About Nick
Can you share a little about your background and what motivated you to become a councillor?
Politics can be something we do together instead of something that is done to us. Through my work as a Clinical Psychologist in the NHS, I’ve seen the way that much of the stress, anxiety and low mood we see day to day has roots in social, economical and political causes. To make a real difference, I was influenced by colleagues who have found ways of going beyond the therapy room to build up community wide approaches to help improve people’s health and wellbeing. Standing to be a local councillor was one way I could see to bring my skills to a new role to do this. As a local councillor I am able to scrutinise and shape local policy as well as being visible across the ward where I live to get a clearer and deeper understanding of the issues we face, and to take action together with people across Byker.
What are your main priorities or goals for your term in office?
The key issues that came up on the doorstep were about litter and fly-tipping, anti-social behaviour and crime, feeling disconnected in the community, concerns about bills and an unfair economy and difficulties with accessing public transport and public services. There is a lot to do, and as an opposition councillor I recognise there are limits to what we can achieve, but that won’t stop me trying. To make steps towards tackling these problems, we are going to need to bring our communities together, whether through local litter-picks and our Byker Clean Streets Campaign or supporting new residents’ groups and neighbourhood associations. Since the election, it’s been great to hear all the positivity around Byker and I’m thankful for everyone who has come forward to help us look at getting Byker cleaner, safer and more connected.
In what ways do your personal values align with the Green Party’s principles?
We can only build a fairer and greener society if we listen and take people with us. I joined the Green Party because their policies are consistent and joined up. If we protect nature and the environment, we have a planet on which we can live but it’s how we structure our economy and communities which will take us from just living to thriving, living as fully as possible across the time we’ve got. The values and principles of fairness, democracy and sustainability lift us all up. I’ve found through my life and work that the more equality, inclusion and long-term thinking we bring into our decisions and approaches, the better we feel and the more progress we make. This is what I’m about as a councillor and it’s a philosophy that runs deep in the Green Party.
How will you engage with the community to ensure their voices and concerns are heard?
Living and working in the community I represent means that there are a whole range of ways to improve the way I hear from people. As well as coming along to the traditional councillor surgery (last Sunday of the month at the East End Pool), I’d also encourage people to contact me on nick@nclgreens.org.uk or nick.hartley@newcastle.gov.uk or to call or text me on 07493 593 808. Whether you have an issue that you’re struggling to solve, an issue that you’d like to talk through, ideas for how we can move towards a better Byker, or whether you’d like to offer to help and get involve, please get in touch. That said, I understand there will be lots of people who struggle to do this for lots of reasons. Over the campaign, I’ve been knocking on a lot of doors and this has helped give me a sense of people’s priorities, but it’s going to be really important that I keep reaching out in other ways and continuing to knock on doors of people who might be less able to come forward. I hope as we start to build up our local groups, there will be a strength in numbers and we will be able to build up our work over time.
What vision do you have for the future of our city?
I think when it comes to what we want, there is much that is shared across residents in the city. Stronger and more connected communities, more local shops and services that we can access closer to where we live, cleaner air, greener spaces and the better health that comes with it as well as good quality, warm homes and the strong cultural, sporting and social scene that our city is famed for. I first moved to Newcastle in 2008, and I have felt so welcomed that it has become my home for good. As a Green Party councillor, I’m all for celebrating what is working and pushing for better with our communities for our health, nature, and our wellbeing. With all the green space and local businesses we have in our city, we can be even greener, safer and connected. It’s about the approach. The more open our democracy is, the more we go out and engage people in decisions, and the more we listen and act, then the more we have to celebrate. Have a read of Newcastle Green Party Green Print for more information.
How can people get involved and support your work?
Let’s make sure politics is something we do together rather than something that is done to us. I know from knocking on doors that there’s lots of bright ideas out there, from the way we heat our homes, to setting up community gardens and growing our own food, from small businesses wanting to help improve the local environment to neighbourhoods keen to work with people across the ward to help make our streets cleaner and safer. If you have ideas, please just get in contact. You can e-mail me on nick@nclgreens.org.uk or nick.hartley@newcastle.gov.uk, or give me a call on 07493 593 808.