Herefordshire councillor to stand as MP

A Herefordshire county councillor is standing to be MP in a constituency more than 50 miles away.

Kings Acre ward councillor Stuart Anderson has been selected as the Conservative Party parliamentary candidate for Wolverhampton South West.

The 42-year-old, who was elected to Herefordshire Council after a by-election in 2017, has set his sights on the marginal seat West Midlands seat where Labour currently has a majority of 2,185.

He says he is standing in Wolverhampton because he has personal links to the city.

“I have friends in Wolverhampton and business contacts there I have made through working across the West Midlands,” he said.

However, despite actively campaigning in the Black Country, he has not ruled out standing for his current ward in the upcoming council elections in May.

The British Army veteran, who served on peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s, was absent from the council’s budget setting meeting last week.

After leaving the armed forces, coun Anderson transferred his skills to the private security industry.

He travelled extensively while conducting a variety of roles from briefing high-ranking officials, to providing diplomatic protection to a foreign prime minister.

His tech firm eTravelSafety is based in Lower Bullingham and recently benefitted from £500,000-worth of investment.

Venture capital firm Midven invested in the company through the Midlands Engine Investment Fund.

And they say the equity investment will allow the firm to accelerate product development, broaden the sales team and increase their marketing reach.

As a county councillor, Anderson has missed five of the 13 meetings he was scheduled to attend since being elected, according to official records.

He is also deputy chair of the Herefordshire and South Herefordshire Conservative Association according to the council’s register of interests.

And owns 15% capital share of eTravelSafety, of which he is the chief executive officer.

According to his councillor biography, he has worked many years within the local community and with different charities from fundraising for under privileged children, to serving at homeless shelters.

He says he loves Herefordshire and wants to be able to use his skills and experience to have a positive impact in the county.