I love living in Warwickshire. But our communities could be so much better.
At the moment we have too many infrastructure projects that are late and over budget. The £40 million A46 Bridge To Nowhere could now cost £56 million and it's already two years' late. The £6 million new Special Education Needs facilities at St John's School were due to open in September 2024. But building hasn't started yet. The Kenilworth2Leamington cycle route is years' late. And only 30% of applications for Education, Health & Care Plans in Warwickshire are processed within the 20 week target. Residents and communities have been let down.
All this is the responsibility of the current Conservative-run County Council.
In 2017 I was the first-ever Liberal Democrat councillor elected in Kenilworth St John's. I've lived here for more than 33 years, my three children were educated at Kenilworth state schools and I've been active as a school governor, churchwarden and a trustee at Waverley Day Centre and theKenilworthCentre. During the Covid pandemic I was Mayor of Kenilworth and helped set up a charity that continues even now to support vulnerable and isolated residents in our town.
In the past year I got both the Town Council and the District Council to persuade Cash Access UK to change their mind and install a banking hub in Kenilworth. With the Town Council I created last year a new leaflet that's being given to all new residents in the town to enable them to feel part of our community. I've pushed the District Council to speed up the delivery of new play equipment in our parks as well as to bring forward the housing plans at the empty Sixth Form site.
All these things help build and sustain community life in our town.
This summer I shall be giving up my job in higher education. This means that, if voters elect me, I'll have the time to be county councillor for the people of Kenilworth St John's.
But my campaign to get elected costs money. Just one leaflet to every one of the 4,000+ households in Kenilworth St John's costs £210. And it'll take several leaflets and letters to voters to get across my message about putting communities first.