I am a resident of Shirley East and am a local volunteer. I have an allotment in Shirley East and a child that attends a local school. I am a local activist – my community is my priority.

I get involved to improve my community, and as a resident of Shirley East I know that we are fed up with additional care homes/retirement villages in our ward. As councillor, if elected I would do everything I can to put a stop to any further plans for more of these type of construction projects. We need housing for our young people and we need to eliminate homelessness in our community. Our local housing strategy should properly reflect this. We need more social and affordable housing to keep our community active, diverse and a great place to live.

COVID -19 has shown me that the community spirit is strong not only in Shirley East but in Shirley as a whole. I would like to harness that spirit and not let it disappear as we slowly return to our new normal. I would do all I can to support our local groups, to enable them to thrive and achieve their objectives.

When it comes to Brexit, I voted to remain but I am also a socialist and believe in democracy. I lost the argument, so I will do all I can to make the situation work. All future council contracts should be issued to British companies and if we cannot find one, then I would advise the service be brought in-house and run by the council.