A FORMER mayor of Bridgwater and current Somerset councillor will stand for the Conservative Party at the upcoming Bridgwater by-election.

Cllr Diogo Rodrigues is well known by locals for his time as mayor and current role as manager of the Bridgwater Chamber of Commerce.

He first became a Bridgwater Town Councillor in 2015, and immediately got to work helping young people in the town.

Diogo created a £10,000 youth grant to support youth services in Bridgwater, set up a youth council to give young people a voice, and launched the Bridgwater youth awards to recognise the best of local young people. 

And he had to work hard to get to where he is, as he spent his childhood in a council flat in London.

Now, he is standing for a seat on the town council against Labour's Megan Boucher, the Lib Dems' Anthony Nickolls and independent Pelé Barnes.

"My parents worked tremendously hard and bought their council flat before moving to Essex where I spent the rest of my childhood," he explained.

"When I wasn’t in school, I worked in the family restaurant business clearing tables or washing up dishes. 

"My parents instilled a hard work ethic in me which led me to open my first restaurant business locally in 2016."

Cllr Rodrigues laid out some of the ways he has focused on local issues in Bridgwater and East Bawdrip since being elected as a Somerset Councillor in 2022.

"Since being elected your Somerset Councillor last May I've been working hard for you, focusing on the issues that matter to you & holding Somerset Council to account. Here’s a snapshot of what I've been doing:

"1. I've called out Somerset Council for wasting money by getting rid of parking spaces in a town centre car park. They've already increased parking fees and getting rid of parking spaces is just another dagger in the heart of our town centres! 

"2. I successfully lobbied Bridgwater Town Council to purchase a Speed Indicator Device, a temporary vehicle activated illuminated sign to display vehicle speeds, which will be used along Eastern Avenue. I've also started the ball rolling on a community speed-watch scheme for Eastern Avenue. This is after being told by Somerset Council that there is no money for any traffic calming measures to be introduced.

"3. I've been working to ensure that our streets are safe for young people by securing new road markings and flashy 20MPH lights outside schools during pick-up and drop-off times.

"4. I secured over £30,000 of funding for play area improvements in East Bridgwater and am always looking for opportunities to further enhance our play areas and open spaces.

"5. I've been playing my part in keeping our local area clean by volunteering with local groups to litter pick in Bower, Sydenham and along the canal paths."

If elected onto the town council's Fairfax East ward, Diogo hopes to combat 'overdevelopment' in the East Bower area: "I know that the 1,000+ new homes planned for East Bower is a top concern for many and it concerns me too.

"We know we need more homes, especially affordable homes for local people, but we also know that traffic is a nightmare at peak times, that getting a GP appointment is already a challenge, and that being seen by a dentist is a dream for many.

"We need new homes for our families and friends, but we need the right number of homes and the infrastructure in place to support it. 

"My view is that East Bower is being overdeveloped, there are far too many properties being proposed and they’re coming in far too fast.

"I've been a strong voice for Bower on Somerset Council, and I'll be a strong voice for you on Bridgwater Town Council."