I live in the ward with my partner and two sons (the youngest is just a month old so I've not been able to be as visible as some as the other candidates lately).

Full statement

This is part of the reason I am so passionate about helping my friends and neighbours make our community the best it can be.

I am a Liberal Democrat because one of their key values is that of empowering local communities. It's not about some faceless politician you've never seen making decisions about an area they may never have visited. I believe in helping people to help themselves so that the right support can be received in the right areas.

Littering/fly tipping, crime and speeding are some of the key issues that residents have raised to me across the ward.

Supporting residents with waste disposal is something I am keen to implement as a councillor for our area - I have several ideas around this which I would look to implement, one being a council approved additional waste collector scheme so that residents can have confidence that their waste is being collected and not fly tipped by the waste removal company.

I have personally experienced difficulties in contacting the local neighbourhood officers in relation to local crime issues and I would look to ensure a more open platform for communication with our local police neighbourhood teams. Working together will make the approach to policing more relevant and have a a more positive impact on the relationship between the police and our community.

It was with great sadness that I saw the speed watch scheme, set up by volunteers in the ward, dissolved due to a lack of support. As your local councillor, I would work to try and ensure there is support for such schemes from the police and council as this was such a positive example of local residents taking direct action to improve their own area.

This is just a taste of some of my thoughts on how I could support the community to improve our ward and if there is a specific issue you would like to know more on then please drop me a reply here or send me a message.