Conservative campaigners Siôn Davies and Tom Mytton have been selected to compete for the new South Balham ward in next year's Wandsworth Council elections.

The pair will be focussing on the environment, protecting green spaces and ensuring that Wandsworth keeps its low council tax.

In May 2022 the first-ever election for the South Balham ward will take place. The new ward will cover parts of Balham, Tooting Bec and Bedford Hill and will replace the previous Bedford ward, whose current councillors are Hannah Stanislaus, Clare Fraser and Hector Denfield, from the Labour party.

Following their selection, the pair, who both live locally, spoke of their pride in being selected and discussed what some of their aims are.

Tom, who ran last year for the Bedford ward, said: "I have always said this, I'm not doing this just to have 'Councillor' in front of my name, I am doing this to make sure that local residents have their views heard.

"I have a proven track record of doing this; I have represented patients with long-term chronic conditions for the past 7 years, and will apply the same passion and commitment as a councillor as I have as a patient representative.

"Both from my own professional career and having been out and spoken to many of our local business owners, I understand the needs and challenges that businesses have and I will fight to ensure that they receive the necessary council support as lockdown regulations ease."

Tom also sits on the Board of Trustees for the Wandsworth Care Alliance, a local health and care charity.

Siôn, a former actor who used to appear as a regular on 'Are You Smarter Than A 10-Year-Old?', says that if he's elected he will continue to promote a greener South Balham.

He said: "With Covid-19 and more of us working from home, we need to make absolutely sure that we protect green spaces like the Tooting Commons, deliver more electric vehicle chargers and invest in more bicycle parking facilities locally. This is particularly important now, when families need fresh air and space to exercise more than ever.

"Wandsworth is a special place. And communities like ours in South Balham and Tooting Bec are at the heart of what makes the borough such a great place to live, work and raise a family.

"As we begin our road to recovery, we must be ambitious to ensure our communities can prosper again. Only the Conservatives can be trusted to retain Wandsworth's famously low council tax, whilst at the same time ensuring residents continue to receive the high-quality services they expect and deserve from their council."

You can find both of the candidates on Twitter. Sion Davies is under the handle of @sionieuandavies , while Tom Mytton's username is @TMytton_.

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