The Conservative Party has announced its candidates for the Essex County Council seats across Maldon and the Dengie in the local elections on Thursday, 6 May.

They are as follows:

-Ron Pratt: Southminster seat on Essex County Council

-Mark Durham: Heybridge and Tollesbury seat on Essex County Council

Ron Pratt:

Ron has been re-selected to contest the Division, which he has represented at County Hall since May 2017. Ron has been a Burnham Town councillor for 13 years and is Town Mayor for the second time. He was a Maldon district councillor for 10 years until 2019. He was a former Chairman of the South Eastern Planning Committee and Chairman of Community Services. He is Chairman of school governors at the local primary school and a trustee of an Alms house trust and a local charity.

Ron said: "Four generations of my family live on the Dengie - aged seven to ninety-three. I believe this puts me in a unique position to understand and represent residents of all ages. Being a councillor is a full-time commitment and I have worked hard for local people and ensuring the decisions I make have a real benefit for residents including education, roads and waste recycling."

Jane has lived and worked in the Maldon division for 25 years. She is also a district Councillor for the Purleigh ward on Maldon District Council where she has undertaken a number of roles including chairing the Covid Reset and Recovery Working Group.

Jane says: "Local councillors should provide a strong bridge between the community and the council, meeting with local people, listening to their concerns and then working with others to provide solutions. The experience I have gained at the district council and in business stands me in good stead to take the voice of Maldon to County Hall."

Mark Durham:

Mark Durham has lived in and around Woodham Walter almost all of his life and worked in his family business there for 25 years. With a background of hotels, leisure, hospitality, catering and event management Mark has wide experience of dealing with people from all walks of life.

Mark started his council career in 1993, serving 24 years as a parish councillor and was then elected to Maldon District Council in 2011. Having served as committee chairman, Deputy Leader and then Leader he was a key member delivering the waste collection contract, leisure contract and Local Development Plan. Maldon was the first district in Essex to achieve the milestone of having an adopted LDP in 2017 while he was Leader of the Council.

Mark was elected to Essex County Council in 2017 for the Division of Heybridge and Tollesbury and held the position of Deputy Cabinet member for Culture, Communities and Customers for two years, following which he is now the Deputy Cabinet Member for Economic Development which includes housing and planning. He is also the Chairman of Visit Essex, a Trustee of Firstsite Gallery in Colchester and a Governor of EPUT (Essex Partnership University NHS Trust).

-To help provide adequate infrastructure across the county