Conservative candidate Charlotte Cadden outlines stance on HMOs, policing and single-sex spaces

Retired police detective Charlotte Cadden has been selected as the Conservative Party’s candidate for the forthcoming Gorton and Denton by-election on 26 February.

The vote follows the resignation of Labour MP Andrew Gwynne on health grounds. At the 2024 General Election, Labour retained the seat with 18,555 votes, while the Conservatives came fifth with 2,888 votes. Reform UK placed second, ahead of the Green Party.

Ms Cadden, who served for 30 years with Greater Manchester Police and the Metropolitan Police, said her campaign would focus on policing, schools, the NHS and what she described as protecting women’s rights. She has also called for a “proper inquiry into grooming gangs” and the removal of what she terms a “carbon tax”.

Speaking to the Tameside Reporter, she set out her position on a range of local concerns.

HMOs and housing pressures

Residents have raised concerns about the number of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in parts of Denton and Gorton.

Ms Cadden said she shared those concerns, particularly where HMOs are used as emergency accommodation for asylum seekers.

“If this is about moving migrants around the country and finding emergency accommodation, that type of accommodation is totally inappropriate in quiet residential areas,” she said. She argued that placing groups of young men in such housing could create tension and increase pressure on already stretched local services.

She also linked the issue to wider housing pressures, saying the area already faces demand for homes and rising prices. “If you’ve already got pressure on housing and young people can’t get on the housing ladder, this is just going to exacerbate the issue,” she said.

Ms Cadden said she would seek to challenge local decision-making where necessary, although she acknowledged that housing policy locally is shaped by the Labour-run council.

Antisocial behaviour and policing

Antisocial behaviour, particularly around Crown Point and near local schools, has been cited by residents as a key issue in the constituency.

Ms Cadden said serious incidents require a firm police response, while lower-level issues involving young people should also involve youth and children’s services.

“When it’s at the extreme, the police need to get involved,” she said. “If it’s lower level and young people are bored and hanging around, then youth services need to make sure there’s something for them to do.”

She raised concerns about reports of young people riding illegal e-scooters and wearing face coverings, saying enforcement was needed where laws are being broken.

More broadly, she argued that policing priorities need to be refocused. “Antisocial behaviour, street robbery, burglary and drug dealing - these are the things that the public expect the police to be tackling,” she said.

Ms Cadden was critical of what she described as excessive police focus on online speech, arguing that officers should be redeployed to frontline duties in communities.

Living locally

Ms Cadden lives in Bolton and said she would not be able to move to the constituency if elected, citing family commitments including a teenage son who attends a specialist school. However, she said she has lived and worked across Greater Manchester throughout her career and would be a regular presence in Gorton and Denton.

“I’m nearby, I’m here now, and I’ll be here as often as I can be,” she said.

Women’s rights and public services

A significant part of Ms Cadden’s campaign centres on sex-based rights and single-sex spaces. During her policing career, she set up and chaired a sex equality and equity network within the force and is now a trustee of Sex Matter, which advocates for gender-critical perspectives.

She said she believes “social justice theories” have had a negative impact within some public services and argued that clearer guidance is needed to ensure the protection of single-sex spaces.

Ms Cadden referred to recent debates around changing facilities in hospitals, women’s safety in public services and policies affecting schools. She said she wants existing equality law clarified and implemented consistently.

Commenting on her selection, Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake described Ms Cadden as “a fierce campaigner on grooming gangs and single-sex spaces” and said her campaign would focus on standing up for vulnerable girls.

“Standing up for what’s right”

Asked why voters should back her on 26 February, Ms Cadden said her record shows she is prepared to speak out even when it is unpopular.

“I stand up for what’s right. I don’t stand up for what’s popular,” she said. “If things are wrong, I want to put them right.”

The Gorton and Denton constituency, covering parts of Manchester and Tameside, has traditionally been a strong Labour seat. The outcome of the February by-election will determine who represents the area at Westminster following Mr Gwynne’s departure from Parliament.