"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 three children, built firm friendships and been proud to give back to local causes as a Chairman of Whitstable Umbrella Centre and a two term city councillor.

I got into politics to get things done. I’ve served as a city councillor for six years and whilst I can’t control what goes on in Westminster I have proved I can make a difference in Whitstable.

This election isn’t about sewage, it’s about schools, social care and our broken road system. The Greens, Reform and Tories will all make vague pledges to win your vote in May but I’m the only candidate with a detailed plan and the experience to deliver on it.

Whitstable needs a county councillor who can

1. Organise Road Closures

As your County Councillor I would:

-Make partnerships pay: It should make financial and common sense for utility companies to close a road and do more than one job
-Increase fines for companies who run over time. Using the money to pay for more staff to check diversions are rightly in place
-Allow residents to sign up to closure alerts and link KCC Map of closures to your sat nav.
-Break up the monopoly. Rather than give one firm a contract for all the KCC work in Kent. Chris would allow smaller firms to compete, keeping costs down and service higher

2. Give kids their future back

As your County Councillor I would:

-Create a county wide play service for 5-11 year olds with free activities for families in school, local parks and community halls
-Move detached youth workers into local schools and reopen the youth club. We can support young people before problems escalate
-End inflation-busting rises in school bus tickets
-Invest in training more educational psychologists
-Fight for a new SEND school in our town

3. Support the vulnerable

As your County Councillor I would:

-return the Seasalter Community Warden
-Reverse planned cuts to Age UK
- Trial an in house adult homecase service to reduce expensive spot purchasing and drive up standards. Local teams would travel less and care more.
-Reverse cuts to council tax subsidies
-Cancel the one of charge made to families negotiating social care