In Conversation with – Local Government 10 February

Owen Pritchard – Joint Deputy Leader, Merton Council

Owen served in the infantry for just over 16 years. At regimental duty, he served in a number of posts including company commander, operations officer and intelligence officer. Outside of regimental duty, Owen served as an instructor at the Infantry Battle School, a policy advisor for CGS, and a counter terrorism programme manager. After leaving the army he worked for Dan Jarvis for 3 years, where amongst other things he managed Dan’s mayoral election campaign and the parliamentary campaign to change the organ donation law. He now works at the Local Government Association managing a cyber security programme for the cabinet office. Elected as a councillor in 2018, he is currently Joint Deputy Leader of Merton Council.

Alasdair Ross – Portfolio Holder for Community Protection, Ipswich Borough Council

Alasdair joined the Army in 1978 as a Junior Leader at the age of 16 and subsequently joined the Royal Green Jackets. He served across the UK, Germany and Cyprus and Operationally in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Kosovo. He left in 2002 with the rank of Sjt Maj. In 2009 Alasdair was asked to return to service with 2 Rifles as their Ops WO including a 7-month, intense, deployment to Sangin, Afghanistan which saw the unfortunate loss of over 20 soldiers.

On leaving the Army he joined the Labour Party and stood in his local ward, winning it on the third attempt in 2008 with a majority of 13 – he has successfully grown this to over 500 now! Alasdair sits on Ipswich Borough Council as the Portfolio holder for Community Protection.

Nadia Martin – Councillor for Wellington Ward & Shadow Armed Forces Champion, Rushmoor Borough Council

Cllr Nadia Martin has a long history with the Forces Community. Her father served in the military and was stationed in Germany, where Nadia grew up and subsequently met her husband who is also in the military. Nadia has spent many years moving around as a spouse including time in Catterick, Lulworth and finally Aldershot. In 2016 she joined the Labour Party and in 2018 was elected to Rushmoor Borough Council as the Councillor for Wellington Ward – an area where most of the military families that are based in Aldershot live. Nadia feels at home with the Labour Party, one where people share the same values and want what is best for everyone.

Andy Newman – Councillor for Northumberland Ward and Chair of Housing Committee, North Tyneside Council.

Andy joined the 1^st Battalion Coldstream guards in 2001 at the age of 17, during this time he was deployed on operations to Northern Ireland in 2001, Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2007/8. As well as deploying on operations Andy also preformed ceremonial duties in London, his final posting was to the infantry training school in Catterick where he was injured on a training exercise that led to his discharge on medical grounds.

Since leaving the Army Andy undertook a BA Hons in History with the Open University and became involved in local politics being elected as the Labour Councillor to the Northumberland ward for North Tyneside Council, beating a long-standing Liberal Democrat and is currently the Chair of North Tyneside councils housing committee.