Solent Growth Forum Members
Nick is a chartered surveyor by profession and had a successful career building his own businesses in Hampshire and Dorset. Having sold these Nick worked in local government and political communications before holding a number of posts in the public sector. Nick's currently Deputy Leader of Test Valley Council and also chairs Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset Adoption and Permanence Panel. Married to a consultant geriatrician at Southampton hospital he lives in the Test Valley with his young family.
First elected in 1983 to 1991 and from 1998 to present day Mark has served over 25 years on Gosport Borough Council. He has been leader of the Council from May 2004 to Jan 2007 and from May 2009 onwards. Mark has served on the National executive for the Round Table, was president of Gosport St. John ambulance for 8 years and currently is chairman of Gosport Borough FC, a conference South team who played at wembley last year in the final of the FA trophy.
Biography
Roy Perry is Leader of Hampshire County Council, representing the Division of Romsey Extra where he lives.
Roy was first elected to Hampshire County Council in 2005 and has been Leader of the County Council since May 2013. In 2010-2013 he was Executive Lead Member for Childrens Services.
From 1979-95 he was a member of Test Valley Borough Council and Leader between 1985-94.
From 1994 to 2004, he was a Member of the European Parliament initially for Wight and Hampshire South and then as one of the 11 MEPs for South East England.
Roy is a Graduate in Politics and Public Administration of the University of Exeter and by career he was a Lecturer in Government and Politics.
Dave Stewart is the current leader of the Isle of Wight Council.
His background is one of being an independent consultant and former police officer with over 30 years service. His broad range of knowledge and skills include operational experience as a senior detective (SIO) and as an internal complaint investigator within the Professional Standards Department (PSD). He is also a specialist in Leadership Development having been at the forefront of leadership training delivery at the National Police College, Bramshill, for over two years.
He is experienced at operating in both a policing & multi-agency environment having undertaking work for Leicestershire Police, Derbyshire Police, Bedfordshire Police, East Midlands Ambulance Service, Northamptonshire Police, Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health, Norfolk Police & Crime Commissioner, Hampshire Police and currently British Transport Police – work that has involved Coaching & Mentoring, Team Development and , facilitating bespoke leadership & change management workshops. These workshops have been tailored to need and post – event evaluation feedback consistently reflects a high level of satisfaction with his work and he is keen to continue to make a difference at all levels in the public and private sector.
Dave originates from the Isle of Wight (born in Brading and attended Sandown High School) and was for a period the Detective Inspector heading the Island CID. He has many local connections and recently worked with members of the Island Strategic Partnership. He is also aiming to develop opportunities to work with the members of the Island Community in the future, including service provision within the private sector.
Dave has been an Isle of Wight Councillor since 2011 and leader of the Conservative Group on the Isle of Wight Council since 2013. He was elected interim Council leader in January 2017 and re-elected Council leader for four years in May 2017. His interests include politics, adult education and family. He and his wife Maureen have four children and six grand children.
Councillor Seán Woodward has been the Chairman of the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire since its inception in 2003 and Leader of Fareham Borough Council since 1999. He is in his 25th year as a Councillor and also serves on Hampshire County Council and Hampshire Police Authority
Seán was educated at the University of Portsmouth where he gained a B.Sc. (Hons) degree in Biology as well as attaining Chartered Biologist status. He spent 25 years working in the pharmaceutical industry and is currently the Managing Director of Ferneham Health Limited, a healthcare company which he formed in 2007 and which is currently trading as LBhealthcare based in Whiteley. The company specialises in Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation
He has led PUSH to its current status as a growth area and was delighted to be invited by government to form the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership following a successful private/public partnership bid involving the support of 70 businesses, 11 local authorities and 4 universities. He believes strongly that the economic recovery will be private sector led and that the concept of a local private/public partnership will be able to help create the improvements in skills, jobs, infrastructure and affordable housing that is so necessary to secure the prosperity of the Solent area and to build on the successful work that is being carried out by PUSH.
Biography
Gerald Vernon-Jackson was the Leader of Portsmouth City Council for ten years. He led the city through turbulent times but also where the city made real progress.
He pushed through a £1.45 million loan from the City Council to the Portsmouth Supporters Trust to enable them to buy the Football Club and stop it going into liquidation.
Under Gerald Vernon-Jackson’s Leadership the Liberal Democrats ran Portsmouth City Council for ten years (2004-2014). They found £5 million to build new school classrooms for an extra 1,000 pupils. They started building council houses for the first time in a generation. They saved the Kings Theatre and the New Theatre Royal from closing down. Gerald also spearheaded the campaign to get a World War Two War Memorial finally built in Portsmouth to commemorate the 3,000 Portsmouth citizens who lost their lives in the war.
He successfully worked to stop the last Labour Government pulling the Royal Navy out of Portsmouth when this was threatened in 2008. He campaigned to keep the carrier programme from being scrapped by the current Government. This will see the new carriers based in Portsmouth and the future of the Navy in Portsmouth guaranteed for the next 40 years. This will see thousands of jobs secured in the dockyard.
Gerald led the Portsmouth Liberal Democrats into running Portsmouth City Council once again in May 2018.
Current Council Positions
Biography
Biography