The Labour Party have announced that local Kimberworth resident and long time community volunteer Carole Foster will be their candidate in the forthcoming Keppel ward by-election.

Carole has been volunteering in the community for the last thirty years, and is well known as the founder of the Rotherham BMX group, based at Winterhill. The BMX track and facilities were made possible through Carole’s fundraising and project management. She has spent many years working with children and young people, including working for Rotherham United Community Sports Trust.

During Covid she was both a Rotherham Hero volunteer with the council and also part of the NHS’s volunteering scheme. She has previously been part of volunteer activities with students at Wingfield and Winterhill schools, a Chair of a Parent Teacher Association and held many other roles.

The by-election, which will take place on Thursday January 26th, was called after the former RDP (and former UKIP) councillor Paul Hague stood down. Mr Hague had attended just four formal meetings of the council since his re-election in May 2021.

If elected, Carole would be part of Labour team in Keppel ward alongside current councillors Maggi Clark and Tony Browne.

Carole says;

“I love living in Rotherham and have enjoyed working in the borough for most of my working life.  I’ve always tried to do my bit to help out in the community, so the opportunity to represent it would be a great honour to me.

We have some wonderful people living in the area, a great community spirit and dedicated local organisations that are helping to get people through difficult times and make a real difference. I felt I couldn’t just stand by any longer.  Over the last decade, seeing the cuts to public services and more recently the recent bus cuts forced on us, and now the cost of living crisis.  I felt I had to do something.

The Conservatives have been making the wrong choices for communities like ours and people are suffering as a result. I am aware that being a councillor involves making tough choices to improve the community but I feel that my skills and knowledge will enable me to work alongside Councillor Maggie Clark & Councillor Tony Browne to make those tough decisions and draw down additional external funds to make our community a better place to live.”