Your green party Councillors for north somerset
Councillor Bridget Petty
Backwell
bridget.petty@northsomerset.greenparty.org.uk
Bridget Petty is delighted to have been re-elected as the Green Party councillor for Backwell. She is 42 and a married mum of two young girls who attend the local schools. Bridget will continue to represent the residents on North Somerset Council, she also continues to volunteer with Cafe Mamma as well as make time to speak to the community groups throughout the year.
Over the past 20 years Bridget has worked internationally in East Africa as well as Bristol and London in the private sector and in not for profits. Bridget has excellent communication skills and enjoys working with people of all ages and from all backgrounds. In her thirties she gained a Masters in International Rural Development.
With family roots locally, Bridget moved to Backwell in 2016. She quickly became an active member of the community. Bridget believes Backwell is a great place to live. We should keep it that way, but we should also work together to support change that doesn't cost us our environment, safety and wellbeing.
Bridget intends to put local residents first, while considering the impact our behaviour is having on the planet. Bridget was first elected in 2019 with 63% of the votes. She has appointed to the cabinet of North Somerset Council and worked hard in the past four years to do politics differently in working with elected colleagues who were Independent, Liberal Democrats and Labour to form a Rainbow Alliance to make local decisions.
Councillor Stuart McQuillan
Long Ashton
stuart.mcquillan@northsomerset.greenparty.org.uk
Stuart lives in the village of Long Ashton with his wife and daughter, and has been an active member of the community since moving there around 12 years ago. He has been involved in numerous volunteer groups and served as a Parish Councillor for 6 years. A senior environmental manager in the civil service, Stuart is committed to public service and protecting the environment.
Elected as a North Somerset councillor for Long Ashton Ward (which covers Long Ashton, Leigh Woods, Failand and Wraxall) in 2019 Stuart has focused on road safety improvements, fighting Airport expansion and shaping the emerging local plan. Stuart was delighted to be re-elected in 2023 and will to continue to help the villages he represents become safer and more sustainable, whilst keeping their rural character.
Councillor Joe Tristram
Banwell & Winscombe
joe.tristram@northsomerset.greenparty.org.uk
I have lived in Winscombe for nearly thirty years and am delighted to have this opportunity to represent our three villages.
I have many years experience of being a vet and running a veterinary practice, which means dealing with all sorts of problems, people and organisations. I now give home energy efficiency advice, helping people with their gas and electricity bills, so I am getting to see more of the ways in which local people live and the difficulties they have. I’ve also recently started being a trustee of Sewell House Retirement Home and the North Somerset RSPCA, so my commitment to helping the people of our area (and animals!) is clear and definite.
In all of this I know that we are facing a climate crisis and no-one is yet doing enough about it.
Councillor Tom Nicholson
Banwell & Winscombe
tom.nicholson@northsomerset.greenparty.org.uk
I love working with people and get all of my energy from interacting with people. I think that working to identify common goals and gain consensus and agree a path forward is one of my greatest strengths.
In work I often manage teams who have different backgrounds and experience and I find that diversity is really important to effectiveness.
I have 4 years’ experience on the Parish Council which has given me insight into how local government and local authorities work together.
I grew up and went to school in North Somerset, as do my family. I live in Winscombe.
Councillor Jenna Ho Marris
Pill & Abbots Leigh
jenna.homarris@n-somerset.gov.uk
Jenna moved to Abbots Leigh in 2022 with her husband and children, and her daughter will go to St Katherine’s School this September. She joins a large Bristol-based family including in-laws farming in Failand.
Jenna has been working hard listening to residents across the Ward. As your councillor, Jenna will work for more reliable bus services, return of the railway line, safer roads, reducing fly-tipping, protecting social care, protecting green spaces, upgrading housing, supporting local business, bringing back public toilets, and many other issues.
Jenna has a degree in Biology then became a lawyer. She was based in Hong Kong for many years where she set up a charity in an old fishing village, working with Bristol’s Natural History Consortium on collaborative projects to get more people to take action for nature.
She is inspired by North Somerset’s Severn Estuary mudflats and local maritime heritage, side-by-side with lush green belt villages.
Jenna is excited to bring communities together to shape a better future for themselves. She says, “I will listen to you and speak up for our villages. Local democracy is such an important way we can make our communities better, I want to get more people involved in the way things are run. We are the governments we create.”
Councillor Dan Thomas
Congresbury & Puxton
Congresbury and Puxton are areas of great importance to myself and my family. Coming from a line of farmers going back 5 generations, our roots in this village and the surrounding area span well over a century. I attended The Glebe, St. Andrews & Churchill Secondary school, and now live in Congresbury with my young family.
Growing up in a family of small business owners, farmers, and cider makers, it has always been important to me to be a steward of our natural environment. I’ve spent the past decade working in ethical finance, and now for an environmental charity. I want to use the skills & knowledge I’ve developed in that time to help Congresbury & Puxton to a be a sustainable place to live for future generations.
Councillor Annemieke Waite
Winford
Annemieke.Waite@n-somerset.gov.uk
I am a strong believer in the importance of community and in the early 2000s was part of a group which campaigned to build a much-needed new secondary school in North Bristol. Once Redland Green School was built I was its Chair of Governors for 9 years and set up the Redland Green Community Choir to help root the school in its neighbourhood. During the 25 years I lived in Bristol, I worked in Internationalisation at the University of Bristol. Now living in Dundry since 2014, I helped set up the Dundry Climate and Community Action Group which has organised tree and bulb planting and has stimulated and participated in several village activities.
The villages that make up the Winford Ward (Barrow Gurney, Dundry, Felton, Flax Bourton, Regil and Winford) can easily be forgotten due to their location on the fringes of Bristol and BANES and on the edge of North Somerset. At times this has caused frustration amongst our residents and for this reason alone our ward must be represented at North Somerset Council by someone willing to speak up for our communities. This is especially important if we want to make sure everyone feels they have a voice in how we move forward to a greener, more sustainable future.
My life experience has taught me to work well with people from all backgrounds in a collaborative way. I have a deep sense of responsibility and dedication and I will work hard to represent all the residents of Winford Ward well.
Councillor Thomas Daw
Wrington
Tom.Daw@northsomerset.greenparty.org.uk
I am delighted to have been elected as your Green Party Councillor for Wrington in the by-election held on 16 November. Having grown up locally and having gone to Churchill School, I have many friends in the area.
We are lucky to live in such a great place but there are challenges, with access to services and public transport, pressure from developers to build on our green spaces, pollution of water courses and the impact of the airport. As your elected Councillor, I will aim to reduce the impact of these challenges and to enhance the things that make it so special.