I've lived in the Wokingham Borough for over 40 years with my wife, Nina and our three children who attended local schools and then university.

Full statement

For most of my life, I have been self-employed running my own restaurants. Since COVID, I changed my career and now work for the NHS as an ambulance care assistant.

In 2002, I became a trustee for Reading Citizens Advice and served for 20 years. This gave me a real insight of the struggles which people are going through and deeper understanding of the causes of homelessness, financial debt and domestic violence and how to help. I have also worked with the police youth offending team which deals with young people and restorative justice and have also volunteered as an Independent Custody Visitor.

As one of your Loddon borough councillors, I have helped many residents with a wide range of issues such as housing, planning, fly tipping and anti-social behaviour. I work hard to effectively resolve any concerns raised by residents on a day-to-day basis. Engagement with residents is essential.

I believe the Council must keep your costs low and offer you good value for money services.

My involvement with numerous communities in Woodley and my extensive experience in running small businesses equips me to understand the importance around costs such as business rates and I strongly value diversity and equal opportunities.

I was honoured to be re-elected in May 2023 to continue to serve you as your local councillor and with your support on 2 May 2024 I believe that we can make Loddon a safer and cleaner place to live.