PPC Profile: Sue Woodward

Full Name: Susan Elizabeth Woodward

Age: 57

From: Chase Terrace in south Staffordshire, on the edge of Cannock Chase AONB.

PPC for: Cannock Chase

Website: www.sue4chase.co.uk

Selection result: I won on the first ballot with twice as many votes as my nearest rival.

CV:

I was born and bred in Staffordshire, the first in my family ever to go to university and one of very few from our council estate. After graduating in English from Leicester University, and with a Post-Graduate Certificate of Education at Birmingham University, I taught in an 11-18 comprehensive in a deprived area in Sandwell. I became a 6th Form tutor and am proud that lots of my students went on to university, against expectations.

After having children, I ran my own small retail business until returning to full-time work as an Organiser for the Labour Party in the west midlands. This wasn’t an attempt to escape from teaching, which I loved, but it was an opportunity I couldn’t refuse!

I was a PPC in 1997 in Lichfield – and came very close to winning a safe Tory seat! I have worked as Political Assistant to the Cannock Chase MP, Tony Wright, since he was elected – and he persuaded me to put my name forward for selection as he retires at the general election.

Until last year, I was lead member for social care at Staffs County Council and LGA Labour lead for community well-being. I am proud to say that the service moved from barely adequate to excellent during my time at the helm.

I was inspired to go into politics because:

Since I was a child, I have always hated unfairness of any kind. My grammar school gave me an education closed to 90% of my peer group. It was unfair that many of my friends were not allowed this privilege, but rather were branded second-class at the age of 11.

I became a member of the Young Socialists at university and enjoyed both the debate and the nitty-gritty of politics with the local Labour Party: canvassing and knocking up (as we called it then) and taking numbers on polling stations, etc.

After university, I tried for several months to join the Labour Party but it wasn’t easy to find in the late ’70s. As it turned out, my MP then was John Stonehouse, who disappeared to a beach in Australia. With all the media focus that had been on the party, I happened to spot his agent in my street, grabbed his arm, said I wanted to join and he got me started.

Three things I think should be in the next Labour manifesto are:

I’m only allowed 3? But there’s so much I want to do!

I want to build on the progress made in social care for older and disabled people, especially those with learning disabilities, who are just about the most disadvantaged and vulnerable group in our society. It is a huge challenge for us all to meet the needs of growing numbers of people needing some kind of care support with services of sufficient quality and flexibility. The proposed National Care Service is a huge step forward, but will need to be properly resourced and allow for local flexibility to meet particular challenges (rural v urban for example) and maximise local opportunities. Carers are absolutely central too. They need to be supported with far more than the current allowances and lip service.

Reduce the voting age to 16; I have never ceased to be impressed by the wisdom and willingness to make a difference of many, many young adults. They will be bearing a lot of the taxation costs of the growing numbers of older people (see above) and should be allowed the corresponding right to vote on representation.

And I would like to make it compulsory for people to stop over in Staffordshire to see how much we have to offer, rather than zooming through, northbound or southbound, to what they might think more interesting places, but aren’t. I can’t quite see this happening, but…

My main policy interests are:

Health and Social Care, for the reasons above.

Family issues, because as a parent and now a grandparent myself, I think my experience can make a difference. I’ve been through divorce, single-parenthood, unemployment in my family, caring for elderly parents, remarriage and many of the other difficulties that families face. In terms of policy, I apply a mental test: is this good enough for my family? If not, it’s not good enough for anyone else’s family either.

Education: Once a teacher, always a teacher – and I’ve also been a school governor for about 25 years, now at a Technology College in Cannock Chase. The Building Schools for the Future programme will bring great opportunities to the Chase, but I don’t underestimate the challenges ahead either.

I think people should vote for me because:

It sounds a bit too worthy to say that I want to serve, but that’s what it comes down to. I am ambitious for Cannock Chase, my own area, not for myself. Being a Member of Parliament has never been the be-all and end-all for me and I wouldn’t want to represent an area that I didn’t deeply care about. I want to put all my experience to good use on behalf of local people.

I also want to get back to a more decent and honest politics, rather than personal mud-slinging, which turns the public off and obscures real debate around crucial issues. Justice, fairness and compassion should be part of political intercourse as well as policy.

My fight for fairness that started when I was a child goes on and I can’t put it any better than wanting to see “power, wealth and opportunity in the hands of the many, not the few”.