Your Local Councillors
Peter Bate, Saham Tony Ward
Peter joined the Royal Navy twelve days after leaving school and spent his naval career as an electrician aboard submarines. When he left the Navy he took a teaching degree and had a long career as a design and technology teacher. He currently works as a maintenance engineer for the NHS.
Peter is an ardent environmentalist and believer in social justice, he also volunteers for OXFAM and is training to be an advisor for the Citizens Advice Bureau.
Peter is married with three children and lives in Ovington where he serves as vice chair of the parish council.
Your Local Officers
Matt Carding-Woods, Coordinator
Matt has lived in Breckland his entire life. Coming from a rural family he has spent a great deal of time close to agriculture and nature seeing where the two coexist, but also where they compete.
On leaving school Matt had various jobs before finding his niche in the security industry where he worked for ten years before leaving to set up a smallholding which is still very much a work in progress.
Matt is passionate about conservation and a good chunk of his smallholding is put down to wildflowers.
He is married with two children.
Ann Bowyer, Treasurer
Ann has always been enthusiastic about environmental matters. At university, whilst studying for an interdisciplinary science degree her two major projects were both environmentally based.
She has been a Green Party member since the early nineties and has dedicated many years to the role of treasurer for Breckland.
Alongside a varied career in education, catering and horticulture she has married and raised three children.
She served on Dereham Town Council from 2003 to 2019 and in her time there encouraged the council to adopt a Green Infrastructure plan that continues to this day. For her, she says, the Green Party is “the only party that makes sense.”
Now retired, Ann is looking forward to seeing the Green Party expand, both locally and nationwide.
Tim Birt, Election Agent
Tim has been a longtime member of the Green Party reflecting his belief that without change we are on an unsustainable economic and environmental path.
A self employed electronics design engineer Tim has designed and built renewable energy systems, battery storage and electric vehicles, long before these things became commonplace.
Tim has served on Dereham Town Council and became Mayor of Dereham in 2014. In 2019 he was elected to Breckland District Council and found the council to be deeply in need of change.
Tim lives with his family, and his two goats who are in his words “great fun”.