Student Successes
The Review Online
Candidate for County Councillor
8th June 2007
David Hurds, a second-year student at College, stood in the recent local Council elections, offering himself for election as a County Councillor on the Hereford Council. He kindly shared some thoughts about the experience with The Review.
I stood as a candidate in the County Council elections on May 3rd this year, in the North Leominster ward. This ward had two seats up for grabs, and I stood for the Liberal Democrats. When declarations had been completed I found that I was up against a Labour candidate, a Green candidate, an Independent candidate and two Conservatives.
In order to stand I first had to gain 10 signatures from people who lived in the ward, which required me to go around and knock on doors seeking people to endorse my candidature. Needless to say I got my 10 signatures (albeit on the deadline day of Wednesday 18th April!) and, with all the paper work done, I had until May 3rd to focus on campaigning.
For this I needed to decide what details about myself potential voters might wish to know, and also to determine clearly what I stood for and what I would like to achieve for the area. Luckily, as a Lib Dem candidate, I had help from the Hereford Liberal Democrat Office in designing and printing over 2000 copies of my campaign leaflet in which these points were distilled.
With my bag of leaflets I travelled round my whole ward, posting leaflets through all 2000-plus doors, spread from Baron’s Cross all the way to the Leominster Sports Hall. This was no small task but, with help from other students (Melanie and Foz), I did get around the whole area, past many gates, and dogs, as well as residents who wanted to talk.
Then it was a matter of waiting for May 3rd.
On Polling Day I visited each of the three polling stations in Leominster until they closed at 10pm, welcoming more help – this time from Foz and Ed - to greet potential voters. Then came the count.
The count went on late into the night and, at 5am, my ward was finally announced. Unfortunately I came fourth with 216, but beating both the Labour and Independent candidates. The two seats for the ward were both taken by the Conservatives (the Conservatives gained many seats that night), and my run in that election ended.
For now I am off to University to study Law next year, but I will still be involved in the party as I have been for the past year and if another opportunity comes up I may well stand again.