Aged 22, Matt is keen to see young people represented in local government. He believes very strongly in community pride, and wants to see Faringdon thrive in the future. For too long the town and surrounding villages have been neglected by the rest of the Vale. Matt's family has been in Faringdon for three generations, and has just recently bought his own flat in the town.Matt went to school in the area and has recently graduated with BA (Hons) in Politics & Philosophy from Brunel University, West London. He is currently employed as a political assistant and has previously worked for district councils, giving him plenty of experience of local government.Matt is keen to see funding for the long awaited scheme for town centre improvement. Matt will also listen to the concerns of the villages around Faringdon – particularly Great Coxwell – and will address concerns about the expansion of the town towards those villages and the danger of them being swallowed up into the body of Faringdon. He thinks that it is important that the expansion of the town is carefully planned, and enough jobs and services are in place to support new housing.What we WILL do...We will abolish the 65p charge for the collection of green waste and have this waste composted instead of being dumped in landfill sites as is the case now.We will introduce innovative policies to provide affordable housing for local people.We will introduce the Conservative Planning Pledge, which guarantees:- No development on green belt land- New Local Plan- Tighter control over rural developmentsWe will ensure a balance of housing and commercial developments to prevent Faringdon becoming a dormitory town.We will assist the development and expansion of the Folly ParkWith the demise of village shops we will support the provision of local community buses.We will fight to attract funding for the redevelopment of Faringdon Market Place.We will ensure a fair distribution of grant money.We will endeavour to keep Council Tax rises at, or below, inflation.