About Me​​

 

I’ve spent over 30 years in business, working in one of Essex’s most successful family businesses – Stockvale. We operate Adventure Island, Sealife Adventure, Radio Essex, restaurants, and a range of properties. I serve as a director, giving me hands-on experience in broad range of skills such as finance, leading large teams, and delivering services that people enjoy and rely on.​  I grew up on social benefits and attended one of the tougher schools in Essex - which will always stay with me - however, I was lucky enough to end up going to university studying a business MBA.  As a result, I believe I have a high level of competence to deal with the strategic set of challenges that the role of Mayor of Essex will bring,  combined with a strong social conscience for which I will continue to help residents from disadvantaged backgrounds.

​

I co-founded the Confelicity Party, a proudly Essex-based party that believes local people should have the power to make decisions for their own communities – not distant bureaucrats in London.  ​I have stood in several local elections and was proud to run for Parliament in the last General Election.  Running for Mayor of Essex will put our fledgling party further on the map, and I hope residents will get to know that there is another option - a locally-minded one that would see more money, resources and power in the hands of those who live in any given area.

 

We all know how wonderful Essex is with the different towns and cities such as Colchester, Chelmsford and Southend, but there are so many more villages and towns that deserve our attention and have seen a severe lack of resources. If I were elected, I would empower the people who live their to make their decisions as much as I could, because how I could I possibly know the needs of any other area than my own?  Top-down management does not work very well and so I will be holding regular surgeries around the county for your input. ​​

​

I hope you can find faith in our ground-level, grass-roots way of doing things, and elect me your first ever Mayor of Essex.

​

Best wishes, James 

​​​