Henry is a Crawley resident and elected representative. Married to Jennifer, who is a local Borough Councillor and previously worked for the NHS, they have a young daughter and son. He likes to spend what spare time there is with family. 

In 2005 Henry co-authored Direct Democracy, which argues for far greater devolution of real decision making power to people, locally elected bodies and Parliament.

Henry's Experience
Henry has been Leader of West Sussex County Council since 2003 when at 34 he became the youngest county leader in the country. He is also Chairman of the South East County Leaders group, which represents all counties across the greater south east.

First elected as a County Councillor from Crawley in 1997, in addition he has previously been a Crawley Borough Councillor as well as Governor at The Oaks, The Brook and Oriel High schools in the town.

Henry was the Crawley Conservative Parliamentary Candidate at the last General Election where he received the highest national swing from Labour to Conservative (over 8.5%), reducing the Labour majority from 6,770 to just 37 – making Crawley the most marginal constituency in the country.

Campaigns
Speak to any Crawley resident and most will say that Labour’s closure of hospital departments, such as maternity and accident & emergency, has been a serious concern, putting the lives of locals at risk.

Henry says: “It doesn’t matter what your background is, we are all equally, adversely affected by a reduced acute health service. An important, growing town like Crawley, with a significant elderly population and major transport links, like Gatwick Airport and the M23, needs new hospital provision.”

In response, along with neighbouring Horsham MP, Francis Maude, Henry launched a set of fully costed proposals, developed by commissioned health and planning professionals, which would provide a new major area hospital including accident & emergency.

The Campaign 4 Pease Pottage proposals can be viewed by visiting www.c4pph.org where supporters of the project can sign a petition.

In contrast to Labour’s cutting of essential public services, with Henry, Conservative West Sussex County Council has invested around £80 million in new schools for Crawley. Furthermore, under Henry’s leadership, the County Council last year opened a new state-of-the-art Crawley Library, the most ecologically friendly public building in West Sussex.