About me

Last Updated on August 10, 2024

I come from Cornwall and my background is in local government and the charity sector. For several years I have been actively involved in Citizen Network and am their lead member on democratic and constitutional reform in the UK. I am also a member of the Democracy Network steering group and our efforts are directed at addressing the growing inequality of power and wealth that has disenfranchised large sections of the public. It is this pervading sense of powerlessness that is a key driver of the angry, populist politics we see today. Part of the solution is to devolve real power back to local people and communities.

Despite now living in Brighton I maintain connections to Cornwall and remain a trustee of Cornwall Poverty Forum. In that role, I spent much of last year chairing a working group, via zoom, which has developed a proposal for a Community Wealth Fund. This is a form of economic democracy and its aim is to invest in local businesses, co-operatives and mutuals in a way that accelerates the transition to a green economy. We have been helped in the design by the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose as well as useful feedback by both local universities and Cornwall Council. This remains an ongoing project and we await developments with regard to a changing political and funding landscape.