Why I am standing for the Town Council (again)

I was co-opted onto the Town Council back in June 2011. I joined a diverse team of great councillors and brilliant staff. We work together and make valuable contributions to the lives of everyone here in Buckingham including:

• Events that build community and bring people together 
• Parks, play areas and green spaces that add beauty and enjoyment to our town
• Scrutiny of planning applications so that the town grows and changes carefully, without losing our heritage
• and much more that goes on to keep the town in good balance

Over nearly ten years, I have helped the Town Council become more strategic and more focused on delivering outcomes for the town. My particular contributions include:

• persisting with getting solar energy into our buildings (we are nearly there!)
• celebrating the birth of community nursing here in Buckingham more than 125 years ago by initiating a health festival in the town
• building stronger links between the Town Council and the University of Buckingham by working closely with the Vice Chancellor
• initiating the country's first ever 'Good Endings Fair' designed to help people plan for the future when they will no longer be around, overcoming some of the fear of death, wills and funerals
• campaigning on road safety in our town including the (then) infamous London Road roundabout and continuing to press for 20mph speed limits on roads where there are lots of children
• working with and for young people to get a new and well designed skate park in place and other activities for children

As reward and acknowledgement of my contributions to the Town Council, my councillor colleagues elected me to become Town Mayor for two years running. It was a tremendous privilege and honour to do this for the Town - and my wife and I hugely enjoyed those two years.

I made a point of being the most accessible and transparent Town Mayor Buckingham has ever had: my blog about my journeys as Town Mayor was downloaded more than a 1/4 million times over those two years. You can read it still here: themayorofbuckingham.blogspot.com

I know I have more to contribute to the Town and the Town Council. I seek your vote to enable me to do this. Thank you.