County Councillor for Row Heath, Suffolk County Council
District Councillor for Lakenheath Ward, West Suffolk Council
LGA Conservative Member Peer
Chairman of the Conservative Eastern Region
I was first elected to Suffolk County Council in 2006, for the Row Heath Division being the villages of Lakenheath, Beck Row, Holywell Row, West Row, Eriswell, Gazeley, Higham, Icklingham, Isleham Marina, Kenny Hill, Sedge Fen, Thistley Green, Tuddenham St. Mary and Undley.
My first role was on the Adult and Community Services Scrutiny Committee; I sat on a working party looking at the issue of 15-minute care visits. I made the point that I can’t get up, showered and dressed and have some breakfast in 15 minutes, let alone an older person. So in my view, such short time slots were ridiculous, and we changed the policy – I went on to be the committee’s chairman. My first executive role came promoted to Assistant Portfolio Holder – Resource Management & Transformation, where I learnt about the finance and funding arrangements of the Council under the wing of the Formidable Cabinet Member for Finance Cllr. Jane Storey, who later kindly served as my Deputy Leader when I led the Council. Along the way, I’ve held various other roles such as Vice-Chairman of the Roads and Transport Scrutiny, Member of the Audit Committee and the Constitution working party. After 18 months as a Councillor, I had the honour of being elected Chairman of the Conservative Group, a role essentially about representing the backbenchers’ voice in a strong cabinet system.
After the county elections in 2009 when the good people of Row Heath were kind enough to re-elect me, I was promoted to Portfolio Holder for Adult and Community Services, the largest and perhaps the most complex portfolio structure. In 2012, I took on the political responsibility for Public Health as the team moved across from the NHS to the County Council. In this capacity, I chaired the selection panel for the New Director of Public Health in Suffolk. As instigator and chairman of a new group of Cabinet Members for Adult Social Services across the Eastern Region councils, I shared a platform with Duncan Shelbie the CE of the newly formed Public Health England at its inaugural eastern regional conference, speaking about Councillors’ role in the context of Public Health and the Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Suffolk. From this, I went on to tour the country working with senior Lib Dem and Labour councillors delivering a series of conferences for Directors of Public Health about working in a political environment. Another part of the newly defined role was that I had the political responsibility for Suffolk’s role in the London 2012 Olympic games, it’s legacy and development of sport across Suffolk, spearheading two campaigns ‘Suffolk the Most Active County’ and ‘Volunteering Suffolk’.
Since the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review and the series of cuts to the funding of Local Government announced at that time, and I have politically lead my Adult Social Care departments’ reorganisation and reduction in officers from 3,500 to about 1,000 with several former staff teams and business units mutualising and forming their social enterprises, contracting back service provision at a lower cost to the Council. I also forged strong working relationships with the the voluntary sector as I championed the Council’s work in commissioning voluntary providers to provide services on behalf of the Council, focusing on outcomes and forming strategic partnerships. In these two areas, I have spoken at several national conferences over the years and continue to be a strong advocate of this approach to providing services and cutting costs.
Towards the end of my time as Cabinet member for Adults, I lead the team that spent two years working on the transfer to the private sector of the Council’s remaining 16 Care Homes and the introduction of £ 60Million’s worth of private investment into new Care Homes, in this capacity, I had the pleasure to visit all 16 of the council-run Care Homes on several occasions explaining the process, listening to concerns and going back to justify our decisions with customers, their families, carers and our staff.
In 2011 I was elected Chairman of the East of England Local Government Association (EELGA) Lead member group for Adult Social Care, this group has gone from strength to strength and holds regular packed meetings sharing best practice from across the region helping each other with information shared learning and coming to a collective view on several issues. In this role as chairman, in 2012, I became a founding Vice-Chairman of EUREGHA (European Regional and Local Health Authorities) a pan European on Health and Social Care.
Also in 2011 I was elected to Forest Heath District Council and again in May 2015 and over those years I played an active part in the council reorganisation, changing to a Cabinet system, creating a shared joint back office with St. Edmundsbury Borough Council has allowed the two councils to reduce staff numbers by almost 50% and thus deliver savings that have allowed Forest Heath to continue to deliver 0% Council Tax rises. I also used my experience as a Councillor to chair its Performance and Audit Committee for four years, later becoming its Deputy Chairman. Along the way when Leader of Suffolk County Council I helped realise the vision of my colleague, the then Leader of FHDC in creating a new hub for Mildenhall with significant investment bringing together public services and developing new sports facilities including an indoor pool for Mildenhall and the surrounding villages I represent. In May 2019 I was defeated in the elections to the new West Suffolk [Distirct] Council.
As the new Government instigated reforms of the NHS in 2011, I have been instrumental in constructing the Suffolk Health and Wellbeing Board sitting on the NHS undertakes the national Collaborative Learning set work Confederation. I also worked with officers and Suffolk’s Implementation Executive team to establish Suffolk’s Healthwatch and define its relationship with the Council’s Health Scrutiny; I’ve also undertaken work with the King’s Fund on the Health and Wellbeing Board self-assessment tools. Also, as the Health and Wellbeing Boards were forming, and I was appointed the LGA Health and Wellbeing Board Ambassador for the East Midland region, even before joining the Board! Looking back most of my roles have been connected to how the system of social Care in Local Government and the NHS could work more effectively together to meet the saving targets set and to deliver a better service for the communities we serve.
After the County elections in May 2013, I was asked to switch to be the Cabinet Member for Finance and Property, looking at the total cost’s issues rather than just one Directorate. I championed the setting up of the EELGA Lead Member for Finance network and was elected its first chairman, as I had done for Adult Social Care leads.
In May 2014 I was dismissed from the SCC Cabinet having failed in a Leadership challenge to the then Leader – I and many of my fellow Conservative Councillor’s had grave concerns about his failure to tackle the cuts we needed to make – significant differences of opinion argued out over many months, always in private. Disappointingly I narrowly lost, and I said I would not challenge again and moved to the backbenchers. The following year the Leader resigned after a tough year and challenge by another Cabinet Member. My supporters asked me to put my name forward, which I thought was OK as the Leader resigned, so I kept my promise not to challenge again. In May 2015, I became the group Leader, thus Leader of the Council, which was a great honour. I enjoyed setting about further efficiencies and an ambitious programme of change and proposed investment in Bridges and roads. Surprisingly for me, I also pledged the money needed for a New Archive and Records office for Suffolk with over £10M committed to ‘The Hold’ project. I say surprisingly as I usually prefer to focus on cost and economic benefit. The cheaper option was a former salt mine storage facility in Cheshire and a new digital approach to viewing Suffolk’s treasures. I surprised myself when I backed the more expensive option, but it was of far greater heritage value to the County. The splendid new facility sits on Ipswich’s waterfront. Sadly, for me, that leadership role came to an end in May 2018 when the group elected a new Group Leader, and I stood down as Leader of the Council.
I am a strong advocate of community groups and played my part in establishing Suffolk’s Supporting Lives, Connecting Communities strategy and in 2013 hosted and spoke at the launch of the Suffolk Older Person’s Council Charter reaffirming the County Council’s and my personal commitment.
I am an active representative for Suffolk on the Local Government Association. Before that, I was on the CCN Executive Committee and was the organisation’s spokesperson for Health & Social Care. Over the years, I was a substitute member and then full member of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board for four years and am now back on that for my second stint. I have been regularly asked to attend meetings with Ministers of State to discuss Social Care and finance issues in these various roles. In 2012 I gave evidence to the House of Commons Select Committee on life as a Councillor. In 2013 I had the honour to be elected to the LGA Conservative Executive. A role I held for three years before being elected as the County Council representative on the same body in 2016 and in 2018 I was elected again this time as an ‘At Large’ member in which role I continue.
I have always taken training and learning about my roles very seriously. Amongst various on-going training courses, I am a graduate of the Leadership Centre for Local Government’s 1st year Next Generation programme. I have completed the IdeA Leadership Academy and the Social Care and Health Programmes.
In 2013 I was accredited as a Member Peer with the Local Government Association. In this role, over the years, I have been involved in everything from being asked to appear before the LG’s Rural Commission to present some of the challenges as I see them in providing Care services in rural counties. I have been involved in two Adult Safeguarding Peer Reviews and others around Social Media. In July 2016, I was appointed the LGA Conservative Eastern Regional Peer and helped share Councils and Councillors’ experience across the Eastern region for a couple of enjoyable years. And I have been involved in several LGA Corporate Peer Challenges and more specific service reviews, such as in 2020 when I undertook Kent County Council’s Adult Social Care Diversity, Inclusion and Equality Review. In 2018 I switched from Local Government Association Conservative Regional Peer back to the Community Wellbeing Board.
In 2016 I was also appointed the as the County Council Network’s Spokesperson for Health and Social Care and in that role as a member of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board. I have spoken on Adult Social Care at the Local Government Association Annual Conferences, before select committees, at the Conservative Party conferences and several sector events debating Adult social care represented local Government’s view.
I believe in innovation, and since 2008 I have served on the EELGA Improvement and Efficiency Board and its predecessor the Building Capacity East Board, as a member then chairman and now member again looking at ways to share improvement and knowledge across local Government in the Eastern region.
A part of being a Councillor is to champion the businesses in Suffolk and from May 2015 to May 2018 was an active Board member of the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership and worked closely with them the team at Suffolk Chamber of Commerce to help businesses grow and expand here in Suffolk. I sat a founding member of the Cambridge to Norwich Technology Corridor Initiative. I also came up with the Suffolk A14 Gateway Strategy and started producing a collaborative Suffolk 2050 vision.
Alongside other national roles, in February 2019, I was elected to the Conservative Councillors Association Board as the ‘County Council Representative’ which I considered a real challenge and a great honour representing fellow Conservative Councillors within the Conservative Party for a year.
In 2020 I had the honour to be appointed as a Director of the Local Authority Mutual Investment Trust which looks after a significant part of many Council’s large and small monies they hold in reserve and invest.
Over the years, I have had an exciting time representing residents and helping them with issues that affect their lives and our communities. I also have enjoyed getting to know the very complex thing that is a Council both County and District and hopefully in some small way I help to influence both to serve the people of Suffolk better. Discussing the issues of the day with Community groups is a big part of what I enjoy doing.
I passionately believe in small Government and keeping Council tax rises as low as possible. And am delighted that at the County our strong and effective management of the Council delivered 7 years of no County Council Tax increases, as Cabinet Member for Finance in 2013, I presented the budget that delivered on the first year of that pledge, so that’s was 7 years of 0% County Council tax increases, if you take inflation at say 3% per annum means a real that’s a 20% real terms cut of 20% over that a seven-year period. Sadly, with rising costs, the laudable National Living Wage increases, cuts in government funding and our ever-increasing Ageing Population we have to increase the council tax but we will always respect it’s your hard-earned money and keep increases to the absolute minimum to protect frontline services for the most vulnerable people in Suffolk. I debate and argue passionately to return to zero per cent Council Tax increases by the ever more efficient back-office reorganisation. The cuts in government funding are necessary as they continue trying to sort out the mismanagement of 13 years of the Labour party’s profligacy, but of course, that does not make them any easier to address, this coupled with an ageing population in Suffolk presents us with a real challenge, a challenge I am up for. Not to mention the strange times we live in at the moment and the challenges the Pandemic bring everyone and especially those who work in local government.
I am pleased to work with a group of fellow Conservatives who are as determined as me to make sure that we serve the people who kindly voted for us. We serve people by listening to their concerns and discussing what we think we should be doing to address the challenges we face together in our communities.
Nationally I serve for 8 years on the LGA Conservative National Executive and completed two terms on the LGA Community Wellbeing Board and stepped down from these roles and the LAMIT Board in September 2021 as my business and Party commitments grew.
I’ve also held several voluntary party-political positions as I am a party activist and firmly believe part of the role of a Councillor is to be out there campaigning and to get on the doorsteps.
In 2003 I was appointed as Deputy Chairman Political of West Suffolk Conservative Association and over 14 years I was then its Chairman, Vice-President and President.
In 2011 I also took on a political challenge to help Norwich North Conservative Association as their acting Chairman, and I enjoyed getting to know them as they promoted Conservative politics in the wonderful city of Norwich and its surrounding communities, also supporting their MP Chloe Smith and acted as unpaid Agent in a couple of local elections. After two years I then stepped down having helped them forge a federation with the neighbouring Norwich South Conservative Association to campaign across the city.
In July 2011 I had the honour of being elected to the Norfolk and Suffolk Area Conservatives’ Executive, firstly as an officer then Deputy Chairman Political and then Chairman. Since then, I have stepped up to be an elected officer of the Regional Conservative team firstly as an additional officer, then Deputy Chairman Political. And in September 2021 I had the honour to be elected as Regional Chairman for the Conservative Party.
I enjoy working with the Association Chairman and individual members on the improvement agenda and the politician’s role across the region. We work to seek the right people to be the next generation of Councillors and officers to be ever more effective campaigning organisations and getting our message out there. I also really enjoy working with MPs and Council Leaders as we try to do our bit for our part of the world.
Away from politics in March 2019, I was recruited to be a founding commissioner for a new organisation called Independent Commission for Civil Aviation Noise (ICCAN) with special responsibility for Community engagement. Which is a great fit for my experience on public engagement gained as a Councillor and I live literally 300m from the runway as one of Europe’s busiest USAF Fighter bases at USAF Lakenheath with USAF Mildenhall also in my County Council division where my community lives with aircraft noise daily. The two year mission (and a bit due to Covid) came to an end in September 2021 when the DFT decided it did not want an independent body afterall!
In my business life, I am a co-founder and Sales Director of a modular housing building company Future-Built Ltd specialising in building high-quality Modern Methods of Construction homes for Council run housing companies and Housing Associations adding to the number of socially rented homes this country so desperately needs to be building.
As that business grows I have less time to spend in local politics as there are only so many hours in a day and now concentrate on my local councillor roles which I love and keep my hand in with LGA Peer assignments. I have also been a past Fellow of the Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing. I love watching and supporting Spurs, occasionally play golf badly. And last but most importantly I live with my partner of 24 years, Lisa, in a cottage we are renovating in my home village of Lakenheath.