I live in Bentswood Crescent in the heart of the Division and have been here since moving from Lindfield in 2009. I am in my late fifties and physically active, mostly in my passion for hockey where I still play at a competitive level for Mid Sussex Hockey Club, having done so for over 35 years. I have three marvellous children, my oldest son and daughter now at university and my youngest just starting his 6th form, and am truly blessed in that they are also keen hockey players, better than myself, and I get to play with them and enjoy the wonderful social side associated with our sport.
My employment background is that I have a BSc in Biochemistry and during my working life have worked in a variety of industries spanning plastics manufacturing in Burgess Hill, recruitment in Worthing, purchasing in Burgess Hill and for around 20 years in commercial property, 10 of those running my own consultancy helping businesses find and negotiate their premises. I pretty much ceased this around 2015/16 when my commitments as a Councillor required my full attention.
As I Councillor I represented Lindfield Urban for two terms on the District Council from 1995 to 2003, and on Haywards Heath Town Council for Bentswood from 2011 to 2019 where I was Deputy Mayor 2011 to 2015. I have served as a WSCC County Councillor since January 2014. In my time at the County Council I have been privileged to serve as the Deputy Cabinet Member for Waste 2015/16 and then Cabinet Member for Children’s Services from 2016 to 2018 and from 2020 was appointed as Chairperson of the Children’s Scrutiny. I am also very proud to have been MSDC’s Cabinet Member for Economic Growth from 2019 to 2023 with a portfolio which included Sustainability.
One of my key roles in Bentswood is a Chair of the Bentswood Community Partnership (BCP), a role I have fulfilled since 2014. We have become a registered charity and our work is essentially drawing partners together from a wide range of agencies, that includes local government, charities and Clarion Futures, to work on a range of social issues throughout this historically deprived ward. Most recently we have opened a Hub where we have a popular food larder that uses goods from local supermarkets that would have gone to waste and which they generously put out for our team of volunteers to collect every evening. This facility has enabled us to then get to know residents who have other needs that we can support them with.