An experienced town planner, housing manager, building engineer and regeneration specialist, mostly in local government, Tony has been a director or service manager for over 20 years at several councils and regeneration agencies. Since starting in Bristol City planning department in the early ‘70s, where he trained as a town planner, his career has mainly been based in various inner London boroughs, such as Hackney, Lewisham and Greenwich. At Hackney Council in the ‘80s, confronted with a left-wing council intent on attacking its workforce and pursuing racist housing policies, Tony became a fervent anti-racist and trade union activist, advocating workers’ solidarity to counter racist attacks and reduced working conditions.

Tony has recently been a co-founder of the 250 New Towns Club, promoting how to overcome the barriers to building new homes to meet housing needs, and convenes the ‘Croydon Salon’, with the aim of enriching further the surprisingly long and deep tradition of Croydon’s intellectual and creative excellence.