Meet the Candidates: Himley & Swindon By-Election

Voters in Himley & Swindon will head to the polls on Thursday 16th July to elect a new South Staffordshire District Councillor following the death of former council leader Roger Lees. Ahead of polling day, The Staffordshire Signal invited every candidate to introduce themselves, outline the issues that matter most and explain why they are standing.

Residents across the Himley & Swindon division will cast their votes on Thursday 16th July in a by-election to elect a new representative on South Staffordshire District Council.

The vacancy follows the death of Cllr Roger Lees, who served the division for many years and was formerly Leader of South Staffordshire District Council from 2021 to 2024.

The election comes on the same day as a Stafford Borough Council by-election in Stafford's Manor division, which has been called following the death of Cllr Angela Loughran. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we have not been able to cover that contest in detail.

For Himley & Swindon, seven candidates are standing for election. We contacted every candidate with the opportunity to introduce themselves to readers, explain what matters most to them locally and outline what they would seek to achieve if elected.

Three candidates responded before our publication deadline. Their responses are published below.

Sean Massey (Conservative)

"My name is Sean Massey, and I am the Conservative candidate for the Himley and Swindon by-election.

I am 57 years old, was born in Swindon, and have lived in Swindon all my life, having been christened in St John's Church and attended St John's School. I have brought up my family here and I work in Swindon too.

I have been a parish councillor for ten years and was elected as Chairman of the Parish Council in 2020.

I am standing for election as District Councillor because I know that I can make a difference, improving the lives of people in Swindon, Himley, Gospel End, Baggeridge, Hinksford and Smestow.

In Swindon, over the years, I have already made improvements – adding fresh flower planters in the village, placing benches around the village, installing speed indicator devices to monitor speeding on the roads and a new flagpole outside the community centre. I have sourced funding for solar panelling for the community centre, which enables the centre to pay for itself, thus keeping council tax low. All this was done as a volunteer, in my spare time.

I'd love to broaden my reach now by representing the other parts of the ward.

The three biggest issues that I'm hearing about on the doorstep are:

The building of 115 houses on the Green Belt in Himley, which I'm fighting with the help of our MP, Mike Wood, and the District Council.

Speeding on our roads – we have around 40,000 cars travelling through Swindon every month. So I've installed speed indicator devices around the village, I'm reintroducing Community Speed Watch sessions and I'm arranging for CCTV to be reintroduced so as to keep the village safe.

Anti-social behaviour – Baggeridge village and Himley have been targeted by groups which are a nuisance for local people. I will be working with the police and the District Council to find ways to stop this.

I love helping the community – my community – and really hope to be elected on Thursday, so that I can do even more for the residents of the beautiful ward of Himley and Swindon."

Bhanu Dhir (Green Party)

"I am Bhanu Dhir and I have lived in South Staffordshire for over 33 years after marrying a local lass in 1990. I am now retired after a 47-year career spanning the private, public and voluntary sectors, in paid and unpaid roles. I ran small businesses and learned first hand how the odds are stacked against their success. I worked within education, IT and different consultancies which gave me an insight into the UK economy and how sustainable growth can be achieved.

I have become disillusioned by the way our politics works: it seems that the few control things and make the rules whilst the rest of us are pushed to one side. I decided to stand in the Himley & Swindon by-election because I think we deserve better representation focused on what local people need.

I think the biggest issues facing local residents are a lack of a local voice and the dominance of corporations in our daily lives.

People are unhappy that their needs are being overlooked and I want to represent them by challenging current practices that exclude local small businesses, local jobs for young people and favour an approach that benefits central government and large, often foreign-owned businesses. I would like to challenge procurement rules and encourage local small businesses to get involved and prosper. As they grow I would like to incentivise them to employ local young people and provide the on-the-job and social skills they need to thrive. I have done something similar before when I was President of a local Chamber of Commerce.

As a Green candidate I oppose the meaningless destruction of our countryside and the corruption of our local ethos and I will ensure there is more visibility to any cost benefit analysis for any future plans so that the impact on local people is fully understood and accounted for.

We have had enough of being ignored and I look forward to being held accountable for the wellbeing of local residents."

Denis Beaumont (Labour & Co-operative)

"Himley and Swindon are two important population centres in South Staffordshire which has suffered particular damage from the neglect of fourteen years of Conservative government. To this is now added the chaos of a Reform County Council which has concentrated on a nationalist agenda which divides people and stirs up hatred, whilst ignoring the issues for which it is actually responsible.

Government grants for pothole repairs have been misspent, while a £40 million schools deficit has mounted, and funds dissipated on council chamber bouncers. The Green Belt has been attacked, the Botterham civic tip has closed intermittently while Reform councillors, mired in their 1950s world view, stood by.

These are all issues of local government close to the needs of local people.

What has Reform done this summer? It has suspended or replaced its leadership, fussed about flags, raided libraries for subversive books and amid all this chaos issued a turgid document calling for discriminatory practices against women and for the wearing of suits and ties.

The time has come for serious representation in our district – representation which restores community spirit and cooperation, which puts the needs of local people above that of narrow sectionalism.

Our Labour Co-op candidate will urge the restoration of our village high streets, the protection of our green spaces, schools and libraries.

Denis Beaumont, who actually lives in the area and who taught at Swindon St John's for 16 years, stands for broad-based community engagement and an end to narrow factionalism."

The full list of candidates standing in the Himley & Swindon by-election is below:

Its worth emphasising that The Staffordshire Signal contacted all seven candidates with the same opportunity to contribute. Responses were received from Denis Beaumont, Bhanu Dhir and Sean Massey before the publication deadline. No responses were received from the remaining candidates in time for publication.

Polling stations will be open between 7am and 10pm on Thursday 16th July, with the result expected to be declared shortly after the count concludes.