I have been elected as a county councillor for the electoral division of Accrington North to serve the interests of all residents, regardless of political persuasion.  Accrington North comprises of Altham, Huncoat, Milnshaw and part of Church.  I have been a member of Lancashire County Council since 1993.

I attended Rhyddings High School in Oswaldtwistle and now live in Milnshaw, close to Victoria Hospital.  I am married with three grown up children.

I first became interested in becoming a councillor about 30 years ago when a number of local schools were being closed.  I joined up with other parents to form a group in an attempt to keep our local school open, which was successful.

At the time, my three children were quite young and it was not practical for me to take up the role of a councillor.  However, in 1990 I stood for the local Council, Hyndburn, and have been a councillor ever since.  In fact, I was Hyndburn's Mayor from 1995 to 1996 - a year I really enjoyed.

During my time as a county councillor I have got to know a lot of residents' groups and I always try to work closely with them.  We now have a Neighbourhood Management Board in Church and part of Milnshaw and the group of residents who are on the Board work really hard to improve the services that different partners bring to our neighbourhoods.

Across the county there are a number of Neighbourhood Management Boards that are challenging service providers like the County Council to ensure that policies which benefit the communities are actually put into place.

As the Cabinet Member for Community Planning and Partnerships my brief is very wide, ranging from Community Engagement, County Analyst Service, Emergency Planning, Registrars (Births, Deaths and Marriages), Town and Parish Councils, Trading Standards and Welfare Rights to having an overview of Neighbourhood Management Boards and Local Strategic Partnerships.  I am also involved with the Community Safety Partnership in Hyndburn.  The Cabinet role is very challenging but also very rewarding.  One of my mottos is 'challenges can be stepping stones or stumbling blocks - it's just a matter of how you view them'.

I also have several outside interests.  I am a director of two housing associations, namely Accent Homes and Hyndburn Homes, and am also a trustee of both the Chaigley Manor Trust and Helping Hands charities.  I also read a lot, as a good book helps me to unwind at the end of the day. 

I am, however, a member of a political party and take an active interest in a number of national and local campaigns. It would not be appropriate for me to use this website to promote these campaigns though you can visit related external websites by selecting some of the links to be found on this site.

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