Mike was elected as MP for Finchley and Golders Green in May 2010. He has lived in Finchley for over 20 years, and he previously served as a local councillor and Leader of Barnet Council.
Before going into politics he held several positions within the banking and finance sectors. This has included working for major high street banks in their estate agency; retail; wealth and corporate divisions. In addition Mike has experience of running his own financial service business. Prior to banking and financial services Mike worked in retail catering and retail gaming.
Mike is a keen cyclist and a general keep fit enthusiast who also enjoys travelling and reading. He is a member of Friends of Windsor Open Space, Conservative Friends of Israel, Conservative Friends of Cyprus and is also a Friend of British Asian Conservative link.
Mike’s experience
Tireless work by Mike and others on a winning manifesto in 2002 led to the Conservatives being swept back to power in Barnet Council after a gap of eight years. His reward for this unstinting show of energy was the Value and Effectiveness Portfolio, which gave him the chance to tackle the colossal waste and mismanagement seen under the Labour/Liberal administrations of 1994-2002. The task was a challenging one: a black hole of £11 million was revealed in the Council Budget, and Reserves were just £3 million. Some Council departments were even at risk of Government takeover.
He led Barnet Council until December 2009, implementing radical changes and widely gained respect as someone who 'gets things done' with a keen eye for improving service and value for money in our public services.
Campaigning in Finchley & Golders Green
Mike has continued his campaign for Finchley Memorial Hospital to be rebuilt after being elected to Parliament, and is now pushing for permanent digital breast screening to be made available on the site. He opposed the top-down NHS reconfiguration under Labour and is now working with local GPs to ensure that Barnet receives the best possible healthcare.
Crime, the fear of crime and anti-social behaviour is a major concern for the residents of Finchley and Golders Green with a record number of 34871 offences being committed within the Borough of Barnet during 2005/06. Locally Mike has working closely with Boris Johnson for more police officers on our streets and will continue to do so.
Mike has been successful in securing £8.3m from Mayor Boris Johnson for the upgrade of Henlys Corner, the notorious junction where the A1 meets the North Circular.
In Parliament Mike has been campaigning for squatting to be made a criminal offence, highlighting the opportunities to reduce the cost of Government and ensuring the constituencies many faith communities in Finchley and Golders Green have a voice.