Meet the candidates standing in the Monkton ward in the 2024 local elections

Voters are due to head to polling stations on Thursday, May 2, to either re-elect or replace holders of around a third of seats on South Tyneside Council.

This year, one seat in each of the borough’s 18 wards will be up for grabs, with around 50 candidates in the running.

All candidates have been given the opportunity to tell readers why they’re standing and why you should vote for them.

Here’s what candidates in the Monkton ward have to say.

*Candidates are listed in the order they appeared on South Tyneside Council’s list of candidates at the close of nominations.*

Joan Hamilton (Independent):

This is my first opportunity to seek election as an Independent candidate.

I have been involved in the politics of the borough for many years but have become totally disillusioned with the other mainstream parties.

My working background was with South Tyneside local authority.

I was very active as a shop steward which gave me a knowledge of the workings of the authority.

I was very proud of securing equal pay for both men and women within the authority in the 2000s, eventually settling for millions of pounds of compensation for said workers.

My aim is to put people before politics with no party whip to control my decisions.

The truth is I care about local issues, civic pride and want to make a difference.

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Joan Keegan (Labour Party):

My name is Joan Keegan and for the past eight years, I have had the privilege to represent the Monkton ward as a Labour councillor, a ward I have lived in all my life.

I am extremely committed to our local community and will work tirelessly to ensure local people’s concerns are heard.

I am proud to belong to South Tyneside. I passionately believe in my local community, and I want to make a valuable contribution to help develop South Tyneside, in particular the Monkton ward, to continue to make it a community where we can all be proud to live in.

If re-elected my priorities will include, listening to you and putting your views forward for the best use of the funding available.

I’m an active supporter of the Waspi Women campaign for fair transitional state pension arrangements for women.

I will continue following the Monkton ward green agenda.

Matty McKenna (Green Party):

Vote for me to disrupt the status quo in South Tyneside Council.

In power since 1979, the Labour Party have become complacent and take your vote for granted.

For the last 10 years, the Green Party have been consistently engaging with local communities in South Tyneside and filling the void left by absent Labour councillors.

In 2019, we were privileged that local residents in South Shields voted in their first Green councillor and since then, communities across the borough have entrusted us to hold the council to account.

We now have nine councillors and form the main opposition party in the council.

For the first time in 40 years, the people of South Tyneside have the opportunity for change, for something new and fresh.

Let’s blow away the cobwebs in the council and bring new life to our region.

Marian Elizabeth Stead (Reform UK):

There was no picture or statement provided following the Gazette’s request.