Why I’m standing

Why I am standing as a Liberal Democrat

I started with a local problem. I stepped up because I learned how the system really works, and how hard it is for villages to get heard when it doesn’t.

I did not come into this through party politics.

I came into it through local issues, local responsibility and local involvement. That includes parish council work, support for the village shop, community funding conversations, and backing our church as a historic village asset which matters whether you are religious or not.

Road safety in Great Paxton was a big part of that. Like many people locally, I could see the risks. So I got involved properly, not as a talking point, but as a piece of work that needed pushed.

The lesson Good local work still stalls if parish, district, county and Parliament are not joined up

The decision I stepped up when James Catmur had to step back, because I did not want momentum to stall

The reason This is about strengthening the voice of all six villages, not just one

Practical local action, not politics for its own sake.

How it started

I did not start with party politics. I started with a village problem.

As a parish councillor, I helped work on one of the strongest Local Highways Improvement bids Great Paxton had submitted. It was serious, evidence-led work, backed by resident support and built around a clear local need.

We came close.

But we still did not get it.

That was a huge lesson. It showed me that being right is not always enough. Hard work, good evidence and local backing still need the right support across the system if anything is going to move.

The political lesson

I have seen both versions of the system

That is really what brought me here. I have seen what local government feels like when it is fragmented, and I have seen what starts to happen when it becomes more aligned and accessible.

Before

A fragmented stack

When we first pushed hard on road safety and wider village priorities, representation existed at district, county and parliamentary level, but it was not functioning as a joined-up chain of support.

That meant local work could still stall, even when the need was obvious.

Great Paxton had strong reasons for action, but like many villages, it could still end up waiting, and waiting, and waiting some more.

Now

A more aligned and responsive picture

With Sarah Caine at county level and Ian Sollom as our MP, the picture changed. It became more accessible, more responsive and more joined up.

That does not solve everything overnight, but it gives local issues somewhere to go. And when that happens, things start to move.

After years of drift, Great Paxton is now closer to seeing progress on long-standing issues than it has been for a very long time.

The key point: this is not about abstract party preference. It is about whether the different levels of local representation are actually working together in a way that helps villages get heard and get results.

Why I stepped up

James Catmur stepping back mattered

When James Catmur had to step back due to ill health, I had a decision to make.

Do I leave that momentum to chance, just as local alignment is starting to improve?

Or do I step forward and help protect it?

I chose to step forward.

Why Liberal Democrat

This is about what works

This is not really about labels. It is about what works in practice.

I have seen the difference aligned, accessible representation can make. Standing as a Liberal Democrat means working within a structure that already understands local government, responds to local issues and helps turn effort into outcomes.

That does not mean giving up independence of mind. It means choosing the structure that gives our villages the best chance of being heard and getting results.

Why now

Momentum is worth protecting

After decades of Conservative dominance in these villages, people got used to drift and delay.

What I have seen recently is not magic, but it is movement. And once you have seen the difference joined-up representation can make, you do not lightly give it up.

That is why I am standing now.

Watch the wider case

Why alignment matters

This short film helps make the wider point. Progress is much more possible when the different levels are working together properly.

Bigger than one village

This is not just about Great Paxton

Great Paxton is where much of this story starts for me, but it is not where it ends.

Across the ward, villages face many of the same challenges, roads, transport, services, planning pressure, local facilities and the feeling of being overlooked.

My reason for standing is not just to protect momentum in one place. It is to help strengthen the voice of all six villages and make sure the ward is represented properly, clearly and consistently.

District and county do not need to agree on everything. But they do need to be aligned enough to help communities get answers and move issues forward.

Get in touch

Tell me what matters where you live

I want this campaign to reflect the real priorities of people across the ward, not just what politicians assume matters.

If there is something in your village that needs pushed, or something I should know, please get in touch.

Email Stephen Back to homepage

Why share this page

A clearer reason for standing

It explains where I came from politically, and why
It shows what the first LHI really taught me about the system
It explains why aligned district, county and parliamentary support matters
It sets out why this is bigger than one village or one issue