My wife Beverley and I have lived in Fareham for over 25 years. We both love the area, which we believe has a strong community spirit. The people are friendly, and I relish the challenge of becoming a councillor and helping to make Fareham an even better place for everyone to live.

I have two sons Andrew and Michael who I am incredibly proud of. Michael was born with a severe mental disability, which has installed in me a passion for fighting for people who have any disability. My parents instilled in me a strong belief that family is the core of everything and is the place where children learn the values that make us all what we are. 

On leaving school, I enrolled at the Portsmouth Naval Base as a fitter and turner apprentice. Over the last 35 years, I have held senior managerial positions with various national companies, which I feel has given me a unique set of skills. I believe these skills will help me if I am fortunate enough to be able to help the people of Fareham.
 

I believe that we need to tackle two issues in Fareham.
· Drugs
· Crime 

Life today brings with it a great deal of stress and parents in many cases find it hard to cope. The result is that both parents must work in order to pay the bills and maintain a roof over their heads. In many homes, it means children spend a lot of their time alone and do not get the guidance they need. The result is that they can get tangled up with the wrong groups of people who influence their behaviour.

When children are born, they are innocent. It is their experiences in life that turn them into the person they are today. A retired former Police Superintendant told me recently that we need to get children off the streets. He stated “it is important to keep children out of the criminal justice system. Once they enter it, the majority are lost to society”. 

We need to give them opportunities and show we care about them. If this is to be accomplished, we need to look at what we are doing to provide a better environment for our children. Children need to know they are special and wanted in society. We need to empower them and reward their achievements. Everyone has an ability for something, and we need to find what it is and nurture it. If they feel they are a nuisance and cannot see a future for themselves, we should not be surprised when they rebel against society. 
 

There are key elements that need to be put in place if we are to reduce crime in Fareham. 
· Set up more youth clubs
· Influence children whilst at school (no later than age 13)
· Create career opportunities including apprenticeship schemes
· Set up a team of mentors

Setting up places for young people to go will result in them being influenced and given advice by professionals, who can change their lives for the better. This can then be linked to educational needs and lead to them getting decent jobs. 
There are, of course, many issues that influence people and their quality of life. They are all important, and I promise to listen to everyone and do my very best to solve them. Over the coming weeks, I will be surveying the people of Fareham East to find out what the concerns are. tunityThis means residents will have the opportunity to decide what it is you want me to focus on.
 

If elected, I will work tirelessly to create opportunities for all the residents of Fareham and help them with any problems they may have. I respectfully ask you to vote for me and allow me the opportunity to make a difference to everyone’s lives.

Why not take my Survey? - https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/stepheningram (22 Oct 2019)