Jonathan Kent and Helen Burton are the Green Team for 2015 in the Pevensey and Westham Ward. Jonathan is standing as the Green Parliamentary candidate for our area and Helen is standing as the Green Wealden District candidate.
Jonathan is a journalist, writer and broadcaster. He grew up in the constituency and read philosophy and theology at Oxford.
As a journalist he’s worked for the BBC and Reuters, including a spell as a political reporter at Westminster. As a foreign correspondent he reported from SE Asia for Newsweek, US National Public Radio, Canadian and Australian broadcasting, the Daily Telegraph and others. However his main role was as the BBC’s man in Kuala Lumpur.
Since returning to the UK he’s worked with a number of technology start-ups in fields as diverse as news, retail, 3D and supply chain management. His first children’s book is expected to be published in 2016.
Jonathan says: “We live in one of the wealthiest parts of England and yet most of us know people struggling to get enough work, afford decent housing or get by on a pension. Greens want an ‘us’ society, not a ‘them and us’ society, one where people can achieve their full potential and live with dignity, not one where they can be brushed aside and forgotten. Ensuring that no one is left behind is the measure of how civilised we are as a community and a nation.”
“In this area we need to protect our environment and heritage from unscrupulous developers and frackers while encouraging sensible projects that help the local economy and benefit us all.” “It’s all about meeting local needs and not giving in to greed.”
Helen Burton has lived in Pevensey Bay for over twenty years in the house once lived in by her grandparents. She spent her working life supporting homeless teenagers and vulnerable children and is now a full time Mum.
As a founder member of Incredible Edible Pevensey and Westham she is passionate about sustainable living, encouraging local food economies, supporting local businesses and creating strong communities. She also writes a weekly column on living ethically for the Herald newspaper and is a campaigner on ending food poverty in the UK.
Her priorities are maintaining services for those in need, protecting Eastbourne District General Hospital and ensuring that new housing developments in the ward are considerate of the environment and have adequate infrastructure in place.
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Twitter: @RotherGreens
