Wakefield-based businessman Arnold Craven has been selected as the Conservative Party’s candidate for the newly created Wakefield and Rothwell constituency at next month’s General Election.
Craven, 35, who works as a senior manager in the gas industry, was the Conservative Party’s candidate for West Yorkshire Mayor earlier this year. He has spent most of his life living in Wakefield District, and is currently renovating a house in Thornes, just south of Wakefield City Centre.
Having grown up in Wakefield, Outwood and Pontefract, Craven studied at the University of Leeds before returning to St Johns, north Wakefield, in 2013. He has led a successful career in property and infrastructure, working initially to secure institutional investment and planning permissions for retail developments, before moving into infrastructure development. He is now involved in working with investors and government on building new, low carbon hydrogen, gas pipelines.
Craven explained:
“It is my great honour to be selected to contest my home seat of Wakefield and Rothwell at the general election next month. I was devastated for Jeremy Lunn that he had to withdraw due to ill health. Jeremy would’ve been a fantastic champion for Wakefield and Rothwell. But it is my great hope that I can play a role, over the next four weeks, in a debate about how we can all work together to make Wakefield and Rothwell an even better place to be.
“Much has been achieved in Wakefield and Rothwell in recent years - the £20m of Government levelling up funding to deliver the second phase of the Tileyard North project, by the Hepworth, and the fantastic turnaround at Oulton Academy, which after government intervention has gone from a ‘requires improvement’ grade to being rated Outstanding by Ofsted, to name just two highlights.
“But there is more to do. We need to make sure we are addressing the growing issue of housing affordability by building more homes, whilst making sure we are most effectively using existing housing stock - including taking a close look at our area’s current approach to HMOs. Our city and town centres need targeted support to make sure businesses don’t just open in vacant units, but stay open for the long term. And we need to hold both the West Yorkshire Mayor, and the Government, to account to make sure West Yorkshire finally gets the mass transit system we so desperately need.”
Jeremy Lunn, the former Conservative Candidate, added:
“I have known Arnie for some months now and I am absolutely convinced he will make an excellent candidate, and member of Parliament, for the Wakefield and Rothwell Constituency. His local roots and business experience mean he will be a great advocate for our area.”