Radio Verulam - Know your Councillor

Anthony Rowlands has represented Ashley Ward on the City and District Council since 2006. From 1986 until he stepped down in 2003, he represented Marshalswick South Ward. Since 2017 he has been County Councillor for St Albans East. He is Portfolio Holder for Community, Leisure and Sport and Deputy Leader of the Council. He was Chair of the Community, Environment and Sport Scrutiny Committee from 2015-2019. Until May 2011, he was Portfolio Holder for Sport and Leisure and, along with colleagues, guided through the new Westminster Lodge project to the commencement of construction. Over the years, he has worked closely with residents on a wide range of local issues: highway safety; footway and grass verges repairs; resolving parking problems; social housing provision; planning issues; improving play facilities and open spaces and enhancing other community facilities. Anthony is a native of the Isle of Wight. A graduate of Oxford and Cambridge Universities, he spent the first part of his career teaching History in secondary schools. From 2000 until 2018 he was a Director of CentreForum, the independent liberal public policy think tank based in Westminster re-named in 2016 the Education Policy Institute. In July 2015 Anthony was appointed mental health champion for the City and District of St Albans. In that capacity he works with a wide variety of local organisations and individuals to raise awareness and understanding and improve mental health provision. Anthony has two children: Sam is a Solicitor specialising in Mental Health and Alice, an early years’ teacher, lives in Canada. His late wife Harriet was a greatly respected and much loved teacher of Drama at Beaumont School until her retirement in 2013. The family have placed a bench in Harriet’s memory in Clarence Park. He is often seen running around the ward checking on local issues. He has completed 12 London Marathons and 35 St Albans Half Marathons. He escapes from politics and work on Saturday afternoons in the often hapless sometimes joyful cause of supporting his beloved Burnley FC.

We talk to Councillor Chris White about his work as a Councillor and the concerns of people in his ward, plus his ambitions for the District. Chris White is the Liberal Democrat district councillor for Clarence Ward and the county councillor for Clarence and St Peter’s wards. He has been a councillor for 27 years and has been the leader of St Albans district council since last May.

We hear from Councillor Chris Davies, the Liberal Democrat Councillor for Verulam ward about his ward and some of the issues he deals with as a District Councillor. Chris is at the latter stages of first term of office as Verulam ward Councillor and is motivated to re-stand for election this May in order to continue to help Verulam ward and local residents, improve the city, protect the conservation area, support local business and disadvantaged individuals and improve the effectiveness of the council. He is a Chartered Manager and Director of his own financial services technology business and has spent his career in the UK and abroad in Asia and Australia for 12 years. Chris has written and performed in the theatre and recently wrote and directed ‘The Great War, Living Poetry’ staged at Maltings theatre in commemoration of the First World War. A member of St Albans Striders, Chris is a keen local runner and competing in many local races. He lives in Frogmore St Albans with his wife and two children.

We talk to Councillor Jacqui Taylor, the Liberal Democrat councillor for St Perets Ward on St Albans District Council. Jacqui has been the district councillor for St Peter’s ward since May 2018. She grew up in Sheffield, studied chemistry at university in Nottingham and lived in Cambridge before moving to St Albans in 2004/5. She lives with her husband who grew up in St Albans, attending Cunningham and Townsend schools, and for the first ten years of living here, she commuted into London for work as a data and IT systems manager. Jacqui then became much more involved with local community projects as well as volunteering with the Open Door winter beds for rough sleepers. This led to her taking on the housing portfolio role in May 2019. She hasn’t owned a car since 2005 and therefore walks to and from most places locally and is always happy to stop and chat about local issues.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Clare Julien talks to us about the City and her ward and the issues she is passionate about. Clare has lived in St Albans since 2008 and is a single mother to her 2 children both at local primary schools. Clare is a Chartered Accountant who works part time for a charity in London and became a councillor in 2019.  Clare sits on the Audit and Budget Committees and is keen to focus her finance and analysis skills to benefit the Council. Clare is enthusiastic about the ability of St Albans to pursue policies to benefit the community and climate.  Clare aims to represent the views and wishes of her ward and St Albans District and promote diversity in the Council (which is one of the reasons she chose to stand).