Parliamentary General Election will be held on Thursday 8 June 2017. In Sefton, elections will be held to elect MP’s to the Parliamentary Constituencies of Bootle, Sefton Central and Southport.

To vote in a UK Parliamentary Elections you must be a UK, Irish or Commonwealth Citizen. You must be included on the Register of Electors by the 22 May 2017 and by 18 years of age on the day of the election.

Here are the candidates for Sefton Central (Candidates listed alphabetically by surname)

Michael Carter - Green Party General Election Candidate

Mike Carter is the Green parliamentary candidate for Sefton Central and last year became Sefton Greens first Councillor when elected to Aintree Village Parish Council and Vice-Chair of the Parish Council.

Mike is a self-employed printer and graphic designer. His family have been working on Merseyside in the printing industry for over 160 years.

With the local Green Party he has campaigned all year round against fracking, air pollution and the health impact from the Port of Liverpool Access Route.

He wants to see a fair and resilient local economy that puts people and local jobs first; better quality, affordable, secure housing that meets local demand; our NHS, our schools, our railways, and other public services in public hands; affordable energy and radical action to tackle climate change.

Mike is a trustee of Rimrose Valley Friends and compost czar of local community allotment group Sefton Green Gym.

Bill Esterson - Labour Party

It is a privilege to have served as Member of Parliament for Sefton Central for seven years. I live here with my family, my wife runs a business here, and our children go to school locally. I am proud to call this area home. Our communities of Formby, Hightown, Crosby, Thornton, Ince Blundell, Maghull, Lydiate, Melling and Aintree are great places to live and work. I have been proud to work with our fantastic residents' groups, councillors and parish councils on the issues that matter to us.

I want to keep standing up for my community of Sefton Central, locally and in Parliament. I have a record of success for this community, and there’s still so much to fight for.

The Conservatives say they may put up VAT. They say they may cut pensions. They have already tried to hike national insurance for the self employed. They are still trying to sell our NHS to the highest bidder. Here in Sefton, Conservative cuts to schools will take £518 from every school child, and cost us 477 teachers. If the Conservatives keep cutting social care for our elderly and vulnerable, Merseyside NHS faces a £900m budget black hole. A few days ago I stood up in Westminster, and I asked the Conservative Leader of the House of Commons a simple question: “What have the people of Sefton Central done to deserve such appalling treatment?”

Sefton Central has a choice on June 8th. The Conservatives want a race to the bottom fuelled by low pay, higher taxes for working people, and cuts to pensions, social care and our NHS. I want to champion our values - Labour values: protection for our elderly and our health services. Investment in housing, transport and businesses to build a high-wage economy. And investment in schools and skills, to secure the future of the next generation.

Daniel Lewis - Liberal Democrats

Councillor Daniel Lewis was born and raised in Sefton. He has set out four key priorities for this election:

Stopping a Hard Brexit – Sefton voted to remain and our views are being ignored. Daniel will give the people the final say on the Brexit deal, guarantee all EU citizens the right to remain here and campaign for us to remain in the single market. Save our Greenbelt – Daniel voted against the recent local plan which saw the Labor-run council released acres of land for greenbelt development. Daniel has attacked the council for focusing on large and expensive homes on the greenbelt rather than affordable homes for young people.

Protect our NHS - Daniel is opposing the plans to downgrade Southport & Formby A&E into an elderly and frail unit. He is firmly committed to the continuation of an NHS free at the point of use and is particularly passionate about making sure mental health is given parity of esteem.

Fund our schools – Daniel has spoke out against Conservative plans to cut almost £8m from the school budget across Sefton. The plan places at risk hundreds of teachers, assistants and support staff.

Jade Marsden - Conservative

Jade Marsden, Conservative Candidate for Sefton Central, is a thirty year old housewife with three children who lives in Liverpool. Her husband is a company director of a local family business, specialising in funding the development of cancer treatments and life-science projects.

Jade says "As the wife of a business owner, I have an insight into the challenges facing small and medium businesses in our region. As a mother I value the importance of ensuring the best education and services for our children."

After leaving full-time education, Jade completed in an Advanced Modern Apprenticeship in the North West Training Council obtaining an HND, whilst employed by a high-voltage engineering company. This provided Jade with first-hand experience of the challenges and opportunities of working in what can often be perceived as a male-dominated profession. Jade's father is a civil servant and her mother has worked as a nurse in the NHS for forty-five years. This background has enabled Jade to be aware of the impact of change and challenges in our public services.

Jade is the Deputy chairman of Merseyside Conservatives and stood as a candidate in 2015 General Election in the Bootle constituency.

Simon Jamieson Sefton Central Constituency Chairman said, ‘We are really pleased to have selected Jade as our candidate, she is a intelligent down to earth young woman full of enthusiasm to work for the good of all residents of Sefton Central’.