About me

I was born and grew up in Blackheath in south east London. My father Norman was from Dartford, and I spent a lot of time in my childhood in some of the places I now represent, such as Eynsford and Shoreham.

I live in the Darent Valley Division with my wife Michelle, and our son and daughter, who attended a local state primary school and are now at Kent secondary schools. 

I was elected as County Councillor for Darent Valley in May 2005, and re-elected in 2009 and 2013. In 2017 I was elected as County Councillor for the new Sevenoaks North and Darent Valley Division. Here is just some of what I've done in that time:

·         Worked to secure new buildings for Crockenhill School

·         Stood up for communities in Badgers Mount and Shoreham threatened with damaging minerals and waste sites

·         Campaigned for a Sevenoaks grammar school

·         Worked to improve Kent Highways winter service after the severe winter of 2010, commissioning a report on what had gone wrong and securing improvements

·         Road improvements in Eynsford: interactive sign on the A225 northbound, safety measures on Poston House bend, new kerbing in Riverside

·         In Swanley, an interactive sign for Goldsel Road, salt bins for the High Firs estate, resurfacing of Manse Way

·         Community broadband in Well Hill and Crockenhill

·         Secured the 414 bus for the older people's community of Southdowns in Horton Kirby/ South Darenth

·         Tackled flooding and drainage issues, such as Boakes Meadow in Shoreham

·         Campaigned against Horton Kirby Fire Station closure, now monitoring the Fire Authority's commitment to full coverage at Swanley

In addition to being a local Member, I held various posts in the KCC cabinet, including Economic Development, Corporate Services, Health Reform, Education and Children's Services. I oversaw Kent's successful hosting of the 2007 Tour de France; promoted tourism and investment in the County; brought in new pay systems in the County Council to reward performance and merit, not time served. I led Kent's work with national government to bring superfast broadband to the County, and chaired the Kent Health and Wellbeing Board to build a partnership with the NHS. At Education, I oversaw large-scale school expansion to meet rising rolls, including the Sevenoaks grammar annex, and an expansion and enhancement of our special school provision.

In October 2019, I was elected Leader of the County Council.

Before I was a County Councillor, I worked for fifteen years in the investment banking industry as an analyst. In that time, I spent three and a half years living and working in Japan, which was a fascinating experience; after coming back home, I was an analyst of the European banking industry. I have also worked for the think tank Policy Exchange as a Research Director.

Between 2006 and 2008 I was secretary and editor of the Conservative Party's Democracy Task Force, chaired by Ken Clarke and developing policy proposals for David Cameron on constitutional reform and better, cleaner government. Much of what we worked on then has since been enacted or is under serious consideration by government.

I have written two books. The first, A Good Comrade: Janos Kadar, Communism and Hungary led to my being awarded an honour by the Hungarian government for its contribution to understanding of the country's modern history. My second book, Account Rendered: Extraordinary Rendition and Britain's Role (written with Conservative MP Andrew Tyrie and Stuart McCracken) examines Britain's role in the American programme of 'rendition' and maltreatment of  terrorist suspects. I have also written many shorter publications on local government, constitutional issues and international affairs.   

You can find my page on the Kent County Council website, including my Annual Report, Register of Interests and expenses.