Together with Ben Cox, in May 2023 Dan became one of the first Labour councillors elected to Wealden District Council since it was set up half a century ago.

Dan is currently leading the campaign to save Uckfield Leisure Centre, which is threatened with closure by Wealden District Council. Now that he is a District councillor, Dan plans to start a vote to ensure the pool is protected. Closing it would be an insult to the local residents who helped fund it in the 1980s and a disaster for children who need to learn to swim, as well as all those who use it to keep fit and socialise.

Dan grew up in Uckfield, attending Holy Cross School and Uckfield College, with much of his family living here. He has been active in Uckfield’s community life since he was 16, when he set up a successful petition to stop cuts to the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme in East Sussex. He now works as a PA to a disabled barrister.

Dan has served as the youngest ever member of Uckfield Town Council, elected aged 18 on a pledge to do what he could to reopen the Uckfield Youth Centre. With the help of the community, he achieved this nine months later. The pandemic and Uckfield College have forced it closed again, but Dan is now seeking to restore the Youth Centre in a new building.

Dan’s focus has often been on the provision of facilities for Uckfield’s young people, like the Uckfield Youth Centre. He is working to upgrade the play area on The Drive known to many as “The Cage”. In addition, alongside Uckfield Labour Town Councillor Ben Cox, he is one of the Founding Directors of the Uckfield Community Fridge, work he is particularly proud of.

Another of Dan’s top concerns is the environment. He has worked with Labour Town Councillor Angie Smith to help Uckfield’s transition to net-zero as part of the Uckfield Green Partnership. The need for car ownership on new, out-of-town housing developments will worsen pollution and the issue of pavement parking, which makes life increasingly difficult for disabled people and parents with pushchairs. We need to decriminalise parking and bring in wardens.

Dan says: “I’m very concerned about the lack of Local Plan, which allows developers to ride roughshod with shoddy, badly planned housing. We need more houses, but we also need higher standards, affordable prices, and a range of sizes. Most importantly, our public services need to keep up. We should not be closing Holy Cross Primary School and Uckfield Leisure Centre in our growing town!”

Dan loves meeting residents on the doorstep, so perhaps you will meet him soon!