Biographical details
Essex born and bred (Colchester and Brightlingsea), secondary
education at CRGS, settled here in 1969 after university (economics
then education) and a gap year working for the Salvation Army (
with homeless and other young people).
Married with three sons, two still at home. Lived in High
Garrett since 1977, after three other addresses in Braintree.
Spent my entire working life in the town - twenty-three years at
Alec Hunter (eight as Deputy Headmaster) and the remainder as a
Director of Braintree College. I retired early (2001) to be a
full-time District Councillor and voluntary sector worker.
I've tried always to play an active part in the local community;
some of that activity is recorded below. My particular interests
have been in education, youth work, charity fundraising, sport,
social housing, planning, economic development, and local law,
order and justice. Much has been achieved in Braintree and Bocking
- much remains to be done!
Council Membership
I have been privileged to represent Bocking North ward on this
Council continuously for the past 24 years.
My role within the Council has varied according to changes in
political control; my enthusiasm for the opportunities it has given
me to serve my local community has not.
When the first 'Lead Member' for Environment, I was able with
all party support to introduce the twin-bin high diversion
recycling trial that is now rolled out as standard across most of
the District. As Lead Member for Employment and Development I
chaired the seemingly endless cross-party meeting that produced our
current Local Plan.
The East Braintree Partnership, the regeneration body that I
chaired brought a thousand jobs to the town and opened up the way
for an improved local retail offer with Freeport, a new cinema, a
bowling alley, restaurants and (eventually!) a new swimming pool -
things that local people had told me that they wanted for
years.
At the moment I am a member of the Shadow Greenfields Community
Housing Board, committed to achieving what I genuinely believe is
in the best interest of council housing tenants and
leaseholders.
Shadow Greenfields Community Housing Board
Council committees
Braintree Local and Planning Committee.
Previously Executive, Scrutiny, Policy (Vice Chair), Policy
Action (Chair), Environment, Strategy, Community and Leisure,
Community Services, Finance and Land, Finance and Resources,
Personnel, Regulatory, Waste Plan Panel (Chair), Highways
Maintenance member group, Transport coordinating, Sport and
Recreation, Landscape and Countryside, Brainree Area Leisure,
Braintree Area Housing, Braintree Area Planning.
Council representative
Currently Town Centre Strategy Group, Economic Partnership
Board, FreeportLiaison committee
Previously Bocking Sports Club Management Committee (Chair),
Braintree and Bocking Community Association, Notley Action Group,
Mid Essex Community Health Council, Age Concern, Resting Seat House
Housing Association, St Matthews Housing Association, Braintree
District Business Council, Economic Development and Business
Liaison committee, Transport Partnership Board (Vice-Chair),
Environmental Partnership Board (Vice Chair).
Other Community work
Currently Bocking Primary School Governing Body (Chair) Tabor
Science College Governing Body (Chair of Finance and Premises
),Braintree United Charities (Member), Tabor Centre (Vice-Chair of
the Board), Carnival Association (Member), Braintree Salvation Army
(Local Officer).
Previously Alec Hunter Parents and Friends Association (Member),
Braintree Youth and Sports Club (Voluntary Staff Member), 678 Youth
Club (Leader), Pioneers Badminton Club (Chairman), Braintree Area
Youth Service Advisory Committee (Chair), Lord Chancellor's
Mid-Essex Advisory committee (Lay Member), Alec Hunter High School
(Governor), Braintree Teachers' Centre (Chair), Braintree College
Riverside Club (Vice-Chairman), Friends of Braintree Foyer
(Member), Braintree Crime Prevention Panel (Member
Taking part in Local Democracy
Week
Constituency work
Over this term of my Council membership I have been consulted
and/or offered help and advice over the following issues within
Bocking North ward (not all of which are strictly the
responsibility of BDC!). Most of these have been addressed jointly
with my ward colleague and friend Tony Everard:
Abandoned vehicles (e.g. Glebe), allotments, special collections
(especially fridges), welfare benefits (often), recycling
(including miss-use of bottle banks at Bocking Village Hall and
Braintree Hockey Club), building control, food safety, civic
amenity sites, crematoriums, cemeteries (Bocking), car parking
problems (e.g. Fennes Road and Church Street, street name plates
(several replaced or mended), obscured road signs, charity street
collections, litter, luncheon clubs, play areas (Glebe, Swing Field
and Deanery Hill), travellers (Community Field and Deanery Hill),
planning enforcement (e.g. Bridge Motors site), right to buy,
tenants rights (in relation to transfer), housing repairs, tree
planting (Churchill Road and Glebe Avenue), youth services,
education (primary, secondary and tertiary), speeding (Broad Road,
Church Street and elsewhere), development control (Straits Mill,
Church Street, Broad Road, Bovington Road, Hockey Club and
elsewhere), car parks, council tax, hall hire, concessionary bus
fares, bus shelter improvements (Church Street, College, Cemetery),
bus park facilities improvement (Victoria Street), licensing,
listed buildings, land use, housing options, health services,
anti-social behaviour, flooding (Church Street, Mill site), airport
expansion, phone masts, cars for sale on highways, highways repairs
(Convent Lane, Gauden Road and others), roadwork problems (King's
Bridge, Church Street), road safety (Bocking Church Street school),
homelessness, house transfer, pest control, sewage problems, sports
development ( Bocking Sports Club) , street cleaning, estate
environmental improvements (e.g. Staines Road flats), weed/grass
cutting (Church Street, Deanery, Glebe flats) and tree management
systems.
We also jointly attend community police tasking groups
(Braintree Police station) and health briefings given by Mid Essex
Hospital Trust and Mental Health Trust (Chelmsford). In the company
of Housing officers and sometimes tenants we have conducted estate
inspections in all three of our housing zones, Deanery and Upper
Glebe, Lower Glebe and Bocking village.