I am very pleased to represent the Green Party in this year’s local elections.

Full statement

I joined the party a few years ago, when I realised that our mainstream political leadership is deluding itself, pretending that the current slide into environmental disaster can be addressed another time. It cannot, and to suggest otherwise is both dishonest and irresponsible.

Our self-defeating reliance on fossil fuels is already destabilising the climate and creating conflict and disorder across the globe. Nuclear weapons continue to be an existential threat to humanity and should be abolished. It is outrageous that a small, self-appointed minority of nations are threatening world peace in this fashion.

I practice as a registered nurse within the Borough of Havant and have witnessed first-hand the damage years of austerity and under investment have inflicted on the NHS. The United Kingdom is among developed nations with the very lowest spend per capita on healthcare, and it shows. Anyone who has tried unsuccessfully to get an appointment with their GP, or is on a waiting list for surgery, has experienced the result. It is a disgrace that nurses and doctors have had to strike in order to make their voices heard.

My wife Shelley and I both work closely with our community, through our activities at St. Faiths church and my own employment with a local charity. You, the residents of the Borough of Havant, deserve to live in place that is prosperous, sustainable, safe, and thriving. This is within our reach, but the political will is lacking.

Voting for Green Party councillors demonstrates that you wish for change and support these aspirations for our community.