John Patient
John started his career as an economist with an insurance company, before becoming a business analyst and data architect working both as an employee and as an independent consultant. His clients included many well-known businesses and governments both here and in the US, Switzerland, Germany and Kuwait.
Since retiring from full-time work, John has recently been getting increasingly involved in local politics. He stood for election to Stroud District Council in May 2024 in the Hardwicke ward but did not win.
He says: “My experience of election campaigning, which has included hours of visiting residents to talk to them about local issues and help to address concerns, will stand me in good stead if I am elected to represent the residents of Haresfield and Upton St Leonards in the county elections.”
John believes that as a county councillor he can campaign for measures to help mitigate the effects of climate change and press for better public transport, among other things.
He explains: “Change happens in our society either as a result of private investors spending large sums of money or through the decisions of elected representatives. We are facing catastrophic climate change and I believe that being part of a Green cohort on GCC provides the best opportunity for me to help make it very slightly less catastrophic.”
He adds: “An enlarged Green group, which could very probably form part of the administration, plus the bigger budget at county council level, will give Greens more opportunity to make effective changes than at a lower-tier council, so the prospect of joining GCC is really exciting.”
John believes his Economics degree and experience as a data architect will be invaluable in assessing and interpreting the massive amounts of information, much of it financial, that he will have to read as a county councillor. He adds: “One of my hobbies is amateur dramatics and I think that being used to being on stage and speaking in public will be a great asset too, when it comes to speaking at council meetings and explaining sometimes complex subjects.”
Having managed project teams, worked with main board directors, presented to groups of people and run training courses during his career, John is well-placed to confidently take on a new role at Shire Hall.
His involvement in local politics goes back to the late 1970s, when he was a member of the Liberal Party and helped his local team to quadruple their vote share during elections in Norwich.
In the 1980s, when he had moved to London, John chaired a local action committee that opposed the planned building of a dual carriageway relief road. The local council ignored the community’s objections so John encouraged residents to stand for election as independent councillors, which led to the Conservative majority being overturned and the road scheme being cancelled. A popular and well-used tram now runs along part of the route in South London, an outcome that John says is evidence of how councillors can create positive change for their residents.