Brenda joined the Labour Party as a lone parent in 1980. Despite having zero knowledge of how it all worked, Brenda instantly became active in the Taunton Labour Women’s Council and with constituency party campaigning. Her first job, aged 16, was at County Hall and in a weird twist of fate she returned to occupy the very same office as County Councillor and Labour Group leader in 1995.

Now a District councillor for the second time, Brenda works alongside Libby Lisgo as a councillor for Priorswood – where she also grew up. Brenda’s political experience spurred her into further and higher education and she graduated from the University of Bristol in 1991 with a Social Policy Hons degree. Since then Brenda has mostly worked in policy research into areas such as rural poverty, youth offending, child protection, social care and housing. Brenda’s most satisfying job was leading the policy and research work at an equality charity – Equality South West. Brenda has also represented South West CLPs on Labour’s National Policy Forum since 1998, and currently sits on the Early Years, Education and Skills Policy Commission.

Kieran has lived in the constituency, in Wellington, all his life and now lives in Wellington with his wife and children.

He joined the Labour Party in 2015, realising that my socialist values were best spent working and contributing to trying to elect a Labour government to govern in the interests of workers. He has stood in Town Council and District Council elections as a Labour Party candidate.

Kieran has worked for Somerset County Council for nearly 9 years, predominantly in education. He is also an active trade unionist. Kieran is a union steward and branch secretary of UNISON Somerset County Branch representing workers in Local Government, schools and social care.

Aside from politics and trade union activity, his passion lies in football and when time permits he tries to spend as much time on the terraces watching his team.