I am putting myself forward to be the MP for Lowestoft and Beccles, because this is my home where I grew up, went to school and still live with my family.

Full statement

I am passionate about the local area, its people, heritage and natural environment. Lowestoft has so much going for it, and should be the jewel in the crown of the area, but years of neglect, under investment and poor local government policy has caused much deprivation. It does not have to be this way. My vision is of a vibrant town with thriving businesses, high employment in the engineering, environmental and tourism sectors, and a protected natural environment. And we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do this with £25m of new 'levelling up' funding recently secured. As East Suffolk Council cabinet member responsible for Economic Development I am already fighting hard to secure more much-needed infrastructure funding for Lowestoft, and Beccles. Our ambitious projects at East Suffolk to breathe new life into the old Post Office, the old Station building, the Town Hall (working with Lowestoft Town Council) and a wholesale redevelopment of the area around the Marina Theatre and the old Wilco site into the new 'cultural quarter' will be instrumental. I sit on the Lowestoft Place Board and on the Heritage Action Zone group which has led investment into restoring many of our historic shop fronts in central Lowestoft. I will also continue to strongly support the fantastic First Light festival. As a local campaigner, I've recently led successful community protests against sewage discharges into the River Waveney, an issue particularly pertinent to Beccles. This has put pressure on Anglian Water who subsequently made upgrades to River Waveney sewers to reduce the problem we highlighted and have announced further infrastructure investment. Although I'm not afraid to cause a stink, I also believe in working with business, so have since positively engaged with Anglian Water to help secure funding for community projects to further monitor and protect our precious river. Whilst studying at Manchester University I got my first taste of politics when I was elected Student Union President responsible for an organisation with a £4m turnover. I later completed a Master's degree on Leadership for Sustainable Development with environmentalist Jonathan Porritt in London. In 2002 I bicycled from London to the United Nations Earth Summit in Johannesburg, raising money for the charity WaterAid, and these experiences informed my later career direction. I currently run my own business in renewable energy and agricultural technology, and also have an interest in local sustainable tourism. In May 2023 I was elected as a District Councillor at East Suffolk, when the Greens and Liberal Democrats over turned the Conservative majority for the first time in local history. Local people realised that the Conservative monopoly in our area has not served us well. Our current MP may appear to have good intentions, but he nearly always observes Tory party whip discipline. This led him in recent times to vote against such measures as cleaning up our rivers, building greener new homes, and generally anything to tackle climate change, as well as supporting more privatisation, more military investment and for lowering tax rates on higher earnings. We urgently need more MPs who fully understand the climate crisis, biodiversity loss we face, and also appreciate that addressing inequality and social issues is fundamental. The sole Green Party MP Caroline Lucas has been a beacon of integrity in the House of Commons, and we desperately need more progressive representation to help us navigate the very real challenges that lie ahead.