Councillor Mark S Furnival

I have now represented Mill Hill on DDC since 1999 and will always see it as an honour.

I have undertaken two campaigns over the last three and a half years. Firstly, asking the council to take a principled stand against animal circuses.

With circus animals spending almost their entire lives on the road, travelling from one makeshift encampment to another, circuses cannot provide adequate facilities for the animals in their care. Many circus animals display abnormal, disturbed behaviours; Life for circus animals is one of deprivation, restriction of movement, punctuated by physical abuse and beatings.

I have also been chair the Fairtrade Coordinating committee on the Deal Town council, with the aim of attaining Fairtrade status for Deal.

International trade may sometimes seem a remote issue, but when commodity prices fall dramatically it has a catastrophic impact on the lives of millions of small scale producers, forcing many into crippling debt and countless others to lose their land and their homes. Fairtrade can make a real difference to people's lives, it challenges the conventional model of trade, and offers a progressive alternative for a sustainable future. We are now very close to achieving Fairtrade status for Deal and this should be achieved in the next year.

As well as being the spokesperson on the planning committee and working with residents in Mill Hill, I continue to campaign to keep the play areas open, get the council to ban animal circuses and on Fairtrade issues - please contact me as per the contact me page if you want further information.

I am also a member of the Co-Operative Party (www.party.coop ).

Tel: 01304 366262 (also a fax number)

Email: cllrmarkfurnival@dover.gov.uk