Labour People

Neil Barnes

Councillor - Hull Road

I've lived in York for eight years since arriving to study History & Politics at the University in 2002. My three years at Uni and the following five years in the working world have been the best of my life.

My father is a taxi driver and my mother a nurse in a care home for the elderly. I was born deaf and through the constant love and support of my family have been able to achieve many things that some might have thought beyond me.

I've always endeavoured to have a positive effect on the communities I belonged to - and so now I want to be a strong voice for residents of the Hull Road Ward. Residents of the ward have many issues that are important to them and I intend to take the time and care to understand and deal with these. In particular, the impact of students on the local area is one issue that is evident. We can tackle this issue from both directions - listening to residents whilst working with university bodies such as the Students' Union. But care must be taken to discourage demonisation of either side - we are, after all, all members of the same community. In the wider sphere of York, as a young professional, I want to help make York a beacon of opportunity in the Yorkshire region. There is so much to be positive about in this city, but I fear that years of a Lib Dem controlled council have resulted in a feeling of negativity, frustration and disappointment. York deserves so much better.

As a disabled person, I also hope to have the opportunity to represent the interests of disabled people in York. It's very easy for organisations to forget their responsibilities to providing adequate access and this must change.

I work for a local, not-for-profit, mutual healthcare organisation - working on community relations, either through developing online communities via social media channels or by creating projects for our staff to help out in local organisations.

My strongest Labour value lies in co-operation - I firmly believe that co-operatives & mutuals are more relevant than ever. In today's environment, we really can achieve more for the common good if we work together. In my spare time, I continue to indulge in my love of history, whilst at the weekends I play for the City of York Hockey Club. Despite being deaf, I love to socialise and communicate, either with friends or with new people I meet through my work in the community.