Northumberland County: Hirst ward

In their own words

No statement to voters supplied to Democracy Club.

In their own words

I’m Calvin Clark, and I’m standing as a candidate for Hirst Division because I want to see strong, reliable and accountable representation for our community.

If elected, my priorities would be:

* Keep our Park Run — supporting this valuable community activity and helping ensure it can continue. * Clean and safe streets — tackling litter, fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour and pressing the council to keep our streets maintained. * Care in the community — supporting vulnerable residents and making sure people in Hirst can access the help they need. * Better neighbourhoods — championing parks, play areas and community spaces and working for improvements where residents identify problems. * Help local businesses — supporting our high streets and local businesses and recognising the contribution they make to Hirst. * Always listen — making myself available to residents and taking their concerns seriously. * Speak up for residents — challenging decisions at County Council when they don’t work for Hirst. * Be visible and proactive — getting out into the community, listening to people directly and following issues through. * Reliable and accountable representation — keeping residents informed about what I am doing on their behalf and being answerable for my work at the council.

For me, local politics should be about the practical issues that affect people every day: our streets, parks, neighbourhoods, businesses and the services people rely on. I want to make sure Hirst has representation that is present, engaged and focused on the community.

Statement to voters supplied by the candidate to Democracy Club, retrieved 2026-09-19. Reproduced unedited.

In their own words

I am absolutely delighted to formally announce that I am standing as your Reform UK candidate for the upcoming Northumberland County Council by-election in the Hirst Ward.

The Hirst isn’t just an election boundary to me. I was born right there on George Street. I am a proud miner’s daughter, my dad worked at Woodhorn and Ellington pits, and our family lived through the strike. In fact, I was born in the Hirst, my surname should be Hirst!

We have spent the last 15 months working hard on the ground to bring active, visible representation back to our community.

We made history in May 2025 by breaking the traditional Labour monopoly on Ashington Town Council for the first time. As your Central Ward Town Councillor, I have spent the last year working on the frontline for our town across our key decision-making bodies. I sit actively on our Finance and General Services Committee, the Personnel Committee, and the Partnership Board. I am also a representative on the CCTV Group, the Youth Coordination Group, the Allotment Liaison Group, the Ashington Town Forum, and the NALC County Committee. I haven’t just talked about change; We have been delivering it.

Now, I am ready to take that exact same work ethic to County Hall to fight for the Hirst. For too long, our ward has suffered from a complete lack of engagement from its previous representative, who failed to attend a single council meeting for six consecutive months.

While the media and Labour try to play political blame games, the facts are simple: the moment he failed to perform his duties, he was booted out of Reform UK for good reason. We don’t protect inactivity; we demand results.

Our community faces real, urgent infrastructure pressures. I am fully focused on ensuring that the ongoing Hirst Master Plan and regional regeneration programmes deliver actual, tangible results for our neighbourhood rather than just promises on paper.

A staggering 83% of all licensed Houses in Multiple Occupation in Northumberland are crammed strictly into Ashington and Blyth, saturating the Hirst and Central wards. Our local youngsters and disabled residents are being completely ignored on housing waiting lists, and we must secure the necessary funding and support to look after our own local people.

At the same time, our vital public services are collapsing. Local residents cannot get an NHS dentist appointment or even a routine appointment with a GP, while our frontline infrastructure is left to deteriorate. I am standing to deliver results from these ongoing schemes and enforce a common-sense policy of local houses for local people, alongside real investment in our healthcare and public spaces.

This campaign isn’t starting on election day—we are already out there doing the work. Over the next month, our campaign teams will be thick on the ground across every single street in the Hirst. The turquoise wave is coming in again, and we are ready to fight for you.

But having your support on the doorsteps and on social media is only the first step. To deliver real, lasting change, we need every single resident to turn that support into action. We need you to actually get out and make your voice heard at the ballot box when polling day arrives on Thursday, 1st October 2026.

Statement to voters supplied by the candidate to Democracy Club, retrieved 2026-09-19. Reproduced unedited.

In their own words

No statement to voters supplied to Democracy Club.

In their own words

No statement to voters supplied to Democracy Club.

In their own words

No statement to voters supplied to Democracy Club.