Councillor Kevin Richards

I was born in 1954 and have lived in South Derbyshire nearly all of my life. I married a local (Swadlincote) girl, and we have 2 grown up children. Living in a beautiful part of Derbyshire, South Derbyshire is an area I love and cherish dearly, an area that, while beautiful, its communities over the years have suffered from the demise of the mining industry and the loss of major employers including the closure of clay and power industries. I believe as a family group, like many other families within the area, we have made a major investment in the community in which we live. These are some of the reasons I became involved in local politics, I wanted to see things improve. I wanted to see South Derbyshire and its communities grow and prosper. I want us all to have the best opportunities to services that local authorities can offer. Services like education, housing, leisure facilities, health, employment and many more; all these services are now available to us. Some are excellent, some good and some need improvement; these are the services I have fought to keep and I will fight for their continuation and improvement. I became a member of the Labour Party in 1974 and I have represented the people of South Derbyshire and the Labour Party on numerous national, local and community organisations. It is an honour to be able to represent the people of Newhall & Stanton on the South Derbyshire District Council. Whether it is the Council Tax, Housing, Leisure & Recreation, Economic Development or any other council services, local government decisions affect us all, local politics affects us all. We all need to be engaged and involved in the decision-making process. By working together, both young and old, we can make life better for all and make a difference. I participate in a regular Councillors’ Surgery which is held on the first Saturday of each month (apart from January) at the Old Post Centre, Newhall and I am always contactable by telephone.