I moved to Hatfield in 1993 to open the Royal Mail site on the new Hatfield Business Park. British Aerospace had just closed, and I was pleased to be able to offer new opportunities for the residents of Hatfield. I felt privileged that my daughters could grow up here and attend the great local schools. I recently retired after over 40 years with Royal Mail and now volunteer for a national charity which provides me with a great insight into the many challenges that local residents face, particularly in these unprecedented times.

So why am I a Liberal Democrat? I’m not going to pretend that I agree with every Liberal Democrat policy. People look for easy answers to what are often complex problems and no one party has all the right answers. I know that Liberal Democrats values best represent my own and especially their commitment to personal liberties and freedom of expression. Key for me is the commitment to electoral reform: something I’ve always strongly believed in. I don’t think it is right that the current first-past-the-post system ignores the views of so many voters.

As a councillor for Hatfield South West since May 2022 my priority is to ensure that I am seen and readily available to all of my residents and that their voice can be heard. I hold surgeries on the last Wednesday of each month at St. John’s Community Café and on the last Saturday of each month at The Hilltop Community Centre. I use these to help residents with issues including problems with their housing, anti-social behaviour, parking and council tax. I also lead a monthly litter pick for LoveWelwynHatfield encouraging residents to participate including many students from the University.

Improving recycling and deterring fly tipping are big priorities for me. I continue to work hard to introduce recycling from more flats in the ward and to have occasional cage days. An immediate challenge is the issue of parking at the new development at High View which is impacting residents and local businesses alike. I will be ensuring local voices are heard and listened to when agreeing how best to make changes for the better Ensuring my residents know what is happening in their local community is also key and I seek to do this through a monthly newsletter which updates them on local news, how it impacts upon them and how they can influence local consultations.

Local democracy is important, and I do all that I can to champion my local community.

Yours sincerely,
Tim

email: tim@welhatlibdems.org.uk