Dear Fellow Electors
I have lived in the Chipping Norton area since I98I and currently own and
operate, with my wife Jan, Stones on the Market
Place, a bar and restaurant, and the Bell Inn in West Street, a community
pub. Our two eldest sons live and work in the area. I moved to Chipping
Norton because it was attractive, a great place to bring a family up in
and a vibrant working town. These same values still apply today and, if
elected, I would strive to maintain them. In particular, I would wish to
address five main issues
1.
To maintain Chippy's unique character. It is
not only a tourist town, although tourism is a very important revenue
generator for the town, but primarily it is a town where real people live
and work. We do not want to be overrun with antiques shops and more places
selling bric-a-brac. We need a sustainable mixed
economy where people in the town and the surrounding area can satisfy most
of their day to day needs.
2.
To assist in providing better facilities
for our young adults. The loss of the facilities at the British
Legion is highly regret- table and I would want
to work with existing organisations and in other ways to find a suitable
facility for the town's young people to "chill".
3.
To ensure that the homes in the town are
used for local families. We need to use every effort to ensure that people
who were brought up in the town have priority for social housing in the
town.
4.
To provide an
environment that will encourage businesses to start up in the area and for
existing businesses to relocate here. SME's
(Small
and Medium
enterprises)
are
the
life
blood
of
a
town like Chipping Norton. We need to ensure that all assistance
and advice is easily available and that a supportive network exists for
fledgling companies. I have already started a monthly Business Breakfast
at Stones to encourage an informal contact between businesses in the town
5.
To ensure that any development at the Parker
Knoll site includes affordable housing and small business nursery units.
We must ensure that a development which only encourages people to come to
that facility, e.g. a supermarket, and not to contribute to the general
economy, is avoided. The lessons of Stow on the Wold must be learned.
Tesco maybe great for shoppers but has ruined the town itself. There were
two butchers, now there are none. There was a good hardware shop. It is
closed. At night, when the tourists go home the town centre is dead
If elected, I would work to the best of my ability to look after all
the reasonable concerns that the electors of Chipping Norton have and to
be available to talk to them whenever possible.
