Chris Skidmore
Chris, 26, was born in St Michael's Hospital in Bristol and grew up in Longwell Green and Bitton. His family have lived in the local area for generations. His first school was St Anne's Primary School in Oldland Common, and later Chris was educated at Bristol Grammar School.
Before entering politics, Chris read History at Oxford, staying on for postgraduate research where he was a convenor of a Graduate seminar series. He also worked briefly for the Western Daily Press and People Magazine, and was the researcher to the series Great Tales of English History by Robert Lacey.
Chris now works as an author and historian. His first book, Edward VI: The Lost King, published by Weidenfeld in 2007, was the Guardian's Book of the Week. Chris is now writing a book on Elizabeth I, which will be published early in 2009.
Chris' Experience
Chris has worked in education policy as the Conservative party's adviser on education, working for Michael Gove MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families. Chris was also the Director of the Public Services Improvement Group, run by Stephen Dorrell and Baroness Pauline Perry. Chris is currently Chairman of the Bow Group and has written several reports for the Bow Group on educational poverty including Invisible Children , Boys-- a School Report , A-levels: The Widening Gap and SEN: The Truth about Inclusion , highlighting how our some of our most vulnerable and challenging young people have been let down by Labour. Chris has also been a governor with responsibility for teaching, learning and special educational needs at a Sure Start nursery in an area of deprivation.
Chris Skidmore working for Kingswood
Serving Barrs Court, Bitton, Cadbury Heath, Downend, Emersons Green, Hanham, Longwell Green, Mangotsfield, North Common, Oldland Common, Soundwell and Warmley.
After ten years of neglect, the residents of Kingswood have been let down by Labour: our hospital facilities at Cossham and Frenchay have been downgraded so that our community has lost its access to much-needed healthcare services; our public transport system lets us down daily; overdevelopment of our local spaces and gardens is taking place across the constituency, pushing our infrastructure to the brink; vandalism and anti-social behaviour is unacceptably high while too many young people are not being given the decent opportunities they deserve to succeed in life.
Chris says: 'I was born and grew up in Longwell Green and Bitton. My family have lived in the local area for two hundred years. I want to give something back to the community that has already given me so much, and fight to protect our local communities that Labour have undermined. I am committed to making Kingwood a better place to live and work. I will stand up for the local community that I call home and make sure that every resident of Kingswood gets a better deal.'
Chris Skidmore: A strong local voice for Kingswood
FOR Local access to first class health services. Protecting Cossham Hospital
AGAINST Labour's decision to downgrade Frenchay
FOR Better community facilities for young people
AGAINST Yobs and antisocial behaviour
FOR Protecting our local green spaces
AGAINST Garden grabbing and overdevelopment on local land
FOR Raising the achievement of every pupil in Kingswood's schools
AGAINST Dumbing down of standards
FOR Taxi tokens for Kingswood's elderly