I was born and brought up in Kent, but moved to the North of England in 2003, and have lived in Manchester since 2011. It was when I moved to Manchester that I became politically active – inspired by a combination of the city’s rich radical tradition, anger at the damage being done by Tory and Lib Dems austerity, and a desire to make a positive difference to people’s lives.

That desire drove me to stand for Council. I am proud to represent the residents of Withington ward, where I was first elected as a Labour and Co-operative Councillor in 2016.

As well as dealing with casework, I am actively involved with local community groups including Friends of Ladybarn Park and Withington Civic Society. I champion our fantastic local businesses and support drives to improve our district centres.

I sit on the Health Scrutiny Committee, and I am the Council’s Lead for LGBT Men’s Issues. I have previously also been the regional lead for LGBT+ Labour, and was a member of their national committee for several years.

In addition to LGBT issues, my main areas of interest are health and social care, crime and policing, housing (particularly the private rented sector, having been a private tenant for years), public transport and the environment. As an active trade unionist in both UNISON and GMB, workers’ rights are very important to me.