I first moved to Cambridge to study at Murray Edwards College aged 18 and then became one of the many people who never left.

Full statement

I spent my first year after graduating living on Canterbury Street, running my own small business as a special needs worker for young children. After working for long enough to afford to do a PGCE, I completed my secondary PGCE at Fitzwilliam College. Since then, I have been working as a teacher at a school in Suffolk, so I am well aware of the issues facing young people trying to commute in and out of the city, and making difficult decisions about whether they can afford to live and work in Cambridge.

I am now the Head of my department, and also co-ordinate the teacher training programmes across the school. These roles require me to organise myself and others meticulously, communicate clearly and passionately, and get people to do what I want them to do – all useful qualities for a City Councillor!

I am happy now to have been able to call Cambridge my home for 11 years, and I have just bought my first home locally so can safely say I am here to stay. I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to represent Castle ward on May 3rd, and hope you will offer me your support.



Why I am running in Castle Ward:

I find it frustrating and unfair that people living in a city with the wealth and talent of Cambridge still has to suffer from inequality and inadequate Council services. Levels of homelessness are rising, and there is increasing evidence that key workers such as nurses and teachers cannot afford to live in the City. The roads in Castle are grid-locked, and our pavements are riddled with potholes. I think a new voice is needed on the Council: a different and dynamic voice which has first-hand experience of struggles young people face trying to live and work in the area. I think it is time for a change for Castle ward.

Cambridge is a wonderful place to live, but I think we can do more to ensure that as the City grows, it does not suffocate under its own success. I know that residents in Castle suffer from the impact of this every day, with grid-locked roads, difficulty finding parking spaces near their homes and almost unusable public transport.

The Greater Cambridge partnership is making steps to try and improve this situation, but progress is frustratingly slow. I am running for the City Council because I believe that we can do more to ensure that decisions about the future of Cambridge infrastructure are made with the best interests of all residents in mind. Castle has a number of hard-working and dedicated residents’ associations who have done excellent work in the area and have pushed tirelessly for better decision making on key projects like Histon Road and Madingley Road. It is thanks to their work that some poor plans, including removing safe cycling and pedestrian routes on these roads have been prevented so far. I think it is scandalous that these residents associations have had to do so much to ensure that residents’ views are considered in the future plans for Cambridge, when this should be part of a process which goes without saying: a strong voice on the Council is needed to ensure that residents are supported, listened to, and their views acted upon.

What I will achieve if elected:

I have already been working hard with residents in the proposed new Benson North and Wilberforce parking zones to consult with them about the issues they face day in and day out with parking in their area, the results of which will feed into future decision making about the parking zones. If I am elected on May 3rd, I will be able to have even more of an impact on this decision making, and ensure that common sense and the experience of those living in an area are at the centre of all decision making.

I will push the Council to tackle difficult planning challenges head on, such as Histon Road and Madingley Road. I think we need a more “joined up” approach to decision making, considering the impact that changes to key infrastructure will have on the neighbouring areas and roads.

I think it is time the Council had a fresh, challenging voice, and with your support on May 3rd, I will provide this for you.