Oakham and Rutland Local News

Oakham and Rutland Local News
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Thursday, July 04, 2024

General Election Polling Stations Opened at 7am. They will close at 10pm. don't forget to take along your photo ID.

General Election Polling Stations Opened at 7am. They will close at 10pm. don't forget to take along your photo ID.


I was the first to cast my vote at the Oakham South Polling Station within Rutland County Library just after 7am.


Please remember to vote.

Here in Rutland and Stamford we are voting for a MP who will represent a new constituency that covers Rutland and parts of two other counties, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire.

There are 6 candidates standing in Rutland and Stamford.



If you unsure where your polling station is located, please visit the electoral commission website
and enter your post code.





The six candidates for Rutland and Stamford are.


Emma Louise Baker is a Green Party candidate in Rutland and Stamford constituency in the UK Parliamentary general election.

Through my role as vice-chairman of the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee at South Kesteven District Council I have advocated and overseen changes in our policy for a more environmentally aware district as well as making decisions to implement a variety cost, energy, and wildlife saving initiatives. I have worked collaboratively with members (across parties), with officers, experts, and members of the public to make this happen and have learnt that collaboration is key to finding the right course of action and making it happen. I believe there is a different way to do politics and as a Green Party candidate I am committed to representing the voices of Stamford and Rutland residents in a way other parties can not. With your support we can help build a greener fairer more collaborative community and country.



Joanna Burrows is a Rejoin EU candidate in Rutland and Stamford constituency in the UK Parliamentary general election.

We need our EU rights and freedom of movement back. Brexit is excluding us from the continental European job market, crippling businesses and the economy, imposing new charges and costs and causing holiday & travel chaos. It’s also leading to problems for UK citizens abroad and EU citizens in Britain and damaging the UK’s international reputation and political influence. Rejoining the EU is the only answer.




Chris Clowes is a Reform UK candidate in Rutland and Stamford constituency in the UK Parliamentary general election.

I’m fighting to keep our way of life in Rutland and Stamford, and the neighbouring areas I represent.

After fourteen years of Conservative government, everything I love about the place that raised me seems under threat.

Growing up outside of Billesdon gave me the chance to enjoy our beautiful scenery and untarnished towns. There’s something special about this area - whether it’s our sporting champions; our rich medieval and Georgian history; or our local traditions. I can’t remember an Easter Monday I haven’t spent at the Medbourne-Hallaton bottlekicking, and my times at local point to points are some of my favourite memories.

By volunteering I have helped the elderly and disabled, which has taught me the value of community; something that continues to be eroded by sweeping changes across this country. Beleaguered NHS waiting lists; millions out of work; small businesses struggling - our towns and villages become service and pub deserts, which erodes at community.

Whilst I worked in Brussels advocating for rural interests across Europe, I learned just how few voices there are making the case for common sense countryside policy. I had hoped that Brexit would help us break free from continental-style climate targets and metropolitan sensibilities. Back home, however, I’ve had to watch our fields plastered over to make way for expensive, destructive projects such as Mallard Pass Solar Farm.

A motorsport engineer by education, I am appalled to see Labour councils up and down this country enact ULEZ regulations and speed restrictions while elected Conservatives stand by idly. These are unscientific and if you have a basic understanding of how an engine works you will know that you use more fuel at lower gears with higher revs. Travel restrictions like these are a tax on working people and a grab at our freedom - I am determined to stop their creep into Stamford and Rutland.

Small businesses are the lifeblood of Rutland, and I plan to push for legislation that would remove tax from small businesses and properly tax large businesses. It is unfair for small shops to shut on the high street due to tax when they already have enough overheads to pay for. There must be responsibility for closures on the high street, and increased taxes are forcing higher running costs with expensive energy and water bills is squeezing the high street.

We have a huge amount to protect within our constituency. With a rich history spanning from the beautiful Normanton Church on Rutland Water, which was saved by protests from people locally (something maybe for the current government to listen to about Mallard Pass Solar Farm!) to the location of Isaac Newton’s apple tree.

There is an increasing frustration with Tory policies that actively denigrate the countryside, and despite being voted in by the rural communities, have an inability to act in those community’s defence - instead appealing to metropolitan voters who do not support them

The demonisation of farmers by our politicians must stop, and we can see across Europe the support that farmers have, and under Labour this will continue until the country consists of just soulless mega-farms.

Mallard Pass Solar Farm is something that the conservatives have not managed to stop and will destroy a huge swathe of our beautiful counties and it is absurd that it was allowed to go through in the first place.




Alicia Kearns is a Conservative and Unionist Party candidate in Rutland and Stamford constituency in the UK Parliamentary general election.

During my four and a half years as the MP for Rutland and Melton, I was proud to have stood up for our wonderful area, supported thousands of constituents, and secured some important local wins. From standing up to ensure our dairy farmers were supported throughout the pandemic, to securing £23m in Government funding as part of our successful Levelling Up Bid, I’ve raised Rutland and Melton at the highest levels of Government and beyond. You can watch my maiden speech in Parliament here.

I grew up in a tiny village in Cambridgeshire, and I understand the needs of rural communities and know how often they are forgotten and don’t receive their fair share of central Government funding. My priorities are to protect our rural way of life, to secure the new GP services we need, to level up and end rural disadvantage, to improve our roads and transport links, stand up for our farmers and to keep us safe by tackling rural crime. 

Prior to being elected in 2019, I worked in counter-terrorism at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and then as an independent consultant across the Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans. During my time in Parliament I had the honour of being elected as Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. I also launched the All Party Parliamentary Group on Geographically Protected Foods, for Bosnia and Herzegovina and for UK overseas territory Turks and Caicos.

At the General Election on 4th July, Rutland, Stamford and the Stamford and Harborough Villages are moving to a new Parliamentary constituency.

I am standing as your Conservative Parliamentary Candidate, hoping to be elected to serve our wonderful communities as the Member of Parliament for our new constituency of Rutland and Stamford. 

During the election I will as ever be out on the doors listening to residents on what matters most to us all, and working hard to win your confidence and the honour of being elected as your MP for Rutland and Stamford.




James Moore is a Liberal Democrats candidate in Rutland and Stamford constituency in the UK Parliamentary general election.

Meet James Moore the Liberal Democrat candidate for Rutland and Stamford Local man Dr James Moore has been selected as the Liberal Democrats’ parliamentary candidate for Rutland and Stamford.

Speaking at a weekend party meeting at Stamford, Dr Moore said:

“After the stunning Liberal Democrat successes in last year’s local council elections, the Liberal Democrats are now in a great position to win the parliamentary seat this time.”

“It is time for change locally and nationally. We need to rebuild confidence in Britain’s economy and tackle the cost-of-living crisis. We need to address the problems in our neglected public services, improve access to local NHS GPs and dentists, and restore local community policing.”

“I’ll be an MP that fights for our area and our rural communities. I’ll speak out against the government’s financial squeeze on our local councils which pushes up our council tax every year. I’ll fight to tackle the problems of flooding and river pollution that affect our local villages. And I’ll be a strong voice for the armed forces communities in our area. After years of government cuts, it is time we gave our full support to the people who defend our freedom.”

Dr Moore is a Lecturer in the School of History, Politics and International Relations at the University of Leicester. Educated at Christ Church, Oxford and the University of Manchester, James has written extensively on British politics, including books on the development of British democracy and modern anti-corruption legislation. He worked in the Middle East for three years, publishing several works on political developments in Egypt, and he is currently editing a book on the problems of state-building in modern Iraq. Brought up in Leicestershire, James has lived in Leicestershire and Rutland for most of his life and is currently in his second term as a district councillor. Outside of public life, James is a close follower of National Hunt racing and plays football and cricket for his local village club in Barrowden, Rutland.

“Liberal Democrats now lead two of the three district-level councils in our constituency and are joint leaders of the third. With the collapse in Conservative support, we are many people’s favourites to take the parliamentary seat this time. We pledge to work hard for everyone in our area and give our rural communities a real voice in Westminster. The Conservatives have taken our area for granted for too long,” concluded Dr Moore.



Joe Wood is a Labour Party candidate in Rutland and Stamford constituency in the UK Parliamentary general election.

After 14 years of falling living standards and crumbling public services, Rutland and Stamford needs change.

Labour are running a full campaign in Rutland and Stamford and fighting for every vote.

Current polling puts Labour in second place here so we hope you will consider lending your vote tactically to secure a change of MP for our area.

I grew up in Rural south Wales where my grandfather was a farmer. I worked in agriculture and tourism before working internationally in wildlife conservation and then being a freelance sustainability consultant for 12 years. I currently live in Leicestershire with my wife and son and am a trustee for a multi site specialist academy for children with autism.

My priorities are the cost of living crisis, public services especially health, education and transport and the environment.




some general election posters 
Oakham South