New constituency in the heart of Somerset

On Thursday, people will go to the polls to decide who will be the MP for a newly-formed constituency based in the heart of Somerset. Here is all you need to know about the seat of Wells and the Mendips.

The area has traditionally been a blue vs yellow battleground, but polls suggest the Liberal Democrats could reclaim the constituency from the Conservatives.

Walking along the streets of England's smallest city, you are as likely to hear people talking about the NHS, the cost of living crisis, education and immigration as any major local issues.

Conservative MP James Heappey represented the former Wells constituency between 2015 to 2024. He's not standing again, as he wants to "prioritise family". Before that, the Wells seat was represented by the Lib Dems' Tessa Munt for a five-year term.

Like the previous Wells seat, Wells and the Mendip Hills includes Axbridge, Cheddar and Shepton Mallet.

But Burnham-on Sea and Highbridge have now moved into the Bridgwater seat. Meanwhile, Street and Glastonbury have been placed in the Glastonbury and Somerton constituency.

The new Wells and Mendip Hills boundary stretches north to the Severn Estuary, hitting the coast between Weston-super-Mare and Clevedon.

It also takes in North Somerset villages like Yatton and Churchill.

In alphabetical order by surname, here are the seven candidates standing in Wells and the Mendip Hills constituency.

Craig Clarke said he is "keeping it simple" with his campaign as an independent candidate for Wells and the Mendip Hills.

"I have been asked to stand by constituents who need one new community hospital, one new secondary school, and more dentists," he said.

He also wants to support more local people into work.

Helen Hims has lived in Shipham for 30 years raising a family and running a local business, with her husband.

During the EU referendum she was the Somerset group leader for both Leave.EU and Vote Leave. She also worked as the south west regional manager for the Brexit Party.

Her top three priorities are lifting the income tax start rate to £20,000, scrapping energy levies to reduce energy bills and "freezing non-essential immigration".

"A new house needs to be built every two minutes. Hospitals, GPs and social services are overwhelmed. UK wages stay low as employers opt for cheap labour," Mrs Hims said.

Joe Joseph is the Labour and Co-operative candidate for Wells and Mendip Hills.

He completed 23 years service in the RAF in 2004. Since then he has "been a shepherd to a flock of rare breed sheep, taught countryside and environmental management" and worked as a councillor on St. Cuthbert Out Parish Council.

Mr Joseph said his top priority is "safeguarding standards in public life and restoring honesty and integrity".

"I [also] stand for sovereignty over our food and farming, fair trade and a right to healthy affordable food," he said.

• Who should I vote for and what are the parties promising?
• Parties hammer home key messages as polling day nears
• General election 2024 poll tracker: How do the parties compare?

Abi McGuire is standing as an independent candidate.

Her campaign website said that in October 2023, she left her job at the University of Bath to door-knock and campaign full-time.

She has been a police officer and worked in the NHS, social services, housing, homelessness, and education.

Ms McGuire is currently an independent Shepton Mallet town councillor.

Tessa Munt is the Liberal Democrat candidate for Wells and Mendip Hills.

She moved to Yarrow, near Mark, with her family 23 years ago and now lives in Wedmore with her partner who is a conservation farmer.

She worked as a teacher, a lecturer, a manager in social services, and with tenants while in legal firms.

Ms Munt was elected as MP for Wells 2010 to 2015, including holding a junior government position in the Department for Business. She also has served as a Somerset County Councillor since 2017.

Her top priority is tackling the cost of living crisis.

"Too many people struggle to make ends meet and we’ve seen the fastest rise in child poverty for 30 years," she said.

Her other priorities include stopping "the disgusting dumping of sewage in our rivers, streams, and seas," and "putting mental health on an equal footing to physical health".

Meg Powell-Chandler was born and went to school in Gloucester.

She trained to be a secondary school history teacher before moving to London to work in politics.

Ms Powell-Chandler has been working for the government including as a special adviser to the culture secretary.

Her top priority is "championing local business and farmers, speaking up for them locally and in Westminster and working to reduce the bureaucracy they face so that they can thrive".

She said her other priorities are "fighting for the area's fair share of investment from national and local government" and supporting public services including healthcare and education.

Peter Welsh is the Green candidate for Wells and Mendip Hills constituency.

He has lived with his family in Wells since 2008 and both his children go to local schools.

Mr Welsh is a NHS mental health practitioner in Bristol. He has previously worked in a secure unit and in community mental health services in both London and Bristol.

His top priorities are "defending the NHS against creeping privatisation", he also wants to "restore it to better health".

He also wants to see school funding improved and to "bring nature back to life".

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