24/04/13…..Meet the candidates No 4: Simon Stone – Labour

SIMON Stone, aged 56, lives in Chinnor and has two teenage girls. He is one of two Labour candidates standing for the Thame & Chinnor seat in the Oxfordshire County Council elections on May 2.

Simon runs his own Human Resources Management Consultancy, specialising in Leadership, Change Management and Organisational Development, giving him, he believes, an understanding of what is required to make Local Government more efficient and effective, whilst safeguarding vital services.

Simon strongly believes in supporting the local community. “At the very basic level, people need jobs, housing, health and education,” he said. He believes that people want visible policing, and they want to live in a society that provides youth services and care for the elderly – “…the basics requirements of a civilised society,” he says, believing that they are under threat by devastating cuts that are going too far and are being implemented too fast.

Simon believes that money for these services could come from major corporations such as Amazon, Google, Starbucks paying ‘fair’ taxes, and that the debate should be about fairness at every level of society, including the banks. “But the real agenda must be to grow the economy, grow real jobs and create the wealth to grow real incomes,? he concludes.