Hello, my name is Stephen (he/him), and I am running to be your 2025/26 Democracy and Development Officer. I am a third year Politics and International Relations student. I have worked at the SU now for about two and a half years as student staff, and there is a good chance that some of you will recognise me from there.

Within my studies, I am interested in three main areas: the extreme right-wing, health and social care policy, and English local government. I am doing my dissertation in the latter, with a focus on transport planning and infrastructure – namely that of buses.

But why does that matter? Why should you vote for me?

I have been out since nominations opened and have spoken to a decent number of students. When I ask them about what they think their SU should be working on for them, the feedback I have been getting is consistent. The state of the 25 from campus to town is always bought up. In my experience, this journey is anything but comfortable; the bus is often overcrowded and not in the cleanest state. Naturally, this annoys the students I have spoken to, and I am sure you can relate.

Moreover, students have told me that they would like to see more affordable food deals on campus – like the SU did a couple of years ago – as well as a greater variety of job opportunities for students due to the ever-increasing cost-of-living.

I think an elected officer should be a good listener, and that is something that I would prioritise. The Development and Democracy Officer should be available for students to speak to about any concerns and should be at the forefront of student representation and activism. This is something that I feel strongly about. I believe that any elected representative, whether in government or the SU, should be accountable and transparent about their actions and decisions. This is something that I would push for all of the officers to do.

As I mentioned earlier, ​I have now been working at the SU for just under two and a half year - with jobs ranging from Bar Host to Team Leader and First Aider, and Safety Bus Driver. I feel that this has given me a good insight into how the SU operates on nighttime events and has also given me invaluable experience working with both student staff and full-time staff to provide the best student experience possible. However, from my experience, I feel that communication between students and the events team at the SU needs to be greatly improved. You have told me that you do not hear about SU events before they happen, and you often miss out because of this.

In my first year, I was a Student Voice Representative, and this year, I have been a SU delegate, representing the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. I have also been on the committee of Keele Labour Students: in first year as the Co-operative Party delegate and in my third year as the campaign secretary.

​​As you have probably assumed from my course, I am interested in campaigns and activism, having been involved in a decent number over the last 8 years. I first began volunteering with litter picking and environmental groups at 14 years old, and since then, I have got involved with more and more organisations. These include Tamworth Foodbank, Tamworth Street Angels, the Royal British Legion; as well as a couple of political causes, such as Make Votes Matter, the Labour Party and the Green Party.

I have also gotten a level of political experience. In 2021, I stood as a candidate for the Staffordshire County Council, and while I did not win, it gave me a good knowledge of the process of local government. Since then, I have continued to help people with issues they have regarding local government, mainly Tamworth Borough Council and Staffordshire County Council, but also Stoke-on-Trent City Council. I know how difficult it can be to work with councils; however, I feel my experience places me in a strong position to stand up for Keele students the wider Keele community.

If you have any questions, or  would like to have a chat, my email is: x7f28@students.keele.ac.uk.