In Parliament, many MPs often say that there is nothing more rewarding than representing your hometown in Westminster.

Full statement

That would very much be the case for me. I am very proud that I was born in Hemel and I have lived in in the town my whole life.

I grew up living above the family business, Williams Stores, in St Paul’s Road working both there and at our other shop, Cox’s Pond Store in Adeyfield, It was around this time that a change in family circumstances led to me working for Securicor which I did for 22 years, before leaving to focus more on my council role as well as supporting my wife in running her new online business.

We live in Woodhall Farm, have a grown-up daughter and her husband living nearby and twin sons just completing their studies at the University of Hertfordshire.

It was in my late teens, or perhaps early twenties, that I first got the politics bug. I joined the Young Conservatives as the party of aspiration, small business and enterprise. I first stood for Dacorum Borough Council, and won a seat, in 1987 and have served on the council ever since.

I led the council from 1999-2023. We managed to keep the council solvent, efficient and recognised as good value for money, in increasingly difficult circumstances as we faced endless budget cuts and huge costs. I oversaw the move to The Forum which was designed with efficiency and low-cost maintenance in mind as the cost of maintaining the old Civic Centre and crumbling underground car park reached unaffordable levels.

As your MP, I will speak up in Westminster for the people of Hemel, Chipperfield, Bovingdon and Flaunden. As the West Herts Hospitals Trust pushes ahead with its plans to build a new hospital I will ensure that Hemel gets the best deal for local people. While I still believe a new greenfield site option is the best solution, it is clear that the Trust will not budge on this. The £1.2 billion offered to West Herts by the Government must not be lost. We need a new hospital to replace the decaying buildings at Watford. I welcome the funding commitment and the promise of a new hospital not a renovation of the existing buildings.

I will push for better rail links, including the extension of the Oyster card. I will fight for the preservation of the greenbelt and protection of our natural world. I know how local government works and I will use that knowledge to stop national government running roughshod over local people. I will push Thames Water to get their act together on sewage overflows into our unique chalk streams. They must prioritise upgrading the Berkhamsted Water Treatment works.

There are so many local issues I have worked on as a councillor which is why I am well placed to get the best out of national government for the people of Hemel, Chipperfield, Bovingdon and Flaunden.