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My interest in education was what originally inspired me to get involved in politics. As a mother of four, and like any parent, I’ve devoted a lot of time to thinking about education and how our schools perform. I became an Ofsted inspector because I wanted to get involved, and now I’m a school governor at Milton Park Primary. Good teaching and leadership is crucial to the success of our schools. Good schools are key to the life chances of our young people. We are seeing a real turn-around in the performance of Portsmouth schools.

In the past, Portsmouth depended too much on a narrow range of industries. We need to diversify our employment to provide jobs across a broader spectrum. This government has shown commitment with £774m securing the long-term future of the Dockyard, as well as other spending on local projects. I will continue to push for further investment and support for our local entrepreneurs. 

 Following lots of complaints, we have decided to set up Pompey Litter Pickers to clean up our streets. Many other cities and towns have these community groups and we hope to have a Pompey Litter Picker on every street. We try to go out weekly for an hour which is enough to fill a black bag full of rubbish. The team hopes that by raising awareness of our work, people will stop dropping it!

 Following a survey of many of our small businesses in Southsea and Portsmouth, we have set up a forum which meets regularly. Our next meeting is on Monday 16 February at 6.30pm when we will hear from the Leader of the City Council, Cllr Donna Jones. We will meet at the Florence Arms, Florence Road in the back room as usual - this meeting will only be for small businesses so we can have a frank discussion about the issues.

I will be writing to all pensioners shortly to find out what issues matter to them. However, I know that some elderly people are feeling isolated as their families live away or are working and have little time to look after them. I would like to find out how many people feel like this and what resources there are in the community already to help them. Please contact me if you do need support or know people that might need help, or if you have an organisation which will help people so I can put them in touch with you. 

I have set up an English Conversation Group for ladies that wish to practise their English speaking. We are meeting at the Kings Centre in Elm Grove every Monday at 11.30-12.30pm during term time, children are welcome as there are toys. If you are interested in attending or helping please give me a ring or contact me by email.