The candidates you can vote for in the City of Durham constituency tomorrow

If you have already registered to vote and intend to vote in your university address in constituency of City of Durham, consider this a comprehensive guide to the policies set out by all individual candidates.

A brief history of City of Durham’s seat.

---

In 2019 there was a large -7.7 swing, with approximately 5,000 votes between the Labour and Conservative parties, who have been the two largest contending parties since 2010. However, until after Nick Clegg and David Cameron’s coalition government, the Liberal Democrats had a large presence in the constituency- in both 2005 and 2010 there were approximately 3,000 votes between themselves and Labour, a fairly small margin.

Labour have held the constituency since 1931- when the political party landscape and choice was far different; victory on Thursday would spell almost a century in control of the City of Durham.

Turnout in the 2019 election was 68.6%, the highest it has been since the turn of the century.

The Labour Party, The Conservative Party, Reform UK, The Liberal Democrats, The Green Party and The Social Democratic Party are all standing for election in the City of Durham constituency. Read on to learn more about their candidates and the policies they are proposing…

Meet the candidates running on July 4th 

---

Incumbent: Mary Foy : Labour Party

Mary Foy has been MP since the 2019 election. She is a “proud trade unionist” and a member of UNITE and Unison.

Her previous term’s notable successes:

• Saving Durham Station’s Ticket Office
• Saving St Thomas More school
• Saving the Witten Gilbert allotments
• Changing flood relief processes after 2021’s Storm Arwen
• Driving campaigns to clean the River Wear
• Introducing and successfully passing her own Private Members Bill “The Education and Training Act” in 2021.

Her current concerns for the constituency are:

• Long waiting lists for NHS dental care
• Improving public transport, especially buses, in the local area
• Improving local schools

Appealing to Durham University students, Foy acknowledges the “expensive, poorly maintained, often damp and cramped properties” on the student housing market and promises to “work with the university and students’ union to make sure that students have access to suitable housing”.

To find out more you can view digital copies of her leaflets on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/marykfoymp/

Luke Holmes : Conservative Party

With the campaign titled “Vote Local, Vote Luke”, this is Luke’s first time running for MP, although he is a member of the local council.

He has previously “transformed Whitworth Park Academy in Spennymoor from Inadequate to Good”.

His current concerns are expressed in a “six point plan” (extracted from his website)

1. Safer Streets: Enhancing community safety through increased police presence and better support for local initiatives.
2. More Jobs: Creating job opportunities by supporting local businesses and attracting new investments.
3. A Stronger Economy: Developing long-term economic strategies to ensure sustainable growth and prosperity.
4. Better Education: Continuing to improve our schools to provide quality education for our children.
5. Improved Transport: Enhancing public transport infrastructure for better connectivity and convenience.
6. A Plan for Healthcare: Ensuring access to high-quality healthcare services for all residents.

To read more about Luke’s campaign visit his website https://www.lukeallanholmes.com/about-luke or his Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LukeAllanHolmes

Mark Wilkes: Liberal Democrats

Mark Wilkes has not previously ran as an MP,  but has been in Durham’s council for 15 years, currently holding the executive member position for neighbourhoods and climate change.

In his role as councillor he has successfully reopened the Durham Light Infantry museum, secured £100million for infrastructure projects, and invested in regeneration to bring much needed jobs.

His current concerns for Durham are: “demanding a fair deal for our NHS and demanding to see real levelling up for County Durham.”

To find out more about Mark’s campaign follow these links

https://www.durhamlibdems.org.uk/city-of-durham

https://markwilkes.mycouncillor.org.uk/about/

Jonathan Elmer: Green Party

Jonathan Elmer is the Green Party’s national spokesperson for nature. Whilst he has served as a councillor he has also ran for MP in every General Election since the party began putting forward a candidate in this constituency in 2015.

As a member of the council Jonathan has prevented portions of family homes being turned into shared housing, tried to improve public transport and air pollution, and increased access to green spaces.

His current priorities for Durham are:

• further reduction of traffic in the peninsula low traffic zone
• resisting development that impacts on the heritage of our City
• challenging the unsustainable expansion of Durham University
• halting the conversion of family homes to HMOs
• making our roads safer and more accessible for pedestrians and cyclists

The third point addresses local discontent over the impacts of Durham University geographically widening and increasingly taking in more students, a concern that dates back many years.

To read more about Jonathan’s Campaign follow this link https://durham.greenparty.org.uk/ge2024-candidates/

Mark Belch: Reform UK

With his leaflet reading “Let’s Make Britain Great”,  this is Mark’s first time running as MP and his debut in the political field. He is a business consultant that has also volunteered for The Salvation Army and lived in County Durham for over 20 years.

Mark insists that “Reform UK is the only party with… genuine determination” to aid “the security crisis at our borders and the catastrophe of uncontrolled immigration.”

He promises to “work tirelessly to improve the lives of people in the City of Durham.”

To learn more about Mark’s campaign, follow these links http://demanding a fair deal for our NHS and demanding to see real levelling up for County Durham.

Sarah Welbourne: Social Democratic Party 

Sarah has run for Leeds City Council in the last few years but now turns her attention to “working families” and “local industries” of the Durham community.

She stresses the importance of re-industrialising Durham and expanding skilled manufacturing jobs for the local workforce. She points towards the SDP’s nationwide policies of cutting down working people’s taxes and building affordable homes.

To find out more about Sarah and the SDP follow this link

https://lykelect.com/post/sarah-welbourne/ 

---

Don’t forget to vote on July 4th! Your nearest polling station can be found here: https://www.durham.gov.uk/pollingstations

Here are more links to information about the 2024 candidates and political history

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/24388069.general-election-city-durham-candidates-outline-campaigns/

Coverage of candidates and promises

https://whocanivotefor.co.uk

More details on your candidates and promises – enter your postcode to view

https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/newseatlookup.html  

Political data on City of Durham’s demographics and political leanings – enter your postcode to view

Related articles recommended by this author:

• A Durham student’s guide to voting in the 2024 North East mayoral election
• Petition created to save Leazes footbridge after council plan to demolish it
• Durham University falls 11 places in new university world rankings for 2025