About Me My name is Jamie Dalzell and I moved to Cambridge 7 years ago.

Full statement

I now live in Chesterton with my partner and our cat Nero. I am an accountant and have worked in a range of different sectors, currently leading the International Finance team for a large charity based here in Cambridge.

I volunteer with a number of local organisations and events across Cambridge and I am a Governor for a local primary school.

In 2014, after UKIP’s victory in the European Parliamentary elections, I realised the extent of the threat to British liberal ideals and I decided to join the Liberal Democrats to help fight for much needed electoral reform and to stay in the EU. Since joining, I have become increasingly focussed on the local issues that really matter to people and which I believe, when unaddressed, lead to the turmoil experienced in recent years.

Why I’m running for West Chesterton

Chesterton has been a wonderful home for me and I have been working with the local Liberal Democrats to stand-up for our residents over the past 4 years. When Ysanne Austin decided to step-down from Council, she suggested that I consider stepping up to take her place and I am thrilled to now have that opportunity.

West Chesterton has a passionate, knowledgeable and engaged community, with Residents Associations playing key roles in major projects across the area, such as plans for Milton Road and Mitcham’s Corner.

I have learnt lots by attending meetings across the ward; from North Area Committee, to tree and bus workshops on Milton Road to Councillor led forums on potential parking schemes. What’s always been clear is that residents know their own streets better than anyone, which is unsurprising but somehow often forgotten.

As a Councillor, I would work tirelessly to ensure that these voices continue to be heard so that we can continue to develop a vibrant local community and improve local transport, without being sliced up by corridors into our increasingly over-subscribed city centre.

My partner and I have just bought our first home together and therefore I am acutely aware of the housing issues we suffer in Cambridge. We spent many years saving up the deposit required and consider ourselves lucky that we were in the position to be able to do that. However, many key-workers, such as nurses and teachers, are increasingly priced out of city and I know first-hand how it becomes ever more difficult to recruit such roles into Cambridge.

If elected to Council, I would passionately champion the need for more affordable housing in our city and would be keen to support major projects such as a development on sites near the Cambridge North train station and on better models for affordable housing, such as the ‘Living Rent’ proposed by Lib Dem Councillor Rod Cantrill.