I was born in Great Yarmouth 49 years ago and have lived in Brooke near Norwich with wife Philippa and two daughters Susan [21] and Laura [20] since 1997.
At University in Reading, I gained a first-class degree in Agriculture [1990] and later in 1995 a Nuffield Scholarship to study advanced farming techniques in the United States.
From 1998-2011, I was a Director of family firm of J & H Bunn in Great Yarmouth established as fertiliser manufacturers and agricultural merchants for over 190 years. Following sale of that business to new owners in March 2011, I am now responsible for managing the sellers’ remaining business interests.
I was first elected to South Norfolk Council in 2003 and led local Conservatives to take control of The Council in 2007.
A wide ranging business career in manufacturing and agriculture has helped me to being a commercial edge to the business of running a Council transforming it to run on business-like lines whilst freezing Council Tax in eight of the last ten years, whilst achieving first place nationally in a number of areas that maximise quality of life.
We are leading in areas of Localism, Housing & Planning, Revenues & Benefits, Street Cleanliness & Recycling and South Norfolk contributes actively to the national District Councils’ Network. The BBC ranks South Norfolk as one of the top-ten places to start a business and our Council has consistently received a top-ten new homes bonus of any district council in the country for housing delivery. We have consistently delivered in excess of 1% of all affordable homes built in this country. In 2017 the LGC magazine ranked South Norfolk as one of the top-six Councils nationwide.
I have been a member of the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership for five years and have chaired the Greater Norwich Development Partnership. I have previously Chaired of the Food, Drink & Agriculture Sector Group for Norfolk & Suffolk that aims to maximise the contribution of food & farming to the East Anglian economy.
At the Local Government Association am the Chairman of the District Councils’ Network and I lead Local Government Finance for the Conservative Party.
Separately I am a member of the Local Government Pension Scheme [LGPS] Advisory Board and also sit on the Fire Service Pensions Scheme Advisory Board and Chair their Cost Effectiveness Committee.
In 2015, I was appointed to the Minister’s CIL Review Panel. I have represented the LGA in Parliament at various Select Committee hearings as a specialist witness on local Government financial matters and appeared on Radio4’s Money Box Live and Today programmes during the year.
