RICHARD BROOKS

"I'd ask you to notice the difference between the promises of many who say they will do lots, and the few who have already done it for years."

WHO IS RICHARD BROOKS

 (Last updated mARCH 2024)

Richard is the Paliamentary candidate for Arbroath & Broughty Ferry in the UK General Election 2024.

Born Richard John Brooks, in Devonport, Plymouth; Richard went on to live in Arbroath, attending primary and secondary level schools before joining the Civil Service as an engineering apprentice (boilermaker), and has gone on to spend the last 25 years in the Northeast of Scotland (working mainly in Aberdeen's Oil and Gas sector).

Richards apprenticeship started all the way back in his birth place of Plymouth, but he would soon be on the move again, this time to Barrow-in-Furness to work in the Trident Submarine design office. During these eight years in Cumbria he covered many chapters in his life. By the time he left Cumbria, Richard had obtained a MSc from Lancaster University, having worked in the Vicker's Shipyard (VSEL) as a radiation physicist. Shortly before leaving for Aberdeen, Richard met and married his now wife, Amy.

ABERDEEN: Land of hope and glory

Whilst working in Aberdeen for Lloyd's Register as a legal compliance & safety engineering specialist, Richard became a Chartered Engineer and a Chartered Physicist. His ongoing interest in social action and social justice led him studying law and to the founding of the social action charity TLC in June 2002.

Whilst being recognised as an energy industry Technical Authority, Richard gained a B.Div (Hons) from Aberdeen University and by 2015, Richard had written the leadership book, "The Crown of Absalom".

After many years in Shipbuilding, Nuclear, and Oil & Gas sectors, he continues to be aware of deprivation often neighbouring great wealth, which fuels his national-commitment to see long-term solutions, and his Northeast-commitment to see near-term change. His efforts have been relentless in alleviating deprevation and social isolation throughout the last 20+ years, and through the double-national award winning work of TLC, he has now seen over 100,000 people helped in the Northeast.

CORE VALUES: Integrity, honesty and transparency

Richard has lived in the Northeast for more than 25 years and has built a reputation both professionally and socially for living a life of integrity, honesty and transparency. In 2014, he chaired the Aberdeen South Independence debate which included MSPs, Cllrs, soon to be elected MP and Professor Hugh Pennington CBE.

Richard has always made space for people from all walks of life.

He is a spokesman for diversity and inclusion and his continued commitment to social change has seen many families and individual lives transformed for the better. Working with and alongside organisations such as Aberdeen City Council, Churches, Mosques, and various schools and community groups, his work in TLC had grown quietly from strength to strength, gaining local (2016 Spirit of the Community award) and national (Prestige Scottish Charity of the year 2021/22 & 2023/24) recognitions.

To date over 900,000 meals have been distributed in the last 20 years, and whilst in January 2024 he stood down from being the Chair, he and his family retain an active interest at the grass roots level of the charity.

Richard genuinely believes that much more can be accomplished together than apart, and thus has worked with all political parties to see social transformation take place. Communicating and meeting with various organisations and leaders in the Northeast, including Douglas Lumsden MSP (and former city council co-leader). 

In May 2022, against a challenging post-COVID backdrop, Richard ran and was duely elected as a Conservative and Unionist Councillor in one of the wards on the the Southside of Aberdeen (Kincorth, Nigg and Cove).

Richard has seen firsthand that the SNP and those in power with them in the Northeast, are not listening to the people (i.e. attempting to defund counter-deprivation organisataions like Big Noise Torry and closing Library and swimming pool). Richard is turning the volume up and together with his Conservative colleagues are holding the SNPs feet to the fire until they are willing to hear the poeple's voices and take approriate action; In June 2023 SNP national government were forced to step in and reverse the decision to defund Big Noise Torry, and in December 2023, after much rhetoric and many challenges to their stance, the SNP buckled under the relentless pressure and committed to reinstate the Bucksburn Swimming pool.

No amount of spin can save the SNP now - they are a disaster locally and nationally.

Life is for Living...

On a personal level, Richard and Amy have three children and live in the Northeast, very much enjoying community life. They continue to be active in a local church and particularly enjoy meeting new people and experiencing new cultures.

Richard's main hobby - other than being a football fanatic - is studying. Through interest, as much as professionalism, he currently holds degrees in Engineering Science, Theology, Politics, and having held a PGDip, is now completing his LLM in Law, having studied with Aberdeen, Robert Gordon's, Lancaster and Oxford Universities.

His wife Amy had held two fanchises with Slimming World until spring 2021 when she developed Long-Covid. Although it is now a few years since first having Covid, she has not been able to return to work. However, the good news is that at the end of 2023 she estimates that she has progressed to 75% full health (having spent most of the time below 50%).

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