Firstly, it would be an honour as Chair, to represent and support colleagues, who are doing one of the toughest jobs there is. As your chair, my number one priority will always be pushing for better pay, conditions and support that you rightly deserve.
Equality, Representation and Communication are the basis of who I am and what I believe your Federation should be underpinned by.

Equality, it’s important as members you are not only treated equally and fairly by Lancashire police, but by the Federation that you pay to support you. locally we are ok, however nationally, we need to repair relations from the damage of events such as the pension reform. I would use my place on the National council to help steer how the National Board perform. I won’t shy away from speaking up and asking tough questions. They should never lose sight or focus on what their purpose is and always have at the forefront of all decisions, you the paying members.

I believe we should be a representative branch. I’ve spoken to key people and networks to understand the challenges they face and what they would like to see from their Federation. I know from being the Chair of the Disability Support Network how important it is to challenge people and the organisation, especially around being treated unfairly and facing discrimination.

I promise to be a visible Chair, spend more time in divisions, attending briefings and network meetings to gain a first-hand understanding of the issues colleagues face. I want your future Federation to be visible and accessible to every member. I will challenge our organisation to make changes and redress any balance of unfairness and stamp out any discrimination.

Communication is key and that goes nationally as well as your local branch. That’s not just communicating with members but communicating with influential parties. I firmly support that officers deserve better pay and conditions. My next promise to you if I was to become your Chair is, I would request a meeting with all 16 MPs in Lancashire. This is to build positive relationships so they can use their influence in government in pushing for better pay and conditions for Lancashire officers.

I promise that your Federation will be open and transparent, with my aim to improve communication and updating members better in what your Federation does on a day-to-day basis.

To be a functioning Federation and be able to influence change, it’s important that we have a good working relationship with the Chief Constable, and senior leaders in our organisation. I have seen firsthand the negative impact where Federations have a strained relationship with their own forces. So, in preparation I have had meetings with our chief officers where we spoke about our visions and expectations of each other. I am positive having had those conversations, that if I was to become Chair of the Federation, then I’m confident that any issues we raise, will be listened too, with solutions being found and implemented.

James