I’ve lived in Kings Hedges since I was born and grew up in a council house near the Ship pub.
I grew up playing football in the Pulley park and went to school in the neighbouring Arbury and Chesterton wards, with my further and higher education at Long Road and Anglia Ruskin University.
I’m a carer to my non verbal autistic brother and live with my 3 rescue cats, Sweep, Wallace and Zuzu.
I am now a public servant working as a forensic scientist in London.
I'm a Prospect trade union member, currently training to be a workplace rep so that I can help my colleagues.
I understand the struggles of the working class because I live those struggles on a daily basis. Everything is getting more expensive and everything is broken. I left the Labour party because they no longer represent the interests of the most vulnerable in society and are more interested in appeasing the far right and the interests of billionaires and privatising our NHS. Britain is broken, not because of immigrants, but because of decades of austerity and unequal wealth distribution. The working classes are squeezed in taxes while the billionaires enjoy their tax breaks.
I stood in two local elections under Labour, and came within 24 votes here in King's Hedges, my home ward. I left Labour due to its stance on Gaza and I felt helpless and politically homeless, so I joined Palestine Solidarity Campaign demonstrations and I volunteered as a steward on multipkle occassions, as well as signing up to Peace and Justice Project.
I am standing in this election because I am fed up of absent councillors who do not live here but decide on matters that affect our community, behind closed doors and without involving the community. They are only visible when they need our vote.
Labour say they are building houses here but not all of these houses go to those who need them, a lot are sold to overseas investors while families and those who need them are on long waiting lists.
There are no affordable homes for those who grew up here and for those who want to stay close to their community.
I agree that good quality houses need to be built, but we also need green spaces for our community wellbeing and for children to play.
The council plans for house building never factor in the need for adequate car parking spaces or green spaces when new houses are built, one such example are the newly built houses next to The Ship pub.
Our roads are unsafe due to being in a constant state of disrepair with potholes, and antisocial driving and the streets and courts are not safe because of lack of lighting and CCTV.
There have been accidents on Kings Hedges road due to speeding and many cats are killed by speeding drivers and children are at risk of being hit.
Our issues in Kings Hedges go deeper than potholes, litter and fly tipping. We are the second most deprived ward in Cambridge where the wealth is so unequally distributed.
Food bank usage is at an all time high in our ward and there is nowhere for our youth and children to go and have fun and learn new skills.
Cambridge is getting significant investment from the government and is tipped to be the next silicone valley. If I am elected, I will make sure that we get money spent on projects in Kings Hedges that will benefit our community. I will make sure that Kings Hedges is not left behind.