Emma is a former Chair of Chelmsley Wood Town Council and former Vice Chair of the Joint CLP for Solihull and Meriden Labour Party. In the recent past she has stood as a Labour Council candidate for the wards of Chelmsley Wood and Castle Bromwich, and has helped to campaign during the local and general elections.
She has lived in Castle Bromwich for 19 years and has been actively involved in the wider communities of Solihull, Chelmsley Wood and Hodge Hill in Birmingham. Her two children attend the local schools where she has seen first-hand the shortages in funding to education over the last decade. These shortages also included the closure of the Castle Bromwich Sure Start centre which was a vital hub of support for families in the area.
She believes that our community is one we should be proud of, especially the volunteers who give up their free time to make the area a safer, cleaner and more pleasant place to live, however she recognises that some aspects of this work were traditionally undertaken by the Borough Council and other agencies and that we should not solely rely on the good will of others in this respect. Adequate and properly funded areas of the budget would allow for these roles to be undertaken by paid employees.
She believes in the living wage and the right to fair pay for a fair days work. She strongly supports the NHS and key workers who have seen us through the hardest of years during the ongoing global pandemic, and was angered to learn that these workers will only receive a 1% pay increase which is a disgrace and insult to the hard work and dedication given day in and day out. She will fight for adequate and fair pay across the borough and will demand all Solihull employees, direct or sub-contracted, are compensated fairly for their hard work.
Professionally, Emma works in the construction industry for a leading house builder, her role requires a head for figures and an eye for detail which enable her to understand budgets and scrutinise in detail. These are all vital skills when understanding funding issues faced by the wider Solihull Borough.
Her past experience at Town Council level has given her insight into local government at the grass roots, and her strong voice will ensure the residents of Castle Bromwich have their concerns heard and then addressed.