My name is Dr. Ross Hills and I am hoping to gain your support as the Conservative candidate for the upcoming Leicestershire County Council elections in the Mallory division - covering Barwell, Kirkby Mallory, Stapleton, Peckleton, Barlestone and Newbold Verdon.
Despite not being a seasoned politician I am putting my name forward as I am tired of our local area always being at the back of the queue when it comes to investment and support, making the lives of my friends and family more difficult.
In the past we have received this beneficial attention. When I was a boy growing up in Barwell I wasn’t allowed to play outside due to bad anti-social behaviour and the common sight of burnt out cars. Through the perseverance of hard working locals, police investment was made and improvements were seen. Over the last few years though, no-one has been the advocate for our area and so standards have slipped with crime rates sneaking back up.
Consider this - Over the last few years have you seen any improvement in the local roads and parking? Have concerns regarding local crime been taken seriously? Have the community groups in your village seen any support? Has your County Councillor made themself seen? Could you name your County Councillor?
My priorities as a County Councillor for Mallory would be:
- Visibility. Fundamentally my job would be to relay your wishes. I can’t do this without you being able to contact me. Therefore I will set up a mobile number to text/call, an email to drop a message and a Facebook page so I can reach out to community pages. I will start this from the very beginning of my campaign. Test me and drop me a message!
- Supporting young people. I sit on the executive of a national charity which is set up to show young people the importance of engaging in their local community and was a guest at Number 10 Downing Street talking about this. Compared to other areas Mallory can seem like a slow place to grow up. In my opinion we need to put faith in young people and show them that hard work pays off. Secure the local bus routes giving the freedom of travel. Have more starter homes so they can move out of their parents place. Support the attractiveness of technical training for a lasting career.
- Help residents be healthy. The County Council is in charge of local public health spending but they need to take it seriously and make bold decisions in helping the healthy choices become the easy choices. This is done through the creation of cycle routes and installation of cycle racks in villages. Ensuring contraception is free in schools. That residents have access to mental health support workers. I am the founder of an oral health non-profit group and work locally for the NHS so see first hand the importance of these health initiatives.
- Sustainable development. It is a legal requirement for every local area to have a steady house building program and if it does not it becomes almost powerless to deny big developers. We have hit a bust in this regard recently as the Borough Council has bet all their eggs on massive major projects that totally change the local landscape and after years have simply ended up too difficult to deliver. We need to see smaller, more low key, developments that most importantly have commitments to support the local road network, school supply and village facilities.
Thank you for reading my plan of how I believe we should improve our local area. I am sure you will have your own thoughts and comments so please do get in touch and let me know them!