YourLocale
We are passionate about neighbourhoods and helping communities shape the areas in which they live.
Gary Kirk MA, MCIH, CQSW
Managing Director
Gary leads our team. He has a wealth of experience in supporting communities to achieve their aims and aspirations.
An Independent Neighbourhood Planning Examiner, a Parish Councillor and formerly a Board Member with East Midlands Housing Group. Gary has built our company into a regional leader and one which an increasing number of parishes and communities are approaching to support them in developing Neighbourhood Plans and taking greater control of their own future.
Prior to YourLocale, Gary was the Chief Executive of an award-winning housing regeneration company, operating in north Nottinghamshire and north east Derbyshire called Meden Valley Making Places (MVMP). MVMP was critically acclaimed for its achievements in meeting the aspirations of community members and for its consultation and involvement strategies.
YourLocale is a Neighbourhood Plan consultancy based in south Leicestershire which works with Town and Parish Councils and Neighbourhood Forums across Leicestershire and into Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire.
Managing Director Gary Kirk is joined by a range of Associates who each specialise in different aspects of the neighbourhood planning process, as follows:
Our Associates
John Martin AMA, BSc (Hons)
John has a geology degree from Bristol University. He was at Leicester (later Leicestershire) Museums from 1973 to 2001, specialising in exhibitions, interpretation and vertebrate palaeontology (the dinosaur gallery at Leicester was one of his), eventually becoming managing curator of New Walk Museum.
In 2001 he joined Haley Sharpe Design as head of interpretation, working on museums, visitor centres and trails for clients in Britain, North America and elsewhere.
He has a life-long interest in the environment. He has been a member of the Council of Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust, currently helps run a Community WildSpace group, is a birder, and has broad knowledge of conservation, ecology and biodiversity. Having been a member of the steering group for his own village's Neighbourhood Plan, he joined YourLocale as an Associate specialising in the Environment in 2015.
Andrew Towlerton MA, BA (Hons), MRPTI
Andrew has extensive experience of working in the local authority, including Parish Councils, and voluntary sectors with a particular focus on neighbourhood development and planning.
In addition to being an associate of Yourlocale, he is also National Planning Advisor to the SLCC (Society of Local Council Clerks) and a parish clerk.
Andrew is a Planner and was until recently Assistant Director with an East Midlands Local Authority. In this role, he was responsible for Strategic Housing, Planning, and neighbourhood planning, including the implementation of the Localism Act.
Andrew has a Masters Degree in Public Administration with a particular focus on the barriers and opportunities the Localism Act presents to England's town and parish councils.
Derek Doran BSc (Hons) MCIH MBA
Derek specialises in delivering complex housing solutions at a Board, strategic and policy level.
He has been heavily involved in cross tenure housing schemes and community consultation activities. Having worked freelance for four years as a Lead Consultant for the Tenants Participation Advisory Service, he has experience in ensuring robust and inclusive community involvement.
Derek was previously Regional Director for Riverside Housing Association and has worked for three local authorities at operational and policy levels.His published work includes a S106 Best Practice Guide for the East Midlands Regional Assembly, intermediate housing research for the Housing Corporation and he was also a member of a team which undertook the Leicestershire Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA).
Mike
Preston
BSc (Hons)
Mike has worked extensively across on a wide range of community engagement projects and creative consultations.
He also specialises in consultation work with young people in both school and community settings.
Experienced in the creation of engaging consultative methods, Mike leads on the development of community questionnaires.
He has also developed a number of innovative ways to analyse and feed back the outcomes of consultations to the communities we support.
Alistair
Kirk
BA (Hons)
Alistair has over six years of experience working within international creative design agencies.
Following a degree in English Literature, he worked as Copywriter at Dentsu CBDC in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, contributing conceptual writing and ideation for global brands.
For YourLocale, Alistair leverages his creative experience to design and format planning brochures and cover pages on a freelance basis.
As a full time business marketing writer in London, Alastair is immersed in an innovative and forward-thinking creative environment; producing content mainly within the tech and finance space.
Jo Kimberlee MA, CQSW, Dip. Management
Jo has extensive experience in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors of health and social care. This has included national and regional development of early intervention family support services for the NSPCC in England, Wales and N.Ireland; including community and service-user engagement, and performance and change management for local government and private sector adult and children’s services.
She currently works as an independent consultant in the social care field, and community engagement.
Daniel Bronson BSc (Hons)
Daniel is an experienced Microsoft Certified Computer Systems engineer and has worked with, and supported many organisations over the last 20 years.
He currently runs connectPCsupport, a remote support computer business and manages YourLocale's website.
He helps us keep everything updated, secure and running smoothly, along with Search Engine Optimisation, Social Media support, News updates and of course, our IT and computer support.
Daniel is always available to help us quickly when any computer glitches crop up and ensures we have technical experience on hand to help when required.
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If you would like to find out more about Neighbourhood Plans, and how your Parish or community might begin to exercise real power and control over decisions that affect you, please do get in touch and we can discuss a way forward.
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