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 Leader of  Newcastle Borough Council, 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!

Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council                    2006 - present

Cabinet Portfolio holder for Corporate &

Service Improvement                                                                  2006 - present

Chair of Newcastle-under-Lyme Local Strategic Partnership      2007 - present

School Governor                                                                         2005 - present

Newcastle-under-Lyme Conservative Group Leader                   2004 - present

Planning Committee Member                                                     2003 - present                                                        

Staffordshire County Councillor                                                  2007 - present

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Councillor                               2003 - present

In 2000 I became involved in my local community, and in May 2003 I was elected 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 2004 in my role as leader of my group I have participated in a Leader's and Chief Executive's  sub-regional regeneration steering group, which is providing the vision and framework for regeneration in North Staffordshire (NSLAP).

After the May 2006 local elections I was elected Council Leader and Cabinet Portfolio holder for Corporate & Service Improvement, 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.

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.

As Deputy Chairman Political of the Newcastle-under-Lyme Conservative Association, 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% council tax rise after years of Labour maximum rises (4.9%)

• Introduced cultural change and improvement at the Council

• Restructured Newcastle-under-lyme Strategic partnership (LSP)

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Political experience

Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council                            2006 - present

Cabinet Portfolio holder for Corporate & Service Improvement          2006 - present

Staffordshire County Councillor for Keele & Westlands Divsion          2007 - present

Chair of Newcastle-under-Lyme Local Strategic Partnership (LSP)     2007 - present

Chairman Wolstanton Conservative Ward Committee                         2005 - present

Staffordshire County Council Candidate for Wolstanton Division         2004

Election Agent in Local Elections                                                         2004, 06

Newcastle-under-Lyme Conservative Group Leader                            2004 - present

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  - present

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. The Conservatives are now 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 am now preparing for the 2008 local elections.

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Campaigning history

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 - I'm now introducing 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 and 2005

Local Elections                                                                                           2001, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07 - present

Euro Election                                                                                              2004

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Endorsements  

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Note of thanks

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Development & role training

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

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