Longstanding councillor to step down

A Longstanding county councillor, who fought for Hereford’s youngsters to have a skatepark, will be stepping down at the end of this council.

Councillor Marcelle Lloyd-Hayes will not be contesting her seats on Herefordshire Council and Hereford City Council in the upcoming local elections in May.

The Aylestone Hill ward councillor says she is making way for new councillors to assume the mantle after 24 years representing city residents.

Marcelle, who moved to Hereford in 1982, was a Liberal Democrat councillor before leaving the party and becoming one of the founder members of independent local group It’s Our City which went on to become It’s Our County.

She says councillors have both the power and the duty to help change the county for the better.

And among her proudest achievements are the establishment of a skatepark on Holmer Road and the Greenway bridge which links the city centre with Rotherwas.

“After 15 years the skatepark is still going, and it is used so much by the community,” she said.

“Before the skatepark, there were problems with the police with kids skateboarding at Maylord Orchards car park and there was nowhere for young people to gather.”

She said after discussions with local stakeholders and setting up Wheeled Sports 4 Hereford they secured a skatepark.

“The police were one of the first to offer funding for it,” she said.

Looking to the future, Marcelle says she will be spending more time with family and friends.

She says she will miss representing local residents and championing community projects but hopes her replacement will also put their constituents’ views and wishes at the forefront of what they do.

“When you spend so many years of your life doing something you are bound to miss it,” she said.

“I think it’s time to let other people have a chance to make a difference.

“It would be good to see new councillors challenging the status quo and really championing their communities.

“The best councillors are those that put their residents above everything else.

“There are some very good councillors in all the different groups but there are some that only turn up for the minimum number of meetings or put their party’s wishes ahead of their residents.”