Jasper Gerard

http://www.libdems.org.uk/jasper_gerard

Jasper Gerard
Maidstone and the Weald

Jasper was born and brought up in Kent, where he still lives with his wife and two children in the beautiful Weald. His childhood imbued him with a love of the Kentish countryside, whose protection he has championed consistently in a career on national newspapers spanning two decades. Plans by the Tory council to plaster 14,800 houses indiscriminately across Maidstone and the Weald without thought for school places, doctors’ waiting lists or traffic gridlock (let alone public consent) was a compelling force in persuading Jasper to stand.

As the son of a single mother and himself now a father of two, he is also driven by a determination to increase life chances for children. He was disgusted that after years of Labour rule you could still predict, with 70% accuracy, how successful a toddler would become in adulthood. He felt inspired by the Liberal Democrat project of spreading opportunity to all, with Nick Clegg able to give over £1m a year extra to help teach disadvantaged Maidstone children, with more money for early learning, child care, apprentiships and over 6,000 low paid Maidstone workers removed from tax entirely.

As a successful journalist and author Jasper has the professional skills to speak up for Maidstone and the Weald. For almost a decade he was chief interviewer of the Sunday Times and has been a Times leader writer, an associate editor and high profile columnist for several quality newspapers. He has also written for think tanks and a book on the resurgence of the Liberal Democrats.

If he ever gets a break from campaigning he wants to return to writing a historical biography, but in the two years leading up to the 2015 general election he is working full time (unpaid) in Maidstone - for the people of Maidstone.