Meet your 2021/22 cohort

In 2009 I undertook and passed an access course in order to get into university. This allowed me to be accepted onto a law degree course, and I achieved a law degree in 2013 as a mature student. In 2016 I returned and gained a master's in law in 2017, both from the University of Essex.

During that time, I decided to get involved in politics and was elected for the first time in 2015, and again in 2019. My drive to get involved in politics was partly because, whilst at university, many of the lecturers liked to push their own political viewpoints during unrelated lectures, this put me in a position where I had to disagree with their viewpoints and felt it was time to stand up for those views in public.

I've been a cabinet member and portfolio holder for Leisure and Tourism since 2019 which has been extremely enjoyable as it means I get to be behind some big events, like the air show and cycle race, even getting to meet people like Mark Cavendish.

At the same time as being at university, I set up my own business which I still run today.

Councillor Ally Simcock became a councillor for Sandford Hill in Stoke on Trent in May 2019, but is no stranger to standing up for what she believes in. She was the first female chair of the Port Vale FC Supporters Club back in 2012, which then led her in to becoming a member of and then director of the national supporter-led movements. She also supports fans of the national team when England play abroad and is the only fan member of the fixtures working party. 

Ally had a long career in further education, working primarily with Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETS) and teaching in various parts of the wider community. Currently, she is the lead member for adult social care and healthcare, with a dedication to improving and transforming our adult social care systems.

It is my privilege to be the Young People’s Champion and chair of the Corporate Parenting Group. I seek to raise awareness of all young people’s views and concerns, whilst making sure they have the best opportunities in life.

My first position was as a civil servant working with the unemployed. I previously owned a retail business in a local market town and have served as a school governor and town councillor. I have worked in education for many years, fourteen of which I worked in a SEND school. I am chair of the local Conservative Branch.

I was first elected in 2019, aged 25, to Rushmoor Borough Council, and have since been appointed as chairman of the Development Management Committee.

I joined the Conservatives aged 16 and have spent the last twelve years as an active member of the Voluntary Party. I routinely coordinate campaign activity locally, and was appointed Agent to the Aldershot Conservative Association in 2020.

I’ve previously held roles in legal services and the NHS, and have spent the past three years as Constituency Office Manager to Leo Docherty MP. In my spare time, I serve as Trustee to Rushmoor Citizens Advice, and as a School Governor at South Farnborough Junior School and The Wavell School.

Chris is the executive board member for housing, health and wellbeing at Wychavon District Council, and represents the Ombersley Ward, where he lives with his wife Kim and two adult children. They are members of St. Andrew’s Church in Ombersley and volunteer for The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

Chris was a PPC for the Conservatives in Stoke North in 1997 and Portsmouth North in 2001, as well as a candidate for Kent County Council, Brighton Unitary Authority, Tunbridge Wells District Council and Lewes District Council.

Chris spent much of his career managing large scale reengineering and outsourcing programs in the financial services industry working for Atos, The Phoenix Group, American Express, Lloyds Bank and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Chris plays tennis for Droitwich and is on the board of Wychavon Leisure. He is a member of Worcestershire Wildlife Trust and the Droitwich History Society.

I have been a district councillor representing Thurston in Mid Suffolk since May 2019. I was appointed cabinet member without portfolio in January 2020, and in March of this year became cabinet member for health and wellbeing after that portfolio was created. I am currently the council’s co-opted member on Suffolk’s Health and Wellbeing Board and am a director of Mid Suffolk Growth Ltd; prior to this I was also a member of the planning committee.

Outside of my council roles I am a programme manager at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and serve as a trustee of Suffolk Accident Rescue Service. I was also previously a magistrate and a governor of Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.

I only joined the party in 2017 (although lifelong Thatcherite) and was fortunate enough to be selected to stand in a South Oxfordshire District Council by-election almost immediately for Didcot West. Although Labour won all seven other town and district by-elections that night, I was lucky enough to win by 27 votes.

In 2019 at the full elections, I was re-elected, although we lost control of the council from 34 councillors to nine. In May this year I was also elected as the Oxfordshire County Councillor (again we lost control) for Didcot West with over 400 majority.

I have held roles including chairing the grants panel and until recently was chair of planning at SODC. Currently I am chair of the scrutiny committee at OCC along with group whip, and I’m also an officer of the Wantage and Didcot constituency.

James has served as councillor for Fulwell ward on Sunderland City Council since 2019. He is currently deputy leader of the city’s 19-strong Conservative Council Group and chairman of the Sunderland Conservative Association. James sits on a number of committees and outside bodies, including: Planning and Highways (East) Committee; Scrutiny Coordinating Committee; Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Authority; and Fulwell Community Association. He is also the local authority governor at two schools in his ward.

Outside of politics, James works as a valuation surveyor in Sunderland city centre. His passions include tennis, badminton and (boringly) the planning system.

Councillor James Osborne-Jackson is a district councillor in Sevenoaks, elected in May 2019 to represent Leigh and Chiddingstone Causeway. James is an extremely dedicated councillor who is passionate about standing up for people and making positive change. He has always worked within the public sector. James stood for election due to his determination to ensure everyone has a voice and receives the very best possible service and quality of life. When James was elected in May 2019, he became the youngest councillor in Kent.

James has served as chairman of Sevenoaks Young Conservatives and is a mentor to fellow young conservative members who are standing for election to council. James serves on a number of committees and in particular enjoys the planning committee as there is a lot of debating.

James lives in a rural village in Kent, enjoys spending time with his family and friends, is a keen walker and a fan of travelling. James is a proud recipient of an Association of Chief Police Officers Award for Bravery and Life Saving Actions, which was presented by the Commissioner of the Metropolis. He is also a Governor at Leigh Primary School. 

Hi, I’m Jenny Jefferies. I am married with two daughters and three granddaughters.

I became a ward councillor in 2019 after a career in recruitment. After that, I retired and moved to Italy with my husband. We restored a farmhouse and stayed for 10 years. We returned to England only due to my husband’s ill health.

I became interested in local politics and was invited to join the local parish council and, although I had no political experience, I soon learned and enjoyed the cut and thrust of local government.

I have been a ward councillor for two and a half years and sit on several committees including Adults Health and Care O/S, of which I am vice chair. I am also the party whip.

I was elected back in 2018 to Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council at the age of 19, and I am the youngest councillor in Warwickshire.

The Conservative Group took control of Nuneaton & Bedworth at the most recent elections and, in May, I was appointed cabinet member for public services with responsibility for waste and recycling; arts and culture; leisure; licensing; and community centres.

Since May, my department at the council has submitted an ambitious £15m bid to the Government as part of the ‘Levelling Up Fund’ and we are now starting to deliver exciting projects within our new leisure strategy, for example, a new BMX track in Bedworth. In my day-to-day job, I work for an MP in the West Midlands.

I was first elected to Broxbourne Council in 2016 and I became the council leader in 2019.

I’m currently a serving county councillor on Hertfordshire County Council having been elected in May.

My background is energy efficiency policy and sustainability, but I currently work as the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire.

My name is Councillor Lyall Reed, and I was elected to the Sunderland City Council this year. In fact, I was elected on the same day that I handed in my final year dissertation for my history and politics degree from Northumbria University.

In my first few months as a councillor, I have worked hard to be an attentive local councillor and an active city councillor. A local councillor working in the local community with youth groups, acquiring funding for the community centre, listening to residents through very regular ward surgeries and working to tackle the ‘bread and butter’ issues such as litter bins and potholes. Some of these have been difficult since the overall services are run by Labour in Sunderland. As a city councillor I work hard to scrutinise the planning applications that are shaping the city in major ways. I have also been the main advocate and driving force in acquiring ‘Bleed Bags’ in the city centre of Sunderland, after several stabbings took place.

I became a Conservative councillor because I could see obvious inefficiency, poor decisions, and clear room for improvement that Labour cannot provide Sunderland. I wanted to be at the heart of positive change in my home city. That’s why I became a Conservative and a councillor.

I was elected in May 2019 to Vale of White Horse District Council, following what was a very turbulent set of elections. I serve as Scrutiny and Joint Scrutiny Chair and Deputy Group Leader.  

I have had a keen political interest from a young age, and I am lucky enough that this has translated into both elected office and paid employment, as I am currently campaign and elections agent for the Oxfordshire Grouping, which presents some different challenges when it comes to council politics.  

In my spare time I fundraise for local countryside organisations and shoot, as well as going on long walks with my border collie. I am also a Trustee of The Friends of the Ridgeway, dealing with plenty of casework.

Councillor Nick Jones was first elected in 2018 to Bury MBC beating a Labour incumbent with an 11 per cent swing. Upon being elected, he was asked to join the shadow cabinet assuming the role of Shadow Cabinet Member for HR and Corporate Affairs.

In May 2019 he was elected deputy leader of the group, and following a period of acting group leader (from the 2019 General Election), he was elected leader of the group and has held the position since January 2020.

Earlier this year, Nick was elected to the board of the Conservative Councillors Association representing metropolitan councillors and, in June 2021, he was elected to the LGA Conservative Group Executive.

Olly Monk has represented the Newquay Trenance ward on Cornwall Council since 2012.

He was appointed shadow cabinet member for Housing in 2018 and, following the 2021 election, was given the housing and planning portfolio in the new administration’s cabinet.

He is leading on the response to the housing crisis, with the initial aim of ending the use of short-term B&B/hotel accommodation as temporary housing, alongside longer-term solutions such as modular homes, the purchase and refurbishment of disused properties, and much more.

Away from politics, Olly has worked as an Environmental Consultant since 2012 in the residential and business sectors, helping homeowners and businesses improve their energy efficiency. 

Richard Rout is the deputy leader and cabinet member for finance and environment at Suffolk County Council. Prior to his election, Richard ran a consultancy business advising Members of Parliament and parliamentary candidates, with a particular focus on media profile. His role at the county council has seen him lead on the council’s declaration of a climate emergency and 2030 net zero target, the setting of the revenue budget and capital programme, and ‘new ways of working’ post pandemic.

Away from elected politics, Richard owns a gym in Newmarket; a small family farm outside Ipswich; and a wedding and events venue. He is also a keen distance runner, with 145 miles across Andalusia planned for next summer, and has a passion for animal welfare – taking in what friends and family would describe as an excessive number of animals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Shaun has been the Leader of Arun District Council since May 2021, after taking over from the previous Liberal Democrat administration. Shaun was first elected in 2019 to represent Rustington East, and served as the shadow spokesman on the environment, before becoming Leader of the Opposition and Conservative Group in May 2020. Shaun's particular focus is on deprived communities in Littlehampton and Bognor Regis, seeking to leverage in money for economic regeneration following on from the successful bid of £19.4 million from the Levelling Up Fund.

Professionally, Shaun is a communications consultant for the international asset manager, Fidelity. He works to advise clients on communications around pensions and investments, after previously working at two other consultancies on internal communications and employee engagement. Prior to that, Shaun worked for several Members of Parliament, and for the Conservative Party, in various roles including as a researcher and a campaigner.

Outside of work, Shaun is the chair of trustees of two different charities: Mankind UK, which offers counselling and other therapies to men who have suffered sexual abuse; and the Tolkien Society, which aims to set up a museum to the author J.R.R. Tolkien in Oxford. In his spare time Shaun reads, plays video games and enjoys the sound of rain.

Angela joined the LGA in 2001 as a political assistant in the group office. In 2007, she was promoted to a political adviser position, and in June 2016, was appointed Head of the Conservative Group Office. Angela started her working life in banking, and after a break, whilst her children were still young, she went on to become an estate agent, before becoming involved in politics. Having been a Conservative Party member for a number of years, Angela was elected as a councillor for the London Borough of Bromley in May 2014.

Away from the world of politics she is an animal lover with a number of pets and enjoys watching her favourite football team Crystal Palace – a passion she shares with her daughter and son.

Will Brooks is the LGA’s Principal Adviser for the South East region. He is the LGA’s focal point for discussions with councils in the South East about their improvement needs and the support the LGA can provide. He is also a qualified Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Step one practitioner and a Certified Associate of the Emergenetics Profile tool.

Will has worked in local government and at the LGA since 2001. Before being appointed to his current role, he led the LGA’s Leadership and Localism team. Prior to that, he was Head of the LGA Conservative Group.

Will stood down in 2014 as a councillor in the London Borough of Ealing having served for 12 years. First elected in 2002 to Greenford Green ward, Will spent time both in control and opposition. He has a wide range of experience having spent four years as a cabinet member (two years in Environment and Transport and two years in Housing). During that time, he delivered the largest consultation in the borough’s history, radically overhauling the waste and recycling system and implemented multi-million pound redevelopment of a number of the borough’s housing estates. Additionally, in opposition, he spent three years as a shadow cabinet member, chaired various scrutiny panels and served on the planning committee for eight years.

In his spare time, he enjoys cooking and motorcycling, where he coaches others in advanced riding techniques to the IAM standard.