Louth Labour candidate speaks at launch of party's manifesto

A Labour local election candidate running in Ardee says that putting communities back at heart of local government is the way forward in creating communities that work for all.

Kate Karpenko was chosen by the Labour Party to speak at the launch of its local election manifesto and the Ardee candidate said that her campaign was focused on harnessing community spirit to make meaningful change at the local level.

The Labour candidate has taken part in community clean-ups and Tidy Towns initiatives across Mid-Louth, from Dunleer to Collon, to Tallanstown and her adopted home town of Ardee.

Ms. Karpenko explained: “When I came here from Ukraine, two years ago, the community in Ardee embrace me and I was able to make a new home here and build a new life. 

“Since the first day I have arrived, I’ve wanted to pay that generosity back and make a real difference in my community.

“Every day I meet people who are working hard to make their community a better place to live in. They work voluntarily and with go unnoticed by many. They do what they do for the love of their community and to express the pride they feel in their home.

“I’ve been doing what I can to help and my friends from Ukraine have getting involved now. We now have several of my fellow refugees signed up as volunteers for Ardee Tidy Towns who are getting their hands dirty to make their community clean.”

Speaking at the launch of the Labour local election manifesto, she said: “Our Local Election Manifesto lays out the party’s vision to put communities back at the heart of local government and community is at the centre of my own campaign.

“I have been rolling my sleeves up and getting involved in community clean-ups, listening to the community’s concerns on the doorsteps of Mid-Louth and what I’ve found is that community spirit is alive and well out there.

“Councils and councillors that put community at the heart of everything they do can harness all that latent energy out there, for meaningful change. That’s what I hope to do in Ardee and what Labour hopes to do across the country.”