Hello….

Full statement

I’m Roger Upton, and this is a short biography and briefly why I’m standing to be the next County Councillor for the Radcliffe Division.
Currently I’m a Rushcliffe Borough Councillor for Radcliffe on Trent and a retired Chartered Building Surveyor. I’ve lived in Radcliffe for 45 years and I worked at the County Council for 35 years; so I’ve a good knowledge of the local communities in the Division and how the County Council works.
I’m active in Radcliffe. I’ve been Chairman of the Parish Council and the Neighbourhood Plan Committee, and a governor at local schools. I’m a member of the Residents Association, the Radcliffe Growth Board, and a railway station “adopter” helping to improve the station.
I was elected to the Borough Council in 2015. I’ve been a Cabinet Member for waste management and now for housing and planning, and I have a good attendance record.
I’m standing as the Conservative candidate for the Radcliffe Division in the 2021 elections, because I believe I can effectively represent all the communities in the Division and make a positive contribution to the working of the County Council.
I joined the Conservative Party because of its core values of self-help, low taxation and minimum government intervention. Politically I’m right of centre. Our nation is facing its biggest threat for generations to health, wealth and employment, and we need a vision and a plan for when we come out of Covid. I believe we need a revised industrial strategy which focuses on training and re-skilling, so that people can move out of unviable jobs and into new ones such as green technology. With our national debt at more than £2trillion we cannot afford to be too complacent. We need to balance health and economic issues in our fight against Covid. I support a strong defence policy, particularly when the world order is changing, and China is powering back to growth and greater dominance. I also believe that foreign aid, children’s and adult social care need reforming, and that our farming sector, after the common agricultural policy, should be more “nature friendly”.
Locally, I’m not against local government reform, as many residents often get confused about which council provides a service, but I don’t support a single unitary authority for Nottinghamshire. With the challenges of Covid and Brexit, I believe that now is not the time for this. I support a new bridge across the River Trent from Colwick to the A52 and an upgrade of Stragglethorpe Road to take traffic out of Radcliffe. I have supported the successful campaign against gravel extraction at Shelford. I’m campaigning for more affordable homes, greater investment in road and pavement maintenance, and more recycling of waste. I also support the refurbishment of Radcliffe Village Centre as recommended in the Neighbourhood Plan, and the improvement of the Bingham – Radcliffe – Nottingham cycle route to take advantage of the proposed new cycle bridge across the Trent.
Until recently I was Deputy Chairman (Political) of the Rushcliffe Conservative Association – now Membership. I enjoy campaigning – recently for Ruth Edwards MP, the Borough Council elections last year, and the County Council elections 2017. I help produce Radcliffe in-Touch Newsletters. I believe that I’m a visible representative of the Party, handle my casework effectively, and have a good working relationship with Radcliffe Parish Council.
I like to think I’m a good communicator, listener and team player, who is decisive and will make a decision and rarely abstain from voting. I like to get things done – making it happen!
I believe that ideally a Councillor should live in their Division and I’ve lived in Radcliffe for 45 years.
I know the local communities and their issues, and I believe that I have the experience, knowledge and passion for a strong campaign to be the next Conservative County Councillor for the Radcliffe Division.
Roger.