Listening to residents I know many of you personally, I might have met you in my role at the Town Council, taught you or your family, worked with you in community projects, spoken to you at consultations or you might have attended events I have organised.

Full statement

I set up my first project in Bedlington as a teenager, nearly 30 years ago and have been listening to residents ever since.
Free from politics
As a truly Independent candidate, I give voters a choice to avoid political parties who are divisive or who have let them down. I believe that a Councillor should be for the full term not just election time and that political transparency is key.
Supporting Bedlington
I believe that the wider Bedlington area is a priority to all Councillors in the town, that the impact from the Town Centre development, the shortfall in leisure and lack of investment in our infrastructure affects residents in all wards and needs to be tackled collaboratively. I will be fighting for a faster paced regeneration of Bedlington, that targets local employment opportunities, increased retail and leisure, focal points to meet and brings footfall into our town centres.
Objectives at Northumberland County Council
With a career in Teaching, and particularly SEND, I see the shortfalls of investment in the county and the long term impacts that that these have not only on children and their families but to the taxpayer as a whole. At county level I would support projects that tackle our inequalities for our most vulnerable, our elderly, our children, our families and those who need our help.
Working for East Bedlington
East Bedlington is missing out on opportunities to thrive. Northumberland County Council buildings are empty, underused and for sale, with no current direction. As we move towards regeneration in the town, it's vital to have a voice to ensure East Bedlington is included in the plans. Our parks and outdoor spaces are underused and underinvested, often attracting antisocial behaviour. We need projects to invest and attract footfall, to provide opportunites for residents and vistors alike. Connectivity in the town relies on East Bedlington and while the town develops, it's vital to keep the needs of residents central, while investing in roads and paths, keeping safety as a priority. With experience leading community development projects and events, I would like to use this to the advantage of the local community, developing new projects to provide value for money to residents.

Building on my experience you can be assured that:
I will continue to support residents with day to day issues as I do already and will encourage communities to become empowered by taking ownership of issues where they can improve or influence their communities.
I will continue to encourage improvements in our parks and open spaces.
I will lobby for much needed improvements to roads and in parking, with full consultation with local residents.
• I will personally develop and support activities to tackle inequalites and social isolation.
• I will oppose housing developments on our green spaces and encourage those on previously developed sites as I have done in the past.
• I will continue to fight for our Town Centre development to pick up speed and will encourage further meaningful consultations on leisure.
• I will strive to find unique ways to encourage visitors to Bedlington, promoting what Bedlington has to offer, utilising the Northumberland Line.
• As a County Councillor I would aim to support improvements at county level on projects where I have experience, such as Education, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and local services.

I can promise that I will not give up on the area or the residents.