Below is the candidate profile for Mike Osborne-Town, the Labour Party candidate for the Stone Town Council – Stonefield and Christchurch by-election.
This profile has been added to our Candidate Profiles page on our 2021 election hub – click here to see more candidate profiles.
Answers to the questions aren’t edited, other than for formating, and are therefore the candidates own words.
In your own words tell our readers about yourself:
I am married and have lived in Stone for more than 30 years, most of these in the Stone Urban Ward. My children attended local First, Middle and High Schools which gave them a good preparation for adult life, both educationally and socially. Stone is, and should continue to be, a great place to grow up, live and grow old. My career was in secondary education, first as a teacher, then headteacher, and finally as a CEO of a Multi-Academy Trust. I also worked for the County Council as County Commissioner for Education and in the private sector as Managing Director of a medium-size business.
What’s your personal statement about why you’re standing and what you want to achieve over the term if elected?
My career has helped me to understand the importance of public services to local communities, as well as the importance of spending money wisely. However, my main reason for standing is to try to make Stone the Green capital of Staffordshire, promoting policies that are sustainable, environmentally friendly and climate friendly. I would also support all of the good work being done to make Stone a thriving small town and a good place to live. In particular, I would want to make sure the Crown Wharf Development was a success.
How does standing as a political party candidate affect serving local people on local issues?
Currently, everyone on Stone Town Council is a member of the Independent Party. This is not healthy for local democracy. I would want to work with the Independents but not be one of them and therefore would be able to hold them to account. National party politics, I think, are largely irrelevant. However, by electing me, constituents would know that I stand for the values of fairness, social justice, compassion and honesty.
Do you live in the area you’re standing for, if not what’s your link to Stone and your reason for standing in this area and not your own?
Yes, I have lived in the Stonefield and Christchurch Ward for the last 25 years.
What’s been your history as a political councillor?
I have now stood 3 times but have not yet been elected.
Apart from family commitments what other commitments do you have on your time? This could be work, business, voluntary or community roles – if these are linked to organisations in Stone then please mention it.
Currently, I work part-time as a volunteer in an emergency surgical ward at the Royal Stoke Hospital; I help with the Rotary mobility scheme and deliver food parcels for the Hub; I am a governor at a local school and a director of a local Multi-Academy Trust. My hobbies are sport, art and reading. I am a member of Stone Tennis Club, Stone Golf Club, Westbridge Park gym and the Staffordshire Society of Artists. I look forward to supporting the exciting, new Crown Wharf development.
What are the top 5 issues that you think affect the residents of Stone currently have?
- From the people I speak to, their main issue currently is restoring Stone High Street to become the thriving, social and business hub it should be when covid restrictions are lifted. As we may be living with covid for months to come, we will have to make sure our shops and amenities are both safe and easy to use.
- The main issue young people ask about is what are we doing about the climate emergency eg by reducing carbon emissions from traffic, reducing litter and the use of plastics, conserving green spaces, looking after footpaths and promoting biodiversity.
- Another big issue that people still talk about is what are we planning to do to minimise the effects of HS2, especially relating to lorries and the traffic at road junctions.
- The most positive issue that people are talking about is the Crown Wharf development and how to make it the go-to place for entertainment, meetings and activities.
- Lastly, people I speak to are proud to live in Stone and don’t want it to be spoiled by all of the new building developments. We just need to make sure that local facilities like doctors’ surgeries and schools can cope with the increase in population so that Stone continues to be a good place to live, especially for children, young people and those of us who are a bit older.
How will you keep in touch with your constituents’ concerns?
Through a Town Council email address, a presence at local meetings and on the High Street and through local social media. I think it is important to be the kind of person who is easily approachable, who listens and who is prepared to act.
