Local Elections - Rochford and Castle Point Liberal Democrats

Local Elections 2026

The next scheduled elections are due to take place on 7th May 2026 for each of the 13 Rochford District Wards.

These are the Liberal Democrat candidates standing for election. Voters will need ID to vote at elections on 7th May 2026 and future elections and further information about voter ID can be found here.

Our candidates for the Essex County Council elections

James Newport - Rayleigh West

James Newport has called Rayleigh home for over 25 years. He serves as your Liberal Democrat councillor at three levels of local government: Essex County Council, Rochford District Council (where he leads the Lib Dem group), and Sweyne Park Town Council.

Outside the council chamber, James runs a local MSP business, so he knows what it takes to keep things working when budgets are tight and expectations are high.

He's spent years holding the Conservative administration to account on the issues that matter here: the Local Plan and where thousands of new homes could be built, the future of the Fairglen Interchange, highway maintenance failures, and whether residents actually get value for money from their council tax.

He believes local government works best when councillors are visible, responsive, and prepared to ask awkward questions. That's the job, and he takes it seriously.

Andy Cross - Rayleigh South

Andy Cross has lived in Rayleigh his whole life and has served as your Wheatley Ward District Councillor for four years. In that time he's led the 2025 alleyway clearance team, campaigned to get 2,500 residents responding to the District Plan consultation to fight overdevelopment, taken on school parking problems, and fought a high-profile threat of eviction against a loyal council tenant.

Now Andy is standing for Essex County Council in Rayleigh South. Road repairs, potholes, and traffic problems all sit with the county, and there's a limit to what a district councillor can achieve from the outside. Andy wants to press Essex Highways directly and push for the long-overdue upgrade to the Fairglen Interchange, a government-funded project recently delayed by the Conservative-led county council.

Michael Hoy - Rochford North

Michael Hoy has represented Rochford North as an Independent councillor, but local government is increasingly shaped by group politics, making it harder to secure real change without an organised team behind you. That's why he's standing as a Liberal Democrat on 7th May. His priorities haven't changed: protecting the character of Hockley and Hullbridge, fighting for better roads, GP services, and schools, and holding developers and the council to account over millions in unspent infrastructure contributions.

The Conservative Local Plan could see 2,500 additional homes in the area and potentially 15,000 across the district, with roads and services already under pressure. Michael is standing to make sure Rochford North has a councillor who shows up, challenges failures in planning and infrastructure delivery, and puts residents first.