My front- line role
I am the Conservative Councillor for the Borehamwood South division. The ‘Your Community’ section provides local service information, news, events and contacts about the area.
I look after and represent the interests and concerns of around 12,000 residents in the Hillside and Kenilworth wards of Borehamwood.
I meet regularly with the Borough and Town councillors for the area as well as communicate with our Member of Parliament, James Clappison, to ensure that between us we understand and can act speedily on the issues and concerns of local people. I am in regular contact with my local County councillor colleagues too as very often a local issue can spread across local boundaries. We aim to work together for the good of our towns and communities.
I am always contactable by post or quicker by email and telephone and aim to deal speedily with issues as and when they arise.
As with every County councillor, I have a locality budget of £10,000 a year to spend on community projects in the area, to help groups and organisations find some funding to allow them to continue in their work to run facilities or organise events which perhaps otherwise might not happen. Follow the links for more details of the scheme and details of applications I have previously agreed and declined.
My County Council responsibilities
I was first elected to Hertfordshire County Council in June 2009. My duties are to ensure that local voices are heard on matters that directly fall under the remit of the County - such as matters relating to schools, roads and so on. Very often I will act as a middleman between residents and county officers, helping to sort out matters of concern. By meeting and communicating with officers, I can draw attention to an issue and aim to sort it out to everyone's satisfaction.
In May 2011, I was appointed as Deputy Executive Member for Resources and Economic Well Being. It is a role which I am proud to hold. I work closely with the Executive Member in that area, David Lloyd, who is also the Deputy Leader of the County Council. This area of responsibility is wide-ranging covering as it does any matters which relate to finance - the County Council spends over £750 million per year - and working to continue to ensure that Hertfordshire is a County where the economy can thrive for the benefit of residents and business in particular.
Roles on bodies outside of the County Council
As well as being the County Councillor for Borehamwood South, I am also the Leader of Hertsmere Borough Council. I find being a member of two councils very helpful as many issues for residents straddle more than one authority and the experience allows me to help push for answers and ensure matters can be speedily sorted where possible.
I chair meetings of Hertsmere Borough Council's Executive as well as hold the Portfolio for Communication and Consultation. I like to hear what people have to say. That helps form local policy.
I have sat on the Borough Council's Executive since it was introduced over ten years ago and as the member in charge of Community Safety for six years, I oversaw the introduction of Police Community Support Officers and alcohol-free zones.
I am also the non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors at Elstree Studios, currently the home to many hit television shows such as Big Brother, Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, Dancing on Ice and proudly this year the studio home of the Oscar winning film - The King's Speech. Around a quarter of the film was made on the sound stages at Elstree studios which has been a site of film, television and media excellence for 85 years - including for the country's first talking picture, Hitchcock's Blackmail in 1929.
I currently chair the Hertfordshire Leader's group where leaders of the district authorities come together every few months to discuss issues that have a pan-Hertfordshire importance. We are keen to work together beyond boundaries for the good of our areas.
I was a local School governor for 9 years.
Personal, professional and political details.
I was born within the sound of Bow bells which I am told makes me a cockney by birth though I have lived in Hertfordshire for more than 22 years,
I have worked as a journalist – both as a writer and as a broadcast journalist – for over fifteen years. I wrote and co-authored ten books in ten years – one of which ranked within The Times Top Ten bestsellers for four weeks. I continue to produce features and act as a freelance consultant in film, television and other media and continue to be a guest broadcaster on television and radio.
Away from politics, I am married and have three children. For almost twenty years I have been a supporter of and fundraiser for charities, groups and organisations which celebrate this country’s film and television heritage while raising money for good causes, including for those in the industry who have fallen on hard times. I am a keen pool player and a slightly lapsed badminton player. I enjoy concerts - both classical and jazz - especially to watch my wife who is a classical musician.
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