Elected in 2022 Local Elections 
Tell us a little bit about yourself
I am proud to have been your local councillor for 12 years. Over that time I’ve been able to work with many fantastic community groups and meet lots of people across Manor Castle. My commitment as your councillor and my drive to make our area a better place to live has been resolute. I’m proud of my record for Manor Castle. Our area and local services matter to me, and the local delivery of services is paramount, that’s why I launched the Big City Conversation and the Local Area Committees,
What do you think makes a good local councillor?
A good councillor is someone who cares about the area, is responsive to local people and knows the issues people care about. They know their ward and its people like the back of their hand and the issues. Over 12 years I have always done all I can to help people, speak up for our area and I have used my local knowledge to get things sorted or at the very least moving in the right direction. I am always open to hearing about anything new or that your council may have missed,
Tell us three things you're aiming to focus on or achieve for your ward during your term as councillor
In touch & accessible:
I’ll continue to do surgeries to listen to the views of residents, be visible in the ward, visit schools, I’m a school Governor at Park Academy, community groups & responding to constituents. I want to support our older generation and tackle social isolation and tackle the Cost of Living Crisis for residents across the ward.
Parks & Green space:
the first thing I did as leader was to scrap any idea of a dual carriageway through the South Street park at the back of the railway station, I’m fully committed to strengthen community enforcement on anti social behaviour and flytipping.
Traffic & Road Safety, Housing
The other most commonly raised issues are the degree of speeding, congestion, parking problems and a better bus service. We are also encouraging developers in building new homes and developing communities.
Tell us three things you're aiming to focus on or achieve for the city of Sheffield during your term as councillor
I back Labour’s plans to put Sheffield first:
1. Improving public transport and creating a cleaner, greener city – Labour will work with the Metro Mayor to improve public transport, we’ll invest £3.5m for renewable energy installation in schools, libraries and council housing, we’ll protect the green belt and make Sheffield carbon net-zero by 2030.
2. Improving intervention and prevention services – Labour will give an extra £1m to community groups to tackle social isolation, increase youth provision to at least three services in every ward, we’ll tackle homelessness and addiction problems and boost street enforcement to tackle litter, fly-tipping and graffiti.
3. Supporting residents through the cost of living crisis – I’ve created a volunteer fund to support community groups, we’ll deliver a food access plan to support the co-ordination of Sheffield food banks, and invest in renewable and local energy to help keep bills down.
Transport: “Air pollution contributes to 500 deaths a year in Sheffield. Living alongside a busy road carries the same risk as passively smoking 10 cigarettes a day.”. Supported by better public transport and disabled accessibility, do you think private motor traffic should eventually be excluded from Sheffield city centre?
- Yes
- Unsure
- No
If you'd like to add details on your position, please do so here
I welcome the introduction of the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) and the support what the Labour-led council have put in place for businesses, such as taxi drivers and small traders, to ensure they can get their vehicles up to the required standard.
I haven’t selected a answer because its not a straight forward yes/no problem, as I think we need to take a long term, evidence based, approach to this question. We need to look at if the CAZ is making enough progress towards our cities targets for net-zero and air quality improvements. If it is shown that personal vehicles are limiting progress towards cleaner air then I would be open to a full discussion about limiting the use of more polluting vehicles from our city centre, we also have to look how we get Clean Sustainable Growth, whilst balancing new homes and businesses being developed.
However, I firmly believe that disabled people and those with lower mobility must not have their access to the city centre infringed upon. I also believe that any move to limit personal vehicles in the city centre must be accompanied by a drastic improvement in the provision, punctuality and cost of public transport in our city. That’s why I’ve supported the City Centre Shuttle Bus, which should be running by June this year, further to enhance us being a Fair and Inclusive City.
Housing: "The introduction of Selective Licensing can bring widespread benefits to the local community. In particular it will ensure that all private rented property within the designated area is safe and well managed". Do you think Landlord Licensing in Sheffield should be extended, from currently applying to Abbeydale Road, Chesterfield Road and London Road, to covering more wards?
- Yes
- Unsure
- No
If you'd like to add details on your position, please do so here
I fully support a city-wide Sheffield Standard, In places Landlord licensing has been used in Sheffield, we have seen an increase in standards of private rented housing. As the housing market becomes more turbulent, many people will become reliant on the private rented market, ensuring standards, safety, and good management of all private rented homes in Sheffield is common sense. Most landlords are responsible; however we must take steps to ensure that every tenant in the city is afforded a guarantee of standards. Ultimately, the Government needs to provide the support and funding to implement a city-wide licensing scheme. I will be pushing for that alongside Labour councillors.
Local Democracy: “The primary purpose of the Local Area Committees (LACs) is to promote the involvement of local people in the democratic process and to bring decision making closer to local people.” Do you think Local Area Committees should be further developed?
- Yes
- Unsure
- No
If you'd like to add details on your position, please do so here
Yes, I support giving local areas and Local people a voice, Local Area Committees (LACs) have been introduced by the Labour-led council to bring democracy and decision making close to those who are affected most, we did this after launching the Big City Conversation, which helped inform and shape the roll out of the LAC’s. They have funds to tackle graffiti, fly-tipping as well as other issues that the local councillors and residents are concerned about. I am currently a member of East LAC and have seen first-hand the impact that they can have in our communities, such as supporting local organisations or funding improvements. I fully support devolving further powers to LACs so that decisions can be localised wherever possible and more responsive to the needs of the communities they serve. I hope people realise that both LACs and the Committee Run Council will take time to implement and will need to be continuously improved.
Local Economy: Community wealth building (CWB) is a people-centred approach to local economic development, which redirects wealth back into the local economy, and places control and benefits into the hands of local people." Do you think Sheffield City Council should support community wealth building?
- Yes
- Unsure
- No
If you'd like to add details on your position, please do so here
I support doing everything we can to keep as much money as possible in the local economy. The Labour-led council ensured that £80m was kept in the local economy prior to the pandemic by adopting a new procurement policy. Moving forward I support Labour’s plans to introduce a ‘community wealth building charter’. I believe we should achieve this by working with local anchor institutions and supporting development in our local economy, small businesses and the voluntary sector. Any community wealth building approach must have at its heart a collaborative approach to tackling the climate and ecological emergency and ensure employers are paying a real living wage. I have held a public meeting via webinar on the subject.