I grew up in Milton Keynes and after living here for 40+ years I am proud to be raising my own family here.
As CEO of MK YMCA, I lead an organisation – based in Central Milton Keynes – that is dedicated to building community and improving the well-being of young people. I believe in building a fair, inclusive, sustainable world for the future.
I am committed to local issues and creating positive futures – particularly in creating more affordable homes for young people so that everybody in Milton Keynes can live healthy and fulfilling lives – and in achieving this in a sustainable environmentally friendly way.
I choose to stand as a Green candidate because it is so obvious that environmental destruction is the most pressing issue of ours or any age. We know that human activity is destroying our planet.
It’s easy to feel helpless and overwhelmed by these large-scale environmental issues or to fail to see how local behaviour can make the necessary difference. But extreme weather, insecure food supply chains, movement of displaced people, destruction of biodiversity, and pollution of water systems are no longer distant abstract ideas. Environmental destruction affects all of us everywhere and so requires solutions by all of us everywhere. Doing nothing is no longer an option.
I believe that a modern prosperous city like Milton Keynes is an ideal place to model a lifestyle that can help us secure a happy, healthy, prosperous and sustainable future and I recognise the key value of CMK as a focus for the city.
As your local councillor, I would take seriously my role as a bridge between the community and the council. I would support the growth of a prosperous and exciting town centre as we grow into city status and would seek to ensure that this growth would be delivered in an environmentally sustainable way by respecting and improving existing green spaces and promoting for example green roofs as we have at YMCA MK. I would work in partnership, respecting the needs of all, to ensure that this growth meets the needs of the residential community and make sure that CMK remains, and improves, as a great place to live, work, and play.
