My work in the Community - 2011
I am a highly motivated individual with the commitment to see things through; I have experience of championing community causes through my work as a local councillor. I am well known in the community as someone who gets things done.
As Leading Councillor on Newcastle Borough Council & Staffordshire County Council and Vice Chairman of Stoke &Staffordshire Fire Authority, I also have the ability to see the 'bigger picture', think strategically and act accordingly. Experience of chairing Cabinet and Committee meetings and dealing with complex and in-depth material has given me the ability to seek solutions to problems calmly and confidently. I am dedicated and once I have a grip on something, I never let go!
Council / Community experience
Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council 2006 - 2011
Cabinet Member for Customer Service & Transformation 2006 - 2011
Staffordshire County Councillor 2007 - present
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Councillor 2003 - present
Member of Staffordshire & Stoke Fire Authority 2009 - present
Stoke & Staffs Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Board Member 2010 - 2011
Chair of Newcastle-under-Lyme Local Strategic Partnership 2007 - 2011
School Governor 2005 - present
Newcastle-under-Lyme Conservative Group Leader 2004 - 2011
Planning Committee Member 2003 - 2011
Newcastle Rotarian 2007 - 2010
Trustee of the Burgesses of Newcastle-under-Lyme 2007 - present
In 2000 I became involved in my local community, and in May 2003 I was elected on to Newcastle Borough Council for the May Bank Ward, which has brought me into contact with all sectors of the community. In 2004 I was elected the Leader of the Conservative Group, the Official Opposition Group on the Council. I led the scrutiny of the ruling group on the Council and campaigning for improvement of the Council through reform.
I am a member of the Council's Planning Committee (since 2003) and have
been a member of a number of other committees and working parties on IT,
community safety and transport issues. I also chaired the Council's
Scrutiny Overview Committee between May 2004 and May 2005. I was a
member of the management committee of my local community centre between
May 2003 and May 2005 and became a school governor at a
local Primary
School in March
2005.
Since May 2006 local elections I have been Council Leader and Cabinet Portfolio holder for Customer Service & Transformation, embarking on a cultural change and improvement programme for Council in June 2006. As Leader of the Council, I act as the principal spokesperson for the Council at local, regional and national level. I chair the Cabinet Committee, Appeals Committee and lead debates of the Full Council for the administration and I also represent the Council at national bodies and events, including a recent international summit.
Since May 2004 in my role as leader of my group & latterly Council leader I have participated in various Leader's and Chief Executive's sub-regional & regional regeneration steering group, which are providing the vision and framework for regeneration in North Staffordshire and the West Midlands. In 2007 I became a District Council representative on the West Midlands regional Forum of Leaders.
In July 2007 I was elected on to Staffordshire County Council to represent the Keele & Westlands Division.
In January 2008 I
became a Trustee of the
Burgesses of Newcastle-under-Lyme. In June 2009 I joined
Staffordshire &
Stoke-on-Trent Fire Authority as the lead member for the Newcastle
area and Chairman of the Authorities Audit Committee.
I have significant experience of campaigning on behalf of local people,
including fighting successfully for the replanting of illegally cut down
trees, against inappropriate development in residential areas, and for
the reinstatement of locally significant landmarks. I have also been
involved in lobbying large corporations on behalf of local people to
improve their quality of life and surroundings and have experience of
articulating the causes I am championing in the media through
local newspapers,
radio stations and
Local TV.
During my time as Deputy Chairman Political of the Newcastle-under-Lyme Conservative Association and now as Campaign Manager, I have built a team of dedicated local campaigners that has led to the historic Conservative breakthrough in Newcastle. This has been achieved through campaigning on local issues. I have also acted as Election Agent at a number of Local Elections.
Further details of campaigns & issues that I have been involved in can be found on my website www.simontagg.co.uk
Leading the Council - Some of the early achievements of a Conservative led Newcastle:
Restructured the Council following poor Audit Commission’s reports from when Labour were in power.
Embarked on a groundbreaking recycling policy
Initiated a 20-year plan to regenerate parts of the town centre
Started the process of gaining civil on-street car parking enforcement (DPE)
Introduced Monitored CCTV for the first time
Brought in a low 2.7% & 2.5%, 2.5% & 1.5% council tax rises in the first 4 years after years of Labour maximum rises (4.9%)
Introduced cultural change and improvement at the Council
Restructured & now Chair the Newcastle-under-Lyme Strategic partnership (LSP)
Reopened the Historic Guildhall
To view the allowance I have received from of my work in local government: - Borough Council <click here> - County Council <click here>
Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council 2006 - 2011
Cabinet Portfolio holder for Customer Service & Transformation 2006 - 2011
Staffordshire County Councillor for Keele & Westlands Division 2007 - present
Member of Staffordshire & Stoke Fire Authority 2009 - present
Chair of Newcastle-under-Lyme Partnership (LSP) 2007 - 2011
Stoke & Staffs Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Board Member 2010 - 2011
Chairman Newcastle-under-Lyme Conservatives 2009 - 2010
Chairman Wolstanton Conservative Ward Committee 2005 - 2008
Staffordshire County Council Candidate for Wolstanton Division 2004
Election Agent in Local Elections 2004, 06, 08, 09, 10, 11
Newcastle-under-Lyme Conservative Group Leader 2004 - 2011
Acting Chairman Newcastle-under-Lyme Conservatives 2004 (April) - 2004 (August)
Founder member of local Conservative Future branch, 2003
Councillor for May Bank Ward 2003 - present
Deputy Chairman Newcastle-under-Lyme Conservatives 2003 - 2008, 2010
Candidate for Halmerend & Betley Ward 2002
Active member of Newcastle-under-Lyme Conservatives 2000 - present
Member of the Conservative Party 1998 - present
I became a member of the
Conservative Party in 1998 as
one of the first National Members. In 2000 I joined
Newcastle
Conservatives through their Thistleberry Ward Committee and worked
on the 2001 General Election & County Election. I helped designed and
delivered numerous leaflets which helped to achieve a 4.7% swing for the
Conservative Parliamentary Candidate and gaining of an
extra County Council seat in Thistleberry.
In the 2002 I fought Halmerend & Betley Ward in the Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough elections and designed and delivered leaflets in a number of wards leading to an increase in the Conservative share of the vote.
In 2003 I was elected Deputy Chairman (Deputy Chairman Political since 2005) of Newcastle-under-Lyme Conservative Association. In May of that year I successfully took the Lib Dem stronghold Borough seat of May Bank, polling more than 200 votes more than nearest rival, and taking 45% of the vote - a Swing to the Conservatives of 21.5% from the Lib Dems. Coming from a 3rd place start and almost trebling the Conservative vote in the process!
As
acting Association Chairman from May to August 2004, I
oversaw
the Borough-wide election campaign of
June
that year, which saw the Conservatives take two additional seats, and
successfully hold three others, to become the Official Opposition and
saw an increase in the Conservative vote share across the Borough. I
again micro-managed the campaign in the May Bank ward, which saw
the election of a second Conservative councillor, with an increased
majority of 356, and a further swing to the Conservatives of 3.7% from
the Lib Dems.
After the Local Elections of 2004 I was elected Leader of the Conservative Group / Official Opposition on Newcastle Borough Council & Shadow spokesman on prosperity and housing issues, and Conservative lead spokesman on the Scrutiny Committee.
In the May 2005 Staffordshire County Council Election I contested the Wolstanton Division doubling the Conservative vote with a 12.5% Swing just failing to take a safe Labour seat. The increase in the vote that I achieved helped to fend off a Lib Dem surge in the General Election on the same day, preserving second position for the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate and reducing the Labour MP's majority.
In October 2005 I was elected Hon President of Newcastle-under-Lyme Conservative Future - a branch that I helped to set up in 2003. Again in May 2006 I oversaw the borough-wide local election campaign, which saw the Conservatives take 3 seats and successfully hold 3 others. After another locally run campaign a 3rd councillor was elected in the May Bank ward gaining 1,126 votes and boosting our majority to over 750.
As a
result of the local elections of 2006 Labour lost its majority on
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council. I led negotiations with the Lib
Dem group resulting in the formation of a partnership to govern the
Borough. I was elected Council Leader on the evening of 24th May 2006 -
the first non-Labour Council Leader in Newcastle since 1974 . I also
became Cabinet Portfolio holder
for Corporate & Service Improvement.
I masterminded Newcastle Conservatives 2007 local elections campaign, which saw the Conservatives take 3 seats from Labour. I successfully retained my Borough Council seat of May Bank, polling almost 1000 votes more than nearest rival, and taking 62% of the vote. I also micro-managed the campaign in the Ravenscliffe Ward which was won with a 15% swing from Labour. This made the Conservatives the joint largest party on Newcastle Borough Council (Con 20, Lab 20, Lib 18, UKIP 2).
As a result our partnership with the Lib Dem Group continued. I was re-elected Council Leader on 23rd May 2007 for another year.
I was elected onto Staffordshire County Council in July 2007 to represent Westlands Thistleberry and Keele Division after a By-election. I again polling over 1000 votes and increasing the Conservative vote share by 7% - fighting off a strong Lib Dem attack on a marginal Conservative seat.
I was appointed Campaign Manager for the 2008 local elections at which the Conservatives took a further 5 seats from Labour to take the total number of Conservatives on the Council to 25 (Con 25, Lib 19, Lab 12, UKIP 4).
I was elected Chairman of Newcastle-under-Lyme Conservative Association in March 2009 and managed the local campaign in the Staffordshire County Council elections which saw the Conservatives gain 2 seats and retain 2 others in Newcastle. I was re-elected as a County Councillor on 4th June polling over a 1000 votes more than any other candidate in Keele & Westlands with 1819 votes.
I stood down as Chairman of Newcastle-under-Lyme Conservative Association in March 2010 following completion of my one year term but continued to coordinate the local election campaign. In May 2010, on the same day as the General Election, the Conservatives retained all their seats in the Newcastle Constituency (Con 24, Lib 17, Lab, 14, UKIP 5) and cut the Labour MP's majority from 8,100 to just 1,500, achieved a swing of 8.6%.
I am currently serving my 5th year as Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and will be seeking re-election for the May Bank Ward in May 2011.
Campaigns I've been involved in
Newcastle First 2008 - present
Campaign to stop Stratagas drilling 2002
Pens on the Beat ? - campaign for more police on the beat 2002
Save our Staffordshire - campaign against regional government 2003
Campaign for monitored
CCTV
in
Newcastle-under-Lyme 2003 - We now have
monitored CCTV!
The trees must come first - campaign to replant illegally felled trees 2004 - 2005 - Tree are now replanted!
Save Staffordshire Ambulance Service - from merger 2005 - 2007
Campaign for change & improvement at Newcastle Borough Council 2004 - I'm now implementing the change & improvement!
Campaign for better on street parking enforcement 2004 - Newcastle has now signed up. DPE due to start Nov 2007
Campaign to save the elderly care homes & day centres 2007 - present
General Elections 2001, 2005, 2010
Local Elections 2001, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07 08, 09, 10, 11 present
Euro Election 2004, 09
At all times I have appreciated and acknowledged the support, help and assistance of local residents and colleagues & members of Newcastle-under-Lyme Conservatives past and present in helping me to achieve my goals. Many thanks to you all.
Finance training for School Governors - November 2010
I&DeA Strategic Housing Leadership Academy - November 2007
I&DeA Planning role training - September 2007
I&DeA Local Community Leadership - June 2007
I&DeA Procurement Challenge Workshop - Jan 2007
IRM Management of Risk and Uncertainty Course - Dec 2006
I&DeA Political Management of the Council's Budget - Nov 2006
I&DeA Leadership Academy - Oct 2006, Nov 2006, Jan 2007 & March 2007 http://www.idea-knowledge.gov.uk/
CCA Budget Training - Sept 2006
Risk Management Training - Aug 2006
Business Continuity Training - July 2006
Planning Member Training - May & June 2006
Finance Training - Feb 2006
School Governor Training - Dec 2005
Published & promoted by Simon Tagg, Newcastle Conservatives, Merrial Street ,Newcastle-under-Lyme. Staffordshire.
Simon Tagg 2011