As a married father of two who has worked in his own business, Stephen's priorities are the same as many of the people of South Basildon & East Thurrock.
As a former local councillor, he had responsibility for customer services and ICT and then Waste Management until he gave this up in May 2007 to concentrate his time on South Basildon and East Thurrock.
He is a trustee of Age Concern Basildon and President of Northlands Park Community Association, where he has managed to attract around £60,000 of funding and sponsorship. He is also Patron of the Basildon Education Services Trust and local Karate club, Maru Karate Kai.
In his limited spare time he has enjoyed amateur dramatics, watching football and rugby, going to the gym and is actively involved with his local church.
Stephen's other political experience has seen him campaigning across much of Essex and East London. He has in particular campaigned for many years to protect our green spaces from over development and has worked with communities to find ways of engaging with young people.
Stephen has determination, energy, stamina, a strong sense of purpose, and will always listen carefully to what people from all walks of life and backgrounds have to say - qualities he believes help him represent the people of South Basildon and East Thurrock.
Stephen believes that a Member of Parliament should be honest and demonstrate integrity in everything they do: he respects the people he serves and puts duty and responsibility before self-interest.
He is particularly interested in:
Business: Stephen was very active in promoting business in Parliament, highlighting the plight of small and medium sized enterprises and urging the Government to take action on late payment.
Science and Technology: In the last Parliament Stephen was Chair of Parliament's cross-party Science and Technology Committee, a role he was elected to in 2016 after serving as a member of the committee for the whole of the 2010-15 Parliament. He remains passionate about promoting science, technology, and engineering in South Basildon and East Thurrock.
Education: Raising educational standards in the constituency is a priority. As MP Stephen has ensured that he championed education in South Basildon and East Thurrock in the House of Commons whilst also engaging with schools locally to raise aspirations, drive up standards, and engage young people in democratic processes.
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| Stephen visiting CERN with the Science and Technology Committee |
