My name is John Brace and I stood as a candidate for Bidston & St. James ward in the 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012 Wirral Council elections. Sadly, I got less votes than the Labour Party candidate each time but there’s always next year!

On polling day you can vote at your local polling station between 7am and 10pm. You can register to vote by post if you so wish.

If you register to vote by post you won’t be allowed to vote at a polling station, unless you are just handing your vote in.

I was the only local candidate in the election in 2011 who lives in the ward of Bidston & St. James ward. Many local people have come to us after having first approached others and not had a resolution to their problem. We have done our best to help them. Ultimately however, the better you get, the more people come to you and the longer it takes!

This year 267 less people voted Labour. I have explained to the residents in 2011, that in voting Labour you helped them to put up the tunnel tolls through Labour-run Merseytravel, cut the police budget through Labour-run Merseyside Police Authority and that Labour’s leaflets weren’t entirely honest about the Lib Dems.

Now it’s 2012, Labour have u-turned on these issues, frozen tunnel tolls and increased the police Budget!

In 2010 I came second with 699 local residents voting for me (despite many people including myself not receiving their postal votes). I am proud that some policies I have campaigned upon for many years are having a positive effect on the lives of local people.

Labour had 13 years in government in which the divide between the rich and the poor widened and the life expectancy of a person born here was over a decade less than someone from Heswall. I realise for many local people voting Labour is a hard habit to break, yet your vote could be the one that makes a difference to deciding between the first and second place candidate.

This is what the Wirral Globe has to say about one of the three Labour councillors Harry Smith (now reelected). He was suspended as a local councillor for a whole week for using foul language. Should this kind of behaviour be rewarded at election time next time he’s up for reelection? Look at 4-year record of Harry Smith before you decide you want him to represent you again.

In 2010 the Conservatives came 3rd, UKIP 5th and the Greens last. Unfortunately a vote for either Conservative, Lib Dems, Green or UKIP just ensures Labour is elected.

There has been no Green candidate in 2011 so please if you voted Green in the past please think carefully who you vote for.

Early Life

John Brace was born in Birkenhead (before Arrowe Park Hospital was finished) in the early 1980s. His father was a magistrate’s court clerk and his mother worked for the NHS. He has a younger brother who worked as a physiotherapist in Wirral hospitals and now lives in Wirral. Due to a middle name he shares with his younger brother, sometimes people confuse John with him.

He first attended St. Joseph’s Upton, then St. Joseph’s Birkenhead. During this time he showed an interest in maths, science and computing and was active in the 5th Birkenhead Cub Scouts and Scouts (based at Woodchurch Church church hall). While a Cub Scout he participated in the annual Gang Show at the (now demolished) Glenda Jackson Theatre including a solo in a Bash Street Kids sketch (from the Beano).

When 11 he passed his 11+ as well as the St. Anselms College entrance exam and was one of 39 boys to be awarded a “free place” (paid by Wirral Council) at St. Anselms College. He represented St. Anselms College in the rugby team and cross country team and left St. Anselms at 16 with As & A*s at GCSE.

Work Life
He became a church organist at age fourteen and after playing at a number of different churches is now a church organist at St. James. In addition he played at various funerals and weddings.

He then attended Birkenhead Sixth Form College and Wirral Metropolitan College & set up his own computer business with a friend at age eighteen. Shortly after starting, his business partner got a better job offer and has since joined the Army. John still works running a business and has troubleshooted (and fixed) many computer problems for hundreds of people and businesses locally, in Liverpool and around the world.

Community work
He has also been a volunteer for Age Concern playing the piano at the Devonshire Centre in Prenton (since demolished when they moved to new premises). He has also volunteered for many years for various other local charities.

University
Active in the Liberal Democrats since his teenage years (although he has since left the Liberal Democrats) he was first elected to public office in the student union (Liverpool Guild of Students) at twenty-six whilst studying at Liverpool University. During this time he had to represent the views of 17,000 students and stood up for them on staff-student committees.

He did his best to reform the (rather moribund) student democracy and revitilise student politics at Liverpool University (which was fine on paper but didn’t work in practice) which ultimately benefitted the university and students in later years when departments faced the prospect of being axed. Whilst at university he campaigned to scrap ID cards (since done by the Coalition government) and scrap tuition fees. In addition he convinced the university to carry out a number of reforms (reluctantly on their part) to modernise. He was then reelected for a further year of office. Although he later studied at University of Liverpool again, in later years he left the politics to the younger students to concentrate on his studies!

Wirral Council
He has never been elected as a councillor to Wirral Council, although has a keen interest in things that go on there. He is a strong believer in the public playing an active role in politics beyond voting once a year.

John Brace was the Bidston & St. James candidate for the Liberal Democrats in 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011 in the Wirral local elections. During this time he moved the Lib Dems from 4th out of 5 in 2007 to 2nd out of 6 in 2010. 2010 marked their highest vote for many years and an increased share of the vote of 6% (compared to 2007).

Bidston and St. James ward
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Ann MCLACHLAN	2,932	63.07	+8.77%
	Liberal Democrat	John Michael BRACE	699	15.04	+2.24%
	Conservative	John Barrie GILBERT	502	10.8	-4.2%
	BNP	John EDWARDS	251	5.3	-6.0%
	UKIP	Audrey Fitpatrick	154	3.31	N/A
	Green	George Bowler	111	2.3	-3.7%

He is happily married to Leonora Brace. He and Leonora used to have a dog called Hannah (unfortunately she died last year).

Lib Dem party positions (until 6/9/2011)

Birkenhead Local Party Constituency Executive
North West Regional Conference Representative (responsible for deciding on regional policy)
Federal Conference Representative (responsible for deciding national/international policy)
Wirral Liaison Committee Representative

If you would like to contact John or you have a problem you can do so in a variety of ways or leave a comment on this blog:-

By mail:

Mr. John Brace
Jenmaleo
134 Boundary Road
Bidston
Wirral
Merseyside
CH43 7PH

Phone: 0151 512 2500
Email: john.brace@gmail.com