Ben believes passionately in the power of local communities and has been involved in leading voluntary projects for most of his life. At the age of 11, he set-up and Chaired a Youth Council to show his local authority the importance of diversity of opinion in decision making processes. He worked closely with The Prince’s Trust to design and deliver facilities for young people and went on to work with like-minded young people from across the country to set-up the UK Youth Parliament. At the age of 16, he was formally elected by his peers, from across Essex, to represent them in the House of Commons.
From the age of 18, Ben served as a school governor and has since served on primary, secondary and further education boards. As Chair of Governors, he has partnered with the Department of Education and Church of England to lead schools through academy conservations and sponsorships. He currently sits on the City of London’s Education Board which oversees the strategy of 10 sponsored academies as part of the City of London Academies Trust, 3 independent schools and 1 maintained primary school. He also sits as a Sponsor Trustee of the City of London Academy Trust.
Ben was elected as a local councillor in Epping Forest in 2007 and served as both Deputy Mayor and later Mayor – he was billed as the youngest Mayor ever elected at that time. He represented the authority on a range of outside organisations, including the Local Government Association, Police Authority and Royal British Legion. He is an ambassador and fundraiser for a number of charities.
In November 2017, Ben was elected as the City of London Councillor representing Bishopsgate, winning 68% of the vote. Ben re-stood for election in March 2022, but the election for the Bishopsgate Ward was uncontested, meaning he shall continue to serve as a Councillor until March 2025.
Caring deeply about the social deprivation, Ben has worked hard to bring an end to rough sleeping in the City of London. He was one of the founding members of the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Sub Committee and a sponsor for the introduction of combined police Operation Luscombe, which addresses begging by creating multi-agency pathways of support away from the streets and into permanent accommodation, rather than simply criminalising the behaviour.
Ben has worked as a Chief Operating Officer for a number of Investment Banks in the City of London, through periods of significant regulatory and cultural change. He continues to commute into Liverpool Street from his home in Epping Forest.
