About Me

I stood in the 2011 Local Elections as the candidate for Whitley ward in Reading and stood again in the 2012 Local Elections too. I am also standing in Readings’ Local Elections in 2014 to represent Whitley Ward.  I actually live in Whitley so I know many of the issues faced by the local community and as well as being proud to live here, I’m proud to be able to stand in the local elections and represent my neighbours. If elected, I promise to:

  • Continue to listen to residents and be accessible at all times
  • Represent the rights and needs of our area on the council and make sure that my vote on the council is used for the benefit of Residents
  • Protect valuable services used by people in our area and ensure that vulnerable adults and children get the support that they need
  • Work with residents, local police teams  and Neighbourhood Action Groups to cut crime in  our area
  • Fight for investment in our neighbourhoods to help build cleaner, stronger, safer communities
  • Continue to fight against discrimination in our ward as well as Reading
  • Be here all year – not just in the lead up to an election

Well it only seems right that I share a little bit about myself!

Tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m in my 30’s and live on Kennet Island in Reading with my partner and King Charles Cavalier, Blenham. Hailing from Kent originally, I moved to West London before eventually moving to Reading to find cheaper accomodation and work!

Why do you want to be a Councillor and why are you standing for Council?

I am standing as councillor as I want to make a difference in my local community. A year of unemployment and disgraceful treatment by the Job Centre here in Reading spurned me into wanting to take action! During this time of unemployment, I also was elected chair of the Kennet Island Residents Association and dealt with issues such as Clamping and Snow Clearance and I really took reward in seeing the difference my input had lcoally. Living in Whitely, I have seen repeated election candidates across the parties come to stand in Whitley who don’t live here and I wanted to change that as only a resident would know what it’s like to live in the ward. I also used to be dissappointed when current councillors only appeared at our local May Day Event in an election year.  I’m passionate about Whitley and Reading and I decided that the only way to protect both would be to stand as a local councillor. At the end of the day, the Local Council makes so many decisions on our behalf around transportation, schools, parks, libraries etc that I didn’t want them to make the wrong one! I spent years thinking that all Political Parties are the same. In some respect they do have their similarities in that they all think that they know the best way to run this country. I don’t believe that any political party goes out of it’s way to ruin the country but sometimes one of their decisions may prove to be the wrong one. In this instance, the protocol seems to be that the other parties all turn on the party that makes a mistake – even though it’s probably a fair bet that the other parties would have made the same mistake!

Didn’t you stand as a Lib Dem Candidate in 2011?

I did and I originally chose the Lim Dems ultimately for their LGBT Policies. As an openly Gay Man, I believe that the Lib Dems had made the better progress in Equality.  In the last General Election, the Lib Dems where thrust further into the limelight when Nick Clegg showed how in touch he was with the people and I found myself declaring that I believed in Nick!  I now feel that an elected councillor should be independent of a political party so as to ensure they are always representing their residents needs and not those of a political party.  I want to give the people of Whitley an alternative.

If you were made Prime Minister for a week, what would you do?

I would force the parties to spend less time bickering and blaming each other and start dealing with the issues that need addressing! I hate watching question time when they all blame each other – it’s such a waste of time that distracts people from finding solutions.

What do you do for a living?

I work in Social Care and a regional manager of a home care service that provides care and support to vulnerable people accross the South.  Through this role I have seen first hand how cuts are affecting the level of care people recieve.  That said, I’ve also seen how personalisation can really benefit people accessing services.

Haven’t you had some some controversial career choices?

I know what you’re alluding to!  Like everyone, I have had some jobs that I have been proud of and others that I don’t publicise though most people consider my past career as an actor and female impersonator as controversial.  I don’t.  It might not be in the same career bracket as a Travel Agent or Mechanic but it’s still a career of sorts.  In the May 2011 Local Elections, commentators on the getreading.co.uk website decided that this was something to hold against me and labelled me a professional liar.  They are of course entitled to their opinions but acting gave me the confidence to speak in public and take on differing roles in life – including that of a politician.  The character of ‘Sue Panover’, as well as being the original face of Reading’s successful Pride Festival, has also raised large sums of money for a number of charities.

What are you interested in away from Politics?

I love Karaoke, Computers, Soaps and going out!

Do you have any pets?

I have a 10 year old King Chales Cavalier called Blenham who has syringomyelia. It’s been extremely tough over the last few years.

How many Facebook friends have you got?

I just had to check! I have 533 though I don’t communicate with all of them!  For balance, I have 430 twitter followers.

Why should we vote for you?

Not only do I live in Whitley and am best able to understand issues in Whitley, I will listen to everyone and find ways in which I can be accessible to everyone. I will always be honest and transparent and will never hide anything. I am hard working by nature and I will champion all of our causes, issues and concerns. This is OUR Whitley and If you want someone that can share that passion for our local community then I hope that you consider voting for me in the local election.