YOUR INDEPENDENT ALLIANCE COUNCILLORS
The Independent Alliance is the official opposition to Labour in South Tyneside. Our numbers are rapidly growing; currently there are 9 Independent Alliance Councillors representing you, the people of South Tyneside. You’ll find details of all your Independent Alliance Councillors, the wards they represent, how they can be contacted and details of their ward surgeries (if applicable) below.
In addition to the official opposition there are four minority parties and a single 'stand alone' Independent These are the Liberal Democrats, the Conservatives, the Progressives and something called the 'Real Independents', between them they have just 14 Councillors.

The White House. Westoe Village
South Shields. NE33 3EB
Tel: 0191 456 0152 
E.mail: server@allenbranley.co.uk       

Jane was born and bred in South Shields attending Barnes Road Infant School, Horsley Hill Juniors and then the Grammar School for Girls. She has lived in South Shields all of her life apart from the time she spent away from the area at college.

Her employment history covers such things as a wages clerk for the Port of Tyne Authority, an account administrator for IBM and a Careers Officer for south Tyneside Local Authority. The majority of her professional career was based in further education and she left the City of Sunderland College in May 2005 having worked her way from teaching through to management jobs. Since then she has helped run her husband’s dental practice as well as serving on a number of boards of governanance.

Politics has always been a major interest and Jane has been involved in fringe politics, trade union politics and a national political party. Disillusioned with the dominance of national politics at a local level which results in poor representation by people who are only out to achieve power and the financial reward this brings, Jane stood as an Independent candidate in the local elections in May 2004 and was elected. Most of her spare time is spent ensuring that the people of her ward are fairly represented. Each week she visits a different area of the ward knocking on doors and talking directly to the residents.

Since election Jane has been the driving force behind the Independent Alliance group and is the current group leader. Her aim is to replace the Labour domination on the Council with independently minded people who are there to represent the views of people of the borough and not the Labour Party. She was re-elected with the biggest majority in South Tyneside in May 2007.