I have lived in the Exmouth/Budleigh Coastal Division for approximately 10 years and I feel privileged to be standing as a candidate in the County Council elections and if elected I would listen very carefully to the suggestions, queries, and concerns of local people and to promote their interests at County Council level. I will do all that I can to promote genuinely fair, open, and transparent decision making. 

As a councillor, I would challenge budget cuts to libraries, schools, health, and social care services and campaign for better funding for those services. I would work to improve care for vulnerable people and keep my finger on the pulse of health and social care services that are being increasingly limited and privatised. Affordable housing is another issue that needs to be urgently addressed, especially for young people and families who are struggling to get onto the housing ladder. 

I come from an educational and healthcare background with a specific interest in mental health and I have worked and researched in the NHS as well as within universities. I have taught nurses, social workers and other health care professionals and currently work part time with the Open University on a course that looks at health and social care. 

If elected I would want to influence as much as possible a future that responds to people’s needs, is fair for all and to ensure that the county of Devon continues to be a safe and pleasant place to work, live, and to bring up a family.