Meet James
I was meant to be born in Nottinghamshire but was actually born in Sheffield after a last-minute transfer from Bassetlaw Hospital because, as a triplet, there weren’t enough incubators for all three of us! I’ve been largely based in Nottinghamshire ever since, growing up on a farm in the village of South Wheatley.
The farm was actively worked by my family from before the Second World War until the late 1990s when it was contracted to another local farmer. In the mid-2010s, a decision was taken to redevelop the main farm site to help maintain the buildings and preserve some of the village’s traditional agricultural architecture. After several years’ planning, the first development phase commenced in September 2021 and completed in August 2022.
I returned to live at the farm full-time with my wife Laura who spent 13 years in Sheffield studying and practising medicine. She is currently working in Rotherham as an obstetrician. We both love our sport and Scandi noir dramas (!) and attend church weekly in Sheffield.
Professional experience
After studying history at university, I started work at a marketing agency in Lincoln and joined a graduate scheme in London in 2011. I’ve subsequently worked for a range of household names such as Barclaycard, Shell, Thames Water, Lloyds, TSB, SSE, RSA and others. Key projects include:
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Working on the creation of TSB Bank from Lloyds Banking Group.
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Launching 'PayTag', a near-field communications tag that customers stick on the back of their mobile phones to make payments.
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Working for the Government of Albania to train staff and set-up new teams following the election of a new party into government.
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Producing the blueprint for a new trading arm for Thames Water in preparation for competition in the business-to-business water industry.
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Preparing SSE for the sale of its domestic business to OVO Energy.
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Leading SSE's ambitious smart meter campaign for businesses.
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Introducing faster switching for domestic utility customers (an Ofgem initiative).
13 years leading large programmes for FTSE-listed companies
7 years full-time in the energy industry
PROSCI, MSP and Prince2 qualified
5 years as a rural councillor
Multi-billion-pound investment secured, October 2022
Creating a further 9,699 jobs by 2038 via a Local Plan
Over £60m guaranteed so far in Levelling Up Funds
Trustee or board member for 8 regional organisations
My track record
Campaigning
As a Councillor, I am constantly pushing campaigns to improve residents’ lives and to give a voice to the vulnerable. Over the past 18 months, key areas of focus have included:
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Introducing local eligibility criteria so that First Homes directly benefit local residents and workers.
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Passing the ‘Great Homes Retrofit’ motion from the Co-op Party, calling on the Government to accelerate the insulation of 19 million homes.
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Introducing a new Homeless and Rough Sleeper Prevention Strategy for 2023-2028.
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Introducing two new policies associated with domestic abuse, one for employees and one for residents.
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Calling on the Government to treat care experience as a protected characteristic.
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Passing a motion formalising concerns about SEND and Alternative Provision services in Nottinghamshire.
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Calling on the Government to extend the existing contract between the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the Post Office.
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Passing a motion formalising concerns about the accessibility of e-cigarettes and vapes to young people.
Role as a Council Leader
As Leader of Bassetlaw District Council, my job is to set the direction for the local authority.
Since I became Leader in September 2022, we've been developing a vision for Bassetlaw through to 2040 and, after re-election in May 2023, are working hard to deliver this.
I am immensely proud of the work that I've done with the West Burton Residents' Planning Group which helped to bring the multi-billion-pound STEP fusion energy programme to Bassetlaw, and will be aiming to use this as a catalyst for growth and investment across the district, North Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands as a whole.
Other successes in recent months include receiving £3.4m of UK Shared Prosperity Fund money, £715,000 Rural England Prosperity Fund money, £18m of Levelling Up Fund money, becoming a Levelling Up Partnerships local authority (£19.65m) and undertaking a £1m+ refurbishment of the Council's main offices to make them more energy efficient and cost-effective, meaning more money can be spent annually on residents' priorities.
I am always happy to speak to residents and businesses directly. I am also a point of escalation for councillors when things get 'stuck'.
As it states in the vision document for 2040, I believe that 2023 to 2040 will be a defining period for the region due to the sizeable investment coming to our area. Together, we can do something that will radically change lives and I look forward to playing my part in making this happen, in whatever form that takes.