District Council Elections 7th May 2015 The Claydons and Hillesden

Below is the text of my election manifesto:

For residents of the Claydons, it has been a great privilege to serve as your District Councillor for the last four years, and I would be very grateful for your vote to enable me to continue to do so in the forthcoming election on May 7th.

For residents of Hillesden, which has been added to the Steeple Claydon Ward, I would value the opportunity to represent you and look forward to getting to know you and your concerns.

I have worked hard to protect the quality of life in our villages.  I have lobbied to get our roads improved, our potholes fixed, our drains and pavements repaired, new salt bins installed, and our roads properly gritted in the winter.  I have supported plans to improve the amount of affordable housing available, but have opposed the proposed large scale Gladmans development in Steeple Claydon.  I believe it should be up to residents to decide where housing growth should take place, not have it imposed by developers.

I have supported the improved superfast broadband which has recently come to our area through the Connected Counties programme, and welcome the additional funding recently provided by AVDC.

Supporting the rural economy, including new startups and those working from home is a Council priority and has my strong support.  I have also lobbied to retain and improve our local bus services.

High Speed Two continues to threaten to have a major impact on our communities.  I have supported efforts to try and mitigate its impact in our area.  Our local Councils and residents have sent in many excellent petitions to Parliament and we need to make sure that the Select Committee are fully aware of the issues we face.

As Chairman of the Community Liaison Group for the incinerator at Calvert I have ensured the concerns of our residents are heard and addressed.  I have discussed damage by construction vehicles and excessive floodlighting of the site with management who have taken action. 

I have enjoyed participating in so many events and  activities in our villages over the past four years,  from pantomimes to firework displays, Theatre in the Villages, Music in Quiet Places, and  village fetes and shows.  It has been great to see the success of the Community Library in Steeple Claydon,  and a privilege to attend the award ceremonies for the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service to the  Steeple Claydon Age UK day centre and for Volunteer of the Year to one of our residents.

I welcome the formation of a new Civic Pride group in Steeple Claydon to actively improve the village.  I have worked closely with our local PCSOs on issues such as illegal parking, vandalism, graffiti and anti social behaviour.

As a member of the District Council I have had the honour for the past four years of serving as Chairman of the Finance and Resources scrutiny committee and have been closely involved in our strategy to deliver value for money, reform services, cut waste and improve communications.  

I am delighted that we are able to help residents by freezing Council Tax this year.

I grew up in Buckinghamshire and have lived in the area for over twenty years. If elected I will do

everything I can to keep Hillesden and the Claydons a great place to live.