Your Babergh Green Party Councillors, in Alphabetical order
Jane Carruthers, Babergh District Councillor for Hadleigh South
I was elected to Babergh District Council in May 2023. A long-term member of the Green Party I believe influencing policy at the local and national level to be of utmost importance, alongside environmental campaigning. There is a climate and ecological emergency that needs urgent action.
I initially trained as a nurse, before taking a degree in Geography which led to work as a Field Ecologist. I have also worked as a self-employed gardener, Kindergarten Assistant and Museum Assistant. I currently work for Suffolk County Council as a bank Reablement Support Worker for Home First and occasionally work as a freelance botanist.
My passion is natural history, with particular interests in plants and birds. It was this love of nature that brought me into Green politics.
Cllr. Jane Carruthers
jane.carruthers@babergh.gov.uk
Tel: 07514 951196
I was elected to Suffolk County Council in May 2021 and Babergh District Council in May 2023. Previous to this I was self-employed for many years and use my influence now to support and encourage small businesses where I can.
I have a passion for improving the lives of Children & Young People, teaching them about their importance and how to use their voice is key as they are our future.
I believe the need for real change has never been higher, the time for far-left, far-right, and centre politics is over, it is nothing more than a distraction.
Our planet will only sustain us if we protect its biodiversity. Every life form, however tiny, is essential.
I was elected to Babergh District Council in May 2023. I am also a member of East Bergholt Parish Council. I decided to join the Green Party and stand for councillor because I felt powerless in the face of an establishment that puts money for the rich before people and the environment. I wanted to do something - anything - so that I can tell my children I tried to change the insanity of current politics.
I worked for the BBC as a broadcast journalist before studying to qualify as a lawyer. I have worked in employment law and am now a senior immigration lawyer in Ipswich. I am passionate about challenging housing developments that rely wholly on car use, are poorly designed and are led by the developers not communities.
Cllr. Sallie Davies
sallie.davies@babergh.gov.uk
07928 512598
Simon Dowling is an English teacher, before that an Army officer, and he has been a parish councillor and school governor. He is currently Vice Chair of Babergh District Council. He joined the Green Party to take action on climate change at a local level, including promoting sustainable transport choices, renewable energy, and proper insulation. He says, “We face a real and present climate emergency, so I want to work with the people of Hadleigh to find our best route through the crisis. If we work together, we can achieve a lot.”
In May 2021 I was proud to be elected by the people of Peninsula Division to be their County Councillor and have been working to help local people since. I am Church Warden at Tattingstone and a retired GP. I have always believed that we must find a more sustainable way to live on this planet. I enjoy cycling and am trying to make it easier for people to cycle around my division. I also enjoy gardening and growing my own fruit and vegetables!
Ruth Hendry, Babergh District Councillor for Great Cornard
I was elected to Babergh District Council in May 2019 having officially joined the party in 2018. Prior to that I had been a volunteer. I have been increasingly frustrated with politics in this country and being a Councillor has allowed me to make a positive difference in people’s lives. Unfortunately, our government seems intent on not only making life harder for people, but it is also in denial of the impending climate meltdown.
Since joining the council, I have been vice chair on planning, vice chair of Licensing and I am leader of the green group in Babergh. Our ultimate ambition is to lead a majority green administration in Babergh.
I also work full time for BT, where I have been employed since leaving school. Working full time and being an effective Councillor brings its own challenges, primarily with time management. Fortunately, I find council work so fulfilling, so I don’t have to worry too much about finding time for hobbies
Robert Lindsay, Suffolk County Councillor for Cosford.
I have for a long time been convinced that the way politicians are running the world – driving for infinite economic growth when we have finite natural resources and putting big business before quality of life – is not achieving happiness and is wrecking the planet. I am a former national newspaper journalist, but since 2013 I have dedicated my time to the Green cause. In May 2014 I was the first ever Green Party candidate to be elected to Babergh District Council, and in May 2017 I was elected to Suffolk County Council. I believe that putting people’s well-being before economic growth will ensure both a better, more equal society and an economy that is environmentally sustainable.
I’m Councillor Daniel Potter and I represent the ward of Orwell in Babergh which encompasses the north of the Shotley Peninsula.
This area represents the Parishes of Tattingstone, Wherstead, Belstead, Freston, Woolverstone and Chelmondiston.
I have now lived within the ward for 23 years, in that time enjoyed what it has to offer. Previously I’ve worked in the voluntary and charitable sector for a combination of 25 years experience. I’ve been a Treasurer, Fundraiser and a Teaching Assistant in my previous roles. Originally born in Ipswich, I lived in the town till moving to Sproughton in 1981, attending the local school there before being educated at Northgate High School then at University and briefly moved to London for 3 years training in marketing and sales. I then returned to Sproughton and Suffolk before moving away to Tattingstone in 2000 where I’ve lived ever since.
I got involved as a campaigner first and foremost in local politics because of how it addresses the fundamental importance of how lives are led in terms of quality of life, what available services are contributing to good standards in health and general well-being, strong communities, good schools, jobs and housing, having decent public transport, GP surgeries close by from cradle to grave and finally having opportunities for the right starting point in life and the sense of progress made thereafter in both work and spare time.
As a Green elected Councillor for Babergh District Council, I aim to fulfil these important aspects through working alongside my fellow Councillors whatever their political allegiance.
Cllr. Daniel Potter
daniel.potter@babergh.gov.uk
07514 951192
