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I want to introduce myself, share a little about what I believe in, and why I’m standing.
BE KIND, BE HONEST AND WORK HARD
This simple motto has guided my life, and it’s how I would approach serving our community as a councillor.
I’ve lived in Chipping Norton for 18 years and raised my two daughters here. I’m also an award-winning documentary filmmaker, working on issues including education and the built environment.
I believe that if you want things to change, you have to step up and be part of that change. We need practical, forward-thinking local politics that help build a fairer, cleaner and more supportive community – right here in Chipping Norton.
A PRACTICAL VOICE FOR CHIPPING NORTON
As your councillor, I will focus on what the district council can actually deliver:
HOUSING
There is a housing crisis throughout the country and Chipping Norton is not spared. Demand far exceeds supply and it can take up to 8 years on the housing waiting list here for a family to get a local authority home.
Your chances of getting a house for your family are increased only if you leave Chippy and move to Banbury or Witney. Why is this happening?
Yes, there are new houses in Chippy – 400 have already been built and another 200 are in the pipeline but they are way out of reach for working families. On one of the new estates a 4-bed detached house costs £675,000 and a mortgage for this house would cost you £3,376 a month, and you have to find a £67,000 deposit. Even with the 15% discount for the few “affordable” houses that have been built, the prices are sky high.
I believe that if you are born in Chippy and your family and friends are here, you shouldn’t have to move out of the town in order to afford a home. What we need to do is build good, old-fashioned council houses and flats to replace all the lost ones in the last 40 years. We don’t need unaffordable homes that put enormous pressure on the infrastructure and services in our town.
YOUNG PEOPLE
Chipping Norton is suffering a brain drain of its young people. We only have about 500 young people living here and the proportion who are unemployed and NEET (Not in Education or Training) is well over 10%. As your councillor I will tackle this terrible waste of talent and energy. I will fundraise for a youth community hub to be built on the Worcester Road recreation area which will provide a safe space for our young people to make friends, use the internet, meet mentors and experts in training and education and have fun. It’s the least we can do for our teenagers.
SUPPORTING A THRIVING, INDEPENDENT TOWN CENTRE
Making a living as a small, independent business in our town centre is tough. Rents are impossibly high, business rates for our pubs can be as high as £50,000 a year and energy costs are sky rocketing. Chippy needs a facelift to encourage visitors and holiday makers to increase the footfall and make the “Gateway to the Cotswolds” a real destination. We could create new parking spaces off Albion Street and New Street and remove all the car parking from the centre of town, leaving space for seating areas, cafes and play areas. We know from our festival and fun fair days just how popular the town centre can be.
Local decisions shape our everyday lives – and they should be made with care, transparency, and the interests of residents first. Green councillors are not bound by rigid party lines – they act for and vote for what is right for their communities. I will always put Chipping Norton first. We are the growing party in our town, we have more volunteers than ever and the Green Party membership is spiralling upwards. We can catch the wave of thriving Green politics throughout the country.
In Chipping Norton we can see off Reform and the Conservatives and fight for our place on the Council to join the already sitting Labour Councillors to make Chippy a fairer, kinder greener town.
The link to my social media and crowdfunder: is here
You can catch our campaign on Social Media and will see us knocking on doors, delivering pamphlets and manning stalls in the town centre over the next few weeks.
LET’S TURN CHIPPY GREEN