Tim Young
In December 2013, Councillor Tim Young, Labour leader on Colchester Borough Council, was selected as Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate for the Clacton constituency in the May 2015 General Election.[1]
In September 2014, Tim Young was confirmed as Labour's candidate at the Clacton by-election caused by the resignation on 28 August 2014 of MP Douglas Carswell who defected from the Conservative Party to stand as the UK Independence Party's candidate in the election scheduled for 9 October 2014.[2]
Background
Tim Young was born and brought up in Clacton, where he attended St Clare's Primary School and Clacton County High School. He is currently leader of the Labour group on Colchester Borough Council and is portfolio holder for planning, community safety and culture.
The Clacton constituency in Essex comprises the towns of Clacton, Frinton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze, as well as surrounding villages, and has an electorate of 67,447 (December 2010).
Campaign begins
Upon being confirmed as Labour's by-election candidate, Tim Young told the Ipswich Star:
- "Clacton has been left behind by this Tory-led Government. Prime Minister David Cameron boasts of an economic recovery in London but people locally are suffering a real cost-of-living crisis. Local unemployment remains high, rail fares and fuel prices are rising and local NHS services are under threat.
- "As every day goes by it becomes clearer and clearer that Mr Cameron can’t even lead his own party, let alone give Clacton or the country the leadership it needs. This nasty little squabble between UKIP and the Tories won’t help anyone in Clacton pay their electricity bill or find a job.
- "The Tories and UKIP have the same politics, the same obsessions and even the same people. They aren’t interested in the real issues that local people are facing. The only way to send a message that Clacton needs positive change is to vote Labour."[3]
Social media
On Twitter, Tim Young (@Tim4Clacton) reported:
- Delighted to have been endorsed as Labour's by-election candidate for Clacton. We'll be campaigning on the issues that really matter.[4]
On Facebook, Tim Young is pictured in September 2014 with his team in Jaywick on the Clacton campaign trail with Richard Howitt MEP, Euro candidate Alex Mayer and Chris Bryant MP.[5]
