Local1st – Independent Public Scrutiny Consultant & Community Project Manager• Secured the Tropical Zoo’s survival by sourcing alternative premises near Heathrow with the grant of a 125-year lease and obtaining Planning Permission in the Green Belt.• Won two Planning enquiries for local interest groups against unsuitable development; • Ensured the success of a number of large-scale public events in West London through rigorous ‘hands-on’ project managementCurrently engaged as an Environmental Charity Fundraiser for Working4WildLife • Presenting the work of several environmental charities (Woodland Trust, Plantlife, WWF) at events and shows across England; creating stands and booths to achieve this.• Engaging support from the general public in the form of subscriptions

• Met the challenges thrown up by the fast-changing policy landscape by presenting appropriate strategies. Drove improvement by comparing best practice in other agencies and compiling SWOT analyses and performance data.• Raised awareness of adoption locally and nationally to recruit new adopters by designing and implementing marketing and advertising strategies in local papers, Metro/ Evening Standard, at JCD poster sites and in social media;• Made adoption more accessible with a new, more user-friendly Adoption website (www.hounslowadoption.org.uk) Children's and Adopters' profiles and various other publications.• Event management of Adoption exchanges, Profiling events and ‘road shows’ at local companies to give information to potential and approved adopters.

• Ensured several stubborn KPIs went from Amber to Green by making managers present results in a timelier manner so they could be used as to drive up performance. Re-aligned targets upwards across the Council if performance plateaued after meeting target.• Totally changed the way the Mogden sewage-works out-of-hours odour monitoring service operated: 3 Odour Abatement Notices were served against Thames Water as a result.• Reduced the excessive time homes were left empty by removing counter-productive working practices identified through a ‘performance clinic.’. • Scrutinised Planning’s Electronic Document Management system: IT set up a project to improve EDMS immediately after they saw the draft report.As Cabinet Member for Housing:May 2009 to May 2009• Instigated a re-vamp of front-desk operations to reduce stress to residents and benefit the working conditions of front-line officers;• launched a clearer and fairer Allocations Policy for Social Housing;• facilitated new-build schemes to deliver c.500 new social houses in Hounslow;• adapted housing stock to demographic need through roll-out of an ongoing Extensions Programme and funded this through stock rationalisation and surplus property disposals;• funded and implemented residents’ community capacity-building ideas through the £1.5m Rainbow Project and launched the £5m Project Empower to canvass and deliver on residents’ ideas for estate improvements;• exceeded our Affordable Housing target by 23% in part by using my Membership of the local Area Planning committee and Sustainable Development Committee.

As a Member of Overview and Scrutiny Committee, I chaired the Adults’ Health Panel and, leading a cross-party team of fellow councillors,• Successfully challenged the PCT over the forced relocation of the 1st Care GP practice to a polyclinic; they re-located to a site more beneficial for patients and supporting clinical priorities.• Reversed the axing of funding for the Gay Men’s Outreach Project: provided new evidence that the preventative work carried out was cost-effective and met the health and social care needs of this population, thereby securing alternative funding for its continuation;• Caused the PCT to drop plans to scale down CAMHS (to the detriment of many supported young people) by presenting sound impact analysis to the Secretary of State for Health.• Through ‘off-line’ dialogue I got the PCT to understand that there had not been the proper level of consultation or engagement with either local medical professionals or the public regarding the re-configuration of the Brief Intervention Counselling Service. Future changes to the health landscape were handled more constructively.• Made many practical recommendations about the funding and installation of Aids and Adaptations in people’s homes: most were immediately adopted by relevant departments.• On the first pan-London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny, we successfully established that 4 (not 3) Major Trauma Suites were needed across London and that 8 Hyper Acute Stroke Units were the bare minimum for the new system to work: (10-12 would have been preferable but we uncovered the service was not being formulated purely on clinical evidence but was compromised by budgetary considerations.)

As a Member of Budget and Performance Scrutiny I• Ensured better presentation of Hounslow’s Performance Improvement Programme internally – staff ‘buy in’ was critical to its success; • Gave a sharp truth to the often-blunt understanding of senior officers of how the ‘choice-based’ lettings system for social housing actually worked by co-opting several residents demonstrating against the allocations system, onto our scrutiny panel. The final report had an undeniable credibility leading to a complete reform of the Allocations Policy in 2010;• Identified many problems with the Civic Centre Housing front-desk operation by ‘secret shopping’ and made a cluster of practical recommendations that improved the service.

• Enabled and regulated filming by providing a genuine 24/7, 'one-stop' location finding/arranging service, FiLMoffice llp, including the negotiation of fees, conditions and contracts and advised on/organised all aspects of location filming e.g. location finding, road-closures, traffic management and unit parking;• Gained independent accreditation of the business to ISO 9001. Saved our clients some 30% in real terms through efficiency measures;• Enabled nearly 2500 days of shooting each year prioritising between multiple clients and delivering in a fast-turnaround, high-demand market. We achieved this through constant engagement with all Council departments, Emergency services, residents, local businesses and other interest groups often diffusing potentially difficult situations through negotiation before finally implementing agreed solutions;• Made location-hunting easier with the launch of the first London Film Office web-site (www.filmoffice.co.uk) carrying PERDITA, the first UK searchable on-line location database. • Improved filming practice in the Capital through the Requirements for Filming, a legally-based coduct of conduct.

• BIKER: published by Oxford; in paperback by Penguin and in Archway schools’ editionScript editor on • ROCKCLIFFE’S BABIES I & II (original BBC police series;) • HOWARDS’ WAY (IV)Commissioned to format and write pilot for STREETWISE (13x30’ serial for ITV)• Eight further episodes for Series I: two further series made, all repeated in 1992• OVER YOUR DEAD BODY episode of ‘TECx for Central Films.• The EYE of the BEHOLDER for Euston Films’ re-launch of MINDER.• WIPE-OUT: episode for CAPITAL CITY (II) - Euston Films: invited to script-edit show.• Commissioned to write treatment for GIANT BBC’ series about the chemical industry • THE ART OF DELEGATION - Episode One of GIANT for BBC