Personal

Gina was born in London, moving to Lancaster 25 years ago upon completion of her degree in European Business at Trent Polytechnic (first class honours). Her family came from a modest background; her father was a carpenter and her mother a school secretary. She lives with her partner Dominic and their two school-age boys in the city centre, and has devoted much of the last six years caring for her elderly parents.She worked for over 10 years in the NHS in public health. One of her first jobs was as women’s health promotion facilitator in Wyre and the Fylde and helping to establish Blackpool’s first women’s refuge, and later in health promotion development work in Lancaster’s prisons and at Lancaster University. She has also had a number of management roles in the voluntary sector and is currently part time manager of the Churches Trust for Cumbria, which helps faith communities adapt and maintain their buildings for wider community use.

Gina has long been involved in community groups and campaigns in Lancaster and was chair of the Steiner Kindergarten management committee for 3 years as the school first became established.

Gina first got involved in politics in her early 20s after volunteering in Bangladesh in a children’s home, when the startling differences between rich and poor drove her into action locally and nationally.

Political Experience

Founder member of Lancaster Green Party in 1986, Chair of Lancaster Green Party for numerous years since. Eight years on Lancaster City council. Among the first Greens elected to Lancaster City Council in 1999, she represented Castle ward and then Duke’s ward.

Member of Lancaster City council’s cabinet 2001 – 2007; responsible for external affairs, diversity and children’s issues.

Leading change in the district : Chairing the Local Strategic Partnership (and the development of the district’s first community strategy), Chair of the Sustainability Partnership

Representing the Council on many local bodies’ management groups including Lancaster Charity (Alms housing); Friendship Centre.

Gina succeeded as ward councillor in achieving improvements at a neighbourhood level as well as for the district as a whole. As well as hands on campaigning with local people to get play areas improved and funding for a new community centre on the Marsh, she took a lead role in district wide initiatives such as establishing Lancaster as a Cycling Demonstration Town and securing the £1.5m extra government funding that came with it.

Gina faced controversy when she made information public about British Energy’s Heysham power station’s appeal to delay paying business rates at a cost to local council tax payers in a secret meeting with the Council. After a tribunal resulting in her being suspended from the Council for 3 months for breach of the code of Conduct, she was re-elected with a larger majority than before.

Gina has a track record of high energy involvement to finding solutions to the challenges we face in this area. She has what it takes to make a good MP: determination and perseverance to take on issues affecting people’s everyday lives, an inclusive way of engaging with the public; and leadership and vision to help create a green and fairer future.