Littleport West looks to be hotly contested with eight candidates standing for just two seats.

Christine Ambrose Smith (Con)

Mrs Ambrose Smith is a parish and district councillor for Littleport.

She has constantly lobbied on behalf of the community at the district council, successfully achieving Littleport as a corporate priority for two consecutive years.

Born, educated and living in Littleport, Christine joined Barclays Bank in 1971. She has now semi-retired, working part time in Ely. She is married to David and they have one daughter.

She asks for your support at the forthcoming election so that Littleport can continue to have a loud and local voice within the district council.

Fred Brown (Ind)

Mr Brown has many years of experience as a parish, district and county councillor. He has served two terms on the district council and is a past chairman and council leader.

Before retiring he and his wife Vivian ran a number of businesses in the village including a pub and a bridal and menswear shop. They still run the laundrette.

Mr Brown feels Littleport is often forgotten because of its location close to both the district and county borders and is determined to ensure the village gets more of its share.

He said: “We have one of the most deprived areas in the country and it is about time that is properly recognised and we get our fair share to improve that situation.”

Paul Cox (Con)

Mr Cox has lived in Littleport all his life. He is married with two adult children and two grandchildren.

He joined the Pye/Philips group as an apprenticed engineer and is an experienced manager in design and computing systems. He has lectured in broadcast engineering and subsequently started his own engineering business.

A founder member of the Rotary Club of Littleport, Mr Cox has long been involved in community work and fund-raising. He was a parish councillor for 15 years and committee member of the village hall, being actively engaged in its recent refurbishment.

He said: “Littleport is a rapidly growing community. I will endeavour to ensure that its infrastructure and community facilities keep pace with this expansion. If elected, I will strive to make a difference.”

Daniel Divine (UKIP)

Mr Divine is county councillor for Littleport and is spokesman on the committee for children and young people.

He has two young children, both attending school, he has lived and worked locally for many years, in agriculture, management and IT design.

He has published books, currently his fourth is pencilled in for this year and sales will be given to local charities.

Two projects he’s been working on for some time is the Littleport Charity and The Keep Littleport Tidy Campaign.

Darrell Gardiner (Independent)

Father-of-two Mr Gardiner has worked on the Cambridgeshire railways since he left school.

He has lived in Littleport for 12 years and served as a parish councillor for eight years. He has been a chairman of Stepping Stones Pre-School and 1st Littleport Scouts.

His main concern is the new secondary school being built. He says it needs to be on schedule and gets support so its right for the village.

Also, he would tackle car parking at the railway station and assess to the platforms.

Lyn Guest De Swarte (Lib Dem)

Ms De Swarte is probably best known locally as project director of the Littleport Ice Stadium Project.

She is also known as editor of Littleport Life magazine and founder of Littleport Spiritualist church.

Her past achievements include setting up refuges for battered women, founding with colleagues the Women’s Sports Foundation, women’s ice hockey and ice speed skating clubs generally.

Great-grandmother Ms De Swarte is keen to help boost the lives of young people in every way. She is also concerned with housing, transport, recreational sports and leisure facilities, responsible pet ownership and the need for an A&E department close to home for all Isle of Ely and Littleport residents.

James Lee (Ind)

Mr Lee is a father-of-two who runs an electrical contracting business in the village. He has lived in Littleport for 35 years and served on the parish council for five years.

He would like to see the village develop with better facilities for families, especially young families. He also thinks there should be more green, open spaces.

As a parish councillor, he says you are restricted in what you can do. He believes he has done more than his fair share in his stint.

Neil Morrison (Lib Dem)

Mr Morrison has served on the district council for 18 years. He sits on the corporate governance and finance committee, commercial services committee and asset development sub-committee.

A retired facilities maintenance planning engineer employed in the pharmaceutical industry, he has witnessed the high point of the village collecting the EEDA Regeneration Award in 2005 but has watched as the current ruling group cut back on essential services needed to maintain community cohesion throughout the district.

He recognises the need for additional local employment prospects to be created and applauds the council’s effort to support new business innovation at its eSpace North facility.

As a governor at Littleport Community Primary School he is a vice-chairman of its resources committee and was overjoyed when the school successfully passed its recent Ofsted inspection and was judged to be “good”.