My family are originally from Edinburgh, but I’ve lived and worked most of my life south of the border.  I tried a few jobs after leaving school but eventually became a probation officer, working mainly in Sunderland – and yes, I’m a Sunderland supporter! I moved to East Anglia in the 1990s and have worked in Cambridge for over 20 years now. We’ve lived in the city since 2009 and although my oldest two boys have now left home, I still have a daughter at Parkside, after many happy years at St. Matthews.

I first joined the Labour Party in 1980 and, once I left my job at the County Council in 2013 was pleased that I could become more active politically again. I undertook aa number of voluntary jobs in the community, being a trustee with Abbey People, was Chair of Governors at the Galfrid, back when it was still Abbey Meadows and spent five years on the board of Centre 33, who do great work with young people locally.

My politics are rooted in the work I’ve always done, focusing on communities. Being a councillor is really an extension of that – it’s all about working with people. I was really proud to be elected to represent Petersfield in 2019, and to be able to represent a ward I’ve known well for many years. And that’s my main priority – to be a really good ward councillor.

I took over from my ward colleague, Richard Robertson, as Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources in 2020. Having detailed knowledge of the finances of the Council gave me a real understanding of the work of our Authority, and the challenges and opportunities that we have. In the spring of 2023, I was chosen by the Labour Group to be our Leader and therefore Leader of the Council. It is very humbling to be given this opportunity and together with an excellent Executive team and committed Labour Group we are striving to do our best for this great city. Our main priority will be to get the basics right, delivering first class services for our residents. We will continue to tackle poverty, address climate change, and build more homes. Our ambition will be to serve you and represent you as best we can.