Witham and Braintree Green Party has seven district councillors on Braintree District Council, one county councillor on Essex County Council and members serve as councillors on a number of local Town and Parish Councils.
The seven Green Party councilors, along with a number of independents, sit as the Green and Independent Group on Braintree District Council, forming the official opposition to the Conservatives.
Witham Northern division
Cllr. James Abbott
James Abbott is a Green Party county and district councillor as well as being a parish councillor in Rivenhall. He was first elected to Essex County Council to represent Witham Northern division in 2013, having stood previously at each county election from 1989. He was first elected to Braintree District Council in 1999 to represent Silver End and Rivenhall, and since 2015, Cressing.
James is the Leader of the Green & Independent Group (G&I) at Braintree District Council which is the main opposition to the ruling Conservatives.
He has stood as the local Green Party parliamentary candidate at each General Election since 1992.
James has lived In Rivenhall for 31 years with his family and before that lived in Witham where his family on his mother's side have roots going back to the 1800s.
He went to primary school in Witham and secondary school in Colchester before studying for a degree in Astronomy at University College London, from where he graduated in 1982.
After working in archaeology for 4 years he set up a local small business in the 1980s when he also began campaigning on environmental and community issues.
James writes popular articles on astronomy and green issues and has given many talks to local groups, schools and colleges as well as appearing regularly on local and regional TV and radio.
James works on many issues in the community and on local councils including planning, transport, recycling, green energy and climate change, local health services and supporting local groups with projects.
Working with G&I colleagues he is supporting new initiatives for a network of safe cycling routes in Braintree District and new community woodlands.
You can contact James here:
01376 584576
james.abbott@greenparty.org.uk
Silver End and Cressing (including Rivenhall) ward
Cllr. James Abbott
See above for James' biography.
You can contact James here:
01376 584576
james.abbott@greenparty.org.uk
Silver End and Cressing (including Rivenhall) ward
Cllr.Bob Wright
Bob Wright was born in Colchester and was the third youngest of a large family of 9 children. He was educated at a local school before going on to technical college to further his education. Leaving college with an HNC in Mechanical Engineering, Bob secured an apprenticeship with Marconi Radar. After 9 years he moved on to another company before setting up my own company manufacturing automated handling equipment.
For the last 16 years Bob has worked as an Engineer Surveyor, carrying out statutory health and safety inspections on lifts and cranes. He retired at the end of 2020 and is now enjoying retirement.
Bob has 2 daughters from his first marriage and one grandson and 2 step daughters and 2 granddaughters from his second marriage to Anne, who he married in 1994 when they then moved to live in Rivenhall.
Bob has had a passionate interest in environmental issues for 50 years and also is keen to support the local village and so became a Rivenhall Parish Councillor. He joined the Green Party and in 2011 was elected to Braintree District Council to represent Silver End and Rivenhall ward, and since 2019 Silver End and Cressing ward (which includes Rivenhall). Bob is also a primary school Governor in a local school.
Witham North ward
Cllr. Michelle Weeks
Michelle Weeks has lived in Witham for 9 years and grew up in Great Baddow, attending Moulsham primary school and Great Baddow high school.
Since being a teenager, Michelle has always been passionate about the environment, wildlife and animal welfare and human rights. She has supported the Green Party since aged 18. Her hobbies include reading, vegan cookery, country walks with her dog, nature, and gardening.
Michelle left school in 1983 and went into nursing, leaving a few years later to have a daughter. She decided to go back to studying whilst her daughter was pre-school age, and studied for an HNC in Applied Biology and Environmental Science.
Michelle currently works as a pharmacy technician and has had that job for 27 years.
14 years ago, Michelle was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which at the time was devastating, but in hindsight made her more determined to do the things in life that she is passionate about.
Having stood for election several times, in 2019, Michelle was elected as a Green Party councillor to both Witham Town Council and to Braintree District Council for Witham North ward. She works closely with other Green and Independent Councillors, to focus on our surrounding environment and community. Michelle is also secretary to a new local residents association.
Witham North ward
Cllr. Steve Hicks
Steve Hicks has lived in Witham since 1988. Having married in 1978, he travelled and worked in many parts of the world on Telecommunication projects, after being relocated from Cambridge by The Automobile Association as an Electronic/Mechanical Engineer.
Steve has been an active Greenpeace member since 1974. He was briefly a university secretary to the Conservative Party but changed alliances to The Green Party in 1998 as he saw being Green as the way forward.
Steve has been a member of Witham Town Council in total for 10 years and was elected to Braintree District Council in 2019 in the 2 seat Witham North ward with his Green colleague.
Steve supports a vision for the future of clean renewable energy, with healthy food being farmed, produced and grown locally, where we produce less packaging, recycling wherever possible, travel more on cycles and on foot, creating a green economy with greater job security by supporting local economies.
In Witham Steve has been a champion for protecting the environment and wildlife habitats under threat from unsustainable development. He is a strong advocate of the global approach Greens take towards a safe, healthy planet where the air is clean to breathe, water is safe to drink and there is a peaceful environment for people today and in the future.
You can contact Steve here:
Kelvedon and Feering ward
Cllr. Jenny Sandum
Jenny Sandum was elected as a Green Party councillor to represent Kelvedon and Feering ward of Braintree District Council in May 2019. She has lived in Feering for the last 16 years, along with her husband, children, dog and tortoise. After graduating from Bath University with a first class honours degree in International Management & French, she worked in London for nine years, before taking a career break in 2008 to look after her two young children. Since that time, she has worked in a variety of local part time roles at Essex Wildlife Trust, Feering Primary School and Tiptree Veterinary Centre, as well as volunteering at Samaritans for several years and being awarded a counselling diploma with distinction.
Jenny is passionate about protecting our environment, nature and wildlife, as well as maintaining important services such as our local libraries. She shares the concerns of local residents that there has been so much development on greenfield agricultural sites in recent years, and Jenny continues to campaign for future development to be more sustainable and in suitable locations. In addition, Jenny strongly believes that greater investment in green infrastructure such as cycle paths and community woodlands can offer a win-win scenario, allowing us to do our bit for the planet at the same time as improving our own local surroundings.
You can contact Jenny here:
07941 937 296
Kelvedon and Feering ward
Cllr. Paul Thorogood
Paul Thorogood was elected as a Green Party councillor to represent the Kelvedon and Feering ward of Braintree District Council in May 2019.
Paul grew up in the Cressing Road area of Braintree, and attended the Alec Hunter High School (now Academy) before gaining a 2.1 Honours degree in Politics from Southampton University.
Paul has an NCTJ professional qualification in journalism and worked as a journalist for 23 years. He started his journalism career at the Braintree & Witham Times before moving on to the Colchester Gazette, Ipswich Evening Star and several Fleet Street titles including The Daily Mirror when Piers Morgan was editor.
Paul now runs his own small business and lives in Coggeshall and is married with two children who attend local state schools. He became involved in local politics when plans for the Rivenhall Airfield waste incinerator were gaining traction and he began reading about the subject. Now a committed environmentalist, Paul is concerned with protecting and preserving the natural environment from pollution and overdevelopment. He believes strongly in the principle ‘Think globally, act locally’ - globally campaigning against climate change; locally improving services such as schools, saving libraries from closure and protecting wildlife and the countryside.
Coggeshall Ward
Cllr. Nick Unsworth
Nick Unsworth lives in Coggeshall with his family. He is a Consultant Engineer, working in the Built environment for over 30 years. He is a Chartered Manager and Fellow of the Security Institute and studied for his MBA at Anglia Ruskin University.
Nick is a member of Braintree District Council (BDC) representing the Coggeshall ward, having successfully overturned a Conservative majority in 2019 with his Independent colleague in the 2 seat ward.
Nick is the Deputy Leader of the Green and Independent Group, which is the main opposition group at BDC.
In Coggeshall and working with colleagues in nearby villages, Nick has helped to lead the campaign against the threat of a huge waste incinerator at Rivenhall Airfield. As a leading member of PAIN (Parishes Against INcineration) Nick has helped to challenge the incinerator developers every step of the way.
Nick stood for election in 2019 predominantly on community and Green issues and will continue to put the local environment first, campaigning against unsustainable major development such as New Towns and major quarries and for measures such as recycling, sustainable transport and protecting the countryside - acting responsibly in the face of the Climate Crisis.
Cllr. Michelle Weeks
Cllr. Steve Hicks
Cllr. Philip Hughes
Cllr. James Abbott
Cllr. Bob Wright
James Abbott and Bob Wright sit on Rivenhall Parish Council as non-political.
Cllr. Andrea Philips
Andrea Philips sits on Wethersfield Parish Council as non-political.
Cllr. Mark Posen - Twitter
Mark Posen sits on Foxearth and Liston Parish Council as non-political.
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