Janet Ellard

Statement to voters

Janet has lived in the Chepstow area for more than 30 years. She taught modern languages for over 20 years, 10 of these at the Royal Forest of Dean College in Coleford. She then changed career completely, becoming a caseworker for a Liberal Democrat politician. Today she works for a Gloucestershire charity that offers temporary accommodation to homeless young people across the county. Not content with just one job, Janet also works on various projects as a European Media Analyst. Given her background in teaching, education is naturally one of the issues that concerns Janet most. This interest increased as her children went through local state schools. Janet is very interested in the issue of equality for women and the difficulty of juggling professional and home life, having personal experience with the challenges of balancing her roles as a wife and mother with her career. She was also the main carer for an elderly relative for some years and is passionate about ensuring that older or disabled people have access to a decent standard of care. While working as a Caseworker Janet decided to become more involved in politics herself. She enjoyed answering queries about policy and also felt that her role enabled her to find out about the lives of ordinary people and to advocate for them. Her current role combines her interest in young people with her passion for justice and equality issues. It also makes use of Janet’s skills in public speaking, marketing and publicity. She feels that these varied interests and her considerable life experience would enable her to serve the people of the Forest of Dean well as their MP.

Election history

Westminster general elections