First elected in West Ruislip Ward, now Ruislip, in 2008, John has held a number of senior roles on Hillingdon Council, reflecting his significant community and wider interests.
John is currently Chairman of the Pensions Committee. He has previously served as Chairman of the Children and Young Persons POC, Chairman of the Corporate Parenting Board, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Scrutiny Committee, Chairman of the External Services Select Committee, Chairman of the Standards Committee, and spent four years as Chairman of the Finance and Corporate Services Scrutiny Committee, holding the council’s most senior corporate directors to account across more than 30 departmental areas.
John has also served in Cabinet, holding the portfolio for Public Safety and Transport, with responsibility for policing, anti-social behaviour and wider community safety issues, alongside transport matters including roads, pavements and parking.
A barrister with long experience in criminal practice, John brings a strong understanding of policing and public safety, with his forensic skills applied across his council responsibilities.
John is a prolific campaigner locally and more widely, having previously stood for selection as the GLA candidate for Hillingdon and Ealing. He has campaigned across London and beyond, an aspect of political life he particularly enjoys.
In the wider political field, John has long worked with the LGA in various roles, acts as a Peer Mentor for other councillors, and is a regular speaker and presenter at LGA events.
John is also a widely respected public speaker, lecturer and regular podcast guest on a wide range of topics. He is a published writer and a member of an international academic group specialising in serious sexual and violent crime research, frequently submitting advisory papers to government departments. Most recently, John appeared before the Home Affairs Select Committee as part of an expert panel advising on better investigative and prosecutorial methods in serious sexual crime.
