I'm Ellie Cox, a Councillor for Lower Morden in London. I was the Conservative London Assembly candidate for Merton & Wandsworth and Mitcham & Morden Parliamentary Candidate in the 2024 elections.
I'm a Londoner, living in Wimbledon, with family based in London and North England. Family is at the heart of what is important to me.
As a child, it was my sport that defined me. My family faced difficulties, like many do, and it was my dream of being a top badminton player that got me through these challenging times, whilst at the same time, giving me great purpose and life skills. I achieved my dream and became the top female British junior representing England internationally, living and training in Milton Keynes at the National Badminton Centre. In times when we were a minimum wage earning family, my sporting ambitions were only made possible by the Conservative party, who under former Prime Minister John Major, increased funding and grants to sports bodies and local authorities which helped pay for my training and tournaments. For this reason, I believe sports must be accessible to all. Sport gives people healthier lifestyles, increases social inclusion, gives people useful life skills, and can reduce crime. I will work to increase funding for community facilities to enable this.
The opportunities I got through sports taught me how to focus on goals and be successful. And opportunity is what I would like everyone to have.
Leaving sport at 19, I wanted to find a new career. I had a new dream; to be a businesswoman. However, with no degree or connections, I didn't know where to start. Fortuitously, I attended an event where I met Margaret Thatcher. She gave me valuable advice. She said self-responsibility will open the gateway to opportunity and success for me and at that event I made a connection which led to me finding work in a bank.
Today I am leading a London team helping small and mid-sized businesses grow. I know how business works and how they are funded. I have seen the impact technology is making to innovate business and city infrastructure. I have 15 years’ experience of supporting businesses to employ more staff, innovate and create economic growth in our cities, making them a more desirable, vibrant place to live.
The lack of affordable housing is a significant problem, in particular, in London and the South East of England. We need suitable and reasonably priced housing, enabling people to not only work in an area, but live there too. Travelling a long distance to get to work because of unaffordable housing in some areas is not conducive to a productive workforce. We must make homeownership a reality for people living and working in big cities. Having bought a home, through the shared ownership scheme, I know the importance of affordable housing, and the need to build.
As Mayor of London Boris Johnson built twice as many homes in 8 years as Sadiq Khan has. It is the Conservatives that have home ownership at the heart of their principles, and through the Conservatives, I was able to buy my first home. Part of my solution would be to work with the private sector to understand how we can incentivise housebuilders to build more homes and ensure the planning system works for both Councils and developers.
Restoring a sense of safety for residents is crucial. I live very close to a police station and a magistrates court, and yet car crime and burglary is a frequent occurrence. Both of my next door neighbours have been burgled in the last year. This is unacceptable and we need to adopt technology into the police force, with the aim of freeing up capacity for police men and women to be able to walk the beat and spend more of their time catching criminals. I'll actively engage in initiatives for enhancing women's safety. It makes me sad that women tell me they feel unsafe walking home at night. Better street lighting and an increased police presence are vital necessities.
We need better street lighting and more police on our streets to reduce crime
Protecting our green spaces is an important part of our wellbeing and for improving biodiversity and air quality. I have campaigned locally against initiatives that will concrete over our green spaces. I also work closely with business to encourage their journey to net zero, providing solutions and support to help them achieve this.
I intend to apply my business expertise to support communities, exploring avenues for economic expansion, social integration and inclusion. My goal is to listen to residents' voices and make sure that I represent and deliver on the matters that matter to you.