One of the things I want to show during this campaign is the difference in approach between how I was as Leader and Councillor in the past and how Fenland is.
Whilst I was Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, we had a team of senior local government officers and councillors come into the council and look at how it is performing as a way of using experienced peers to assess the council and make recommendations. Here's what they said about my approach to working with others.
"Group Leaders and non executive members within the Conservative Group recognised and welcomed the open and engaging leadership approach of the new Leader. They are motivated by it and feel able to engage with the political leadership more purposefully."
This is something that has always been important to me - our political structures are complicated and the ability to work with others, whatever their politics, is absolutely vital. For Fenland it is going to become even more important after 4th July when there is almost certainly going to be a Labour Government.
I have watched Fenland Councillors at meetings with the Combined Authority (The Mayor's organisation) and they are far from collaborative, looking at every opportunity to stop progress, to halt plans and to criticise. It is an approach that guarantees that Whittlesey and the surrounding villages fail to get the best out of the Combined Authority.
I want to challenge Fenland to be more proactive and show some real leadership so that we can work with other Councils, the Mayors office and the Government so we can start to make significant progress on the issues that matter to us.