I was born in Burnley and have lived and worked in Pendle for 35 years. Initially I lived in Nelson and Colne and then the village of Trawden. I have two grown up children, Diane and Sharon, and two grandchildren, Luke and Nathan.
On leaving Accrington College I began as an apprentice at Lucas Aerospace in Burnley where I worked until 1976. Then, after 3 years as a professional musician, I worked in the motor industry until the mid eighties. For the last 23 years I worked in the catering & leisure industry primarily involved in providing a service and repair facility throughout the UK, specialising in commercial microwave ovens. I have recently retired to concentrate on my work as a Lancashire County Councillor, Pendle Borough Councillor & Colne Town Councillor, and so best serve ALL my constituents.
I am a Board Member at Nelson & Colne College with a responsibility for developing skills for young adults. I am also an LEA governor at two local schools, those being Trawden Forest Primary School, and at Laneshawbridge Primary School. You can find out more about the work of these excellant schools by selecting "School Governor" from the menu and clicking on the links to the individual websites
I am also a member of S.E.L.R.A.P (Skipton East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership) (with whom I served as General Secretary until May 2005) and support the Royal British Legion and several Wildlife Protection Agencies.
My interests and hobbies include, Formula I Motor Racing, Snooker, Bowls, Walking and anything to do with old trains and railways.
I have always been very interested in politics and more recently in the local political scene. Following my successes at local elections I intend to make a difference for the better in Pendle East.
At County Hall I am the Cabinet Member for Adult & Community Services which has a budget of £450million, and is the largest of the County Councils Directorates.
The areas of responsibilty in this post are :
Adult Social Services. Further, Higher and Adult Education. Community Safety. Customer Access Strategy. Lancashire Shared Customer Service Centre, Locality Focus, Devolution, Social Inclusion, Equality & Diversity, Community Cohesion, Cultural Services. Health Equality & Health improvement.
My ambition as County Councillor for Pendle East Division, is to serve everyone in the area well and to the very best of my ability. It is indeed an honour and a privilege to serve such wonderful people, in such a wonderful part of this great County of Lancashire.I hope to be here for the long term, and to remain the elected representative for Pendle East for many years, so I can affect real changes in many areas, particularly on the issues closest to my heart which include ; Crime and Anti Social Behaviour, Care For The Elderly and the Protection Of The Environment. Of course Primary Health Care, Education, Youth Facilities and the well being of the General Community will also receive my unwavering attention. I shall be working hard to make improvments in all these areas, and as a result I hope my long term commitment to the people of Pendle East Division will become increasingly apparent as I become more and more effective during the coming years.
My biggest pledge is to be a good listener at all times and to always be available to everyone in Pendle East. I will always reply to EVERY constituents query, Every Time. I will be YOUR voice and representative at County Hall. I am also a Pendle Borough Councillor representing Boulsworth Ward, and a Colne town Councillor representing Lidgett Ward.