PPC Profile: Nancy Platts

Full Name: Nancy Platts

Age: 43

From: London originally, I now live in Brighton.

PPC for: Brighton Pavilion

Selection Result: 99 out of 154 votes cast.

Member of the Labour Party since: 1998

CV:
I went to Bexley Technical High School for Girls and left school at 18. I’ve worked for most of my life in the public and charity sectors. I spent 11 years in public relations and personnel and training for the London Fire Brigade before moving to TSSA (a railway trades union) as Head of Policy campaigning for better employment rights and publicly owned, publicly accountable transport services. For nearly ten years I was a trustee of Transport 2000, the environmental transport campaign (now the Campaign for Better Transport) and I’m still a member.

More recently I worked for the Greater London Authority as a senior project manager before transferring to the voluntary sector. In 2003, I became Head of Policy at Daycare Trust campaigning for quality, affordable childcare, as well as becaming a trustee of End Child Poverty and joined the Executive of the Fawcett Society.

I’ve also been a Director of Maternity Alliance, lobbying ministers for improved parental leave and better maternity services for all, especially disadvantaged groups, and acted as campaigns and communications consultant to various charities including the National Childbirth Trust and Child Poverty Action Group.

Currently, as well as being PPC, I’m a Senior Public Affairs Advocate at Consumer Focus working in their Disadvantage Team and campaigning on behalf of people living in fuel poverty, in debt or fear of repossession.

I was inspired to go into politics because:
I grew up under the Thatcher Government. Greed and individualism prevailed. Some prospered but many people lost their jobs and their homes and the Tories just left them to struggle. Labour offered a new vision, ‘for the many and not for the few’ and I found this message appealing. In practice this has meant that more of our national income goes to public services including education, the NHS and tax credits, which I support.

My main policy interests are:
Without question, tackling disadvantage and creating a fairer and more equal society. Whether it is better public transport with access for people with disabilities, cheaper fares for those on low incomes, a living wage, affordable childcare so parents can go back to work or tackling energy providers and others who make huge profits at the expense of ordinary people – these are all things on which I have campaigned in my professional life and will continue to do so if elected to Parliament.

There are Government policies where my views differ, but I still passionately believe in the Labour Party as the vehicle for progressive social change in this country. However, going into Parliament will not stop me from standing up for what I believe in and on the issues that are important to the people of Brighton.

Three things I think should be in the next Labour manifesto are:
Affordable Housing: Housing is a critical issue for Brighton, like in cities all over the country. I want to see more investment in affordable housing and we need to be clearer about what we mean – affordable housing should actually be affordable to those who live and work in the local area. Too often even ‘affordable’ housing is out of reach for people on low and average incomes.

Older people should receive greater priority. With the public finances suffering from the recession I believe we should reconsider how we plan to spend our money. I would like to see substantial investment in care for older people; this could be funded by completely abandoning Trident and ID cards.

Greater investment in renewable energies is critical if the Government is to deliver the reduced carbon emissions reductions which it wrote into the world leading Climate Change Act.

I think people should vote for me because:
I want to represent the local community and bring politics back in touch with real people. Many people do not believe that Westminster politics is relevant to their lives and I want to play my part in changing that.

I have been a professional campaigner for many years and I love campaigning for positive change both at work and in the community with local charities and residents. I even met my partner Steve whilst campaigning within the trade union movement for a publicly owned railway!

Now I want to take this passion to the House of Commons. What happens there is important and I think I can represent people effectively. I’ve already been active in the constituency and this will continue.