"Youth worker, school governor, university lecturer, and now dad.

Full statement

I love Whitstable and its people.

After fifteen years experience working with homeless and youth work charities across the country, I moved to Whitstable in 2010, to manage Porchlight’s Early Intervention Work across Kent. Since then I’ve got married, had two children, built firm friendships and been proud to give back to local causes as a Chairman of Whitstable Umbrella Centre and Treasurer of Open Your Heart to Bhutan (an international development charity based in the town).

Whilst Chair of the Umbrella Centre, I came to understand just how difficult it is for vital local services to continue in the face of government cuts. In the face of some opposition, I saw though some substantive changes to the centre, doubling its membership, increasing its activities and sureing up its finances. I’m proud to say the centre is now home to a number of success social enterprises and entirely managed by local volunteers. it has become a far wider used community resource today but one with heart, that remains committed to supporting people the homeless, excluded and those struggling to feed themselves.

A passionate advocate of young people, I run a monthly activity group for local dads (Who Let the Dads Out) in partnership with St Peter’s and St John’s Methodist Church, am a Scout Leader at Long Rock in Swalecliffe, and a School Governor and Member of the PTA Executive at Swalecliffe Community Primary School. I have a penchant for running weird and wacky projects in town, including the Whitstable Garage Sale Safari, Public Debates, the Scaletrix Grand Prix and a Christmas Tree Festival, which last year worked with over 500 local school children.

I’ve stood as a Labour Party candidate twice before in local elections and chair a partnership of local charities including Canterbury Foodbank and the Whitstable Age UK, who are working together venture to bring food and friendship to elderly people across the town.

For the last two years, I have worked part time as a Senior Lecturer teaching Business Administration and Social Enterprise at two prestigious London Universities and have a pragmatic approach to solving problems and learning from others. I believe that our town has huge potential, but that this is held back by a council short of ideas and often unwilling to listen to the concerns and ideas of its residents.

Along with my wife, I have experienced successfully lobbying the council to listen more to the concerns of Whitstable residents, helping save the Whitstable Youth Centre in 2014, and seeing a cinema return to the town last year.

I believe it’s time for change; time for a council now afraid of new ideas which exist to benefit us all rather than a privileged few. I’m sick and tired of Whitstable having local services withdrawn from under its nose and want to see a Council who values and respects Whitstable as much as I know we who live here do."