About Terry

The partisan nature of national politics, the constant squabbling and inability to work together is a style of working that does not appeal. However, through my years in local government, it is clear we can only achieve so much and in order to best support you and your family we need a Member of Parliament that understands our area and addresses the challenges that exist.

I’ve lived in South West Norfolk my whole life and my family are rooted across the constituency. I’m passionate about our shared community. It is where I call home and it is the reason I first entered politics.

From running my own business, to volunteering my time with local charities and serving as as a local Councillor within the constituency for more than fifteen years, it is clear that in order to support residents and improve your quality of life, we need a Member of Parliament who is focused on the needs of our community and understands the challenges that exist.

I was born and brought up in Thetford and, once through the local education system, I intended to become a teacher but then became involved in my local community and was elected to Thetford Town Council in 2008 aged 22. I later joined both Breckland Council and Norfolk County Council. 

I’ve served on all three levels of local governments for more than ten years and understand well the many complexities and frustrations that come from our different tiers of Government. 

At Breckland I served as the Leader of the Opposition for 10 years, standing down in 2023 to allow time to focus on my new role as Vice Chairman of the Council and Chairman of the Council’s Scrutiny Commission – an important part of the Council’s governance structure, holding the executive to account.

Politics for me is about being able to help people, solve problems and bring people together through hard work and co-operation. I would like to think I have built a reputation for getting things done as a local Councillor and I use my skills and experience to benefit the area I serve and the people within it. I have been delighted to be re-elected on multiple occasions, always improving on my previous election result. 

In 2021, I received the largest share of the vote for a Labour candidate out of all 84 divisions in Norfolk. Not a County division in a big city or a strong Labour area, but in a market town in rural Norfolk. 

I have always been grateful for the support received and hope I have been able to repay people’s trust by delivering for them.

Aside from my role as a local Councillor I run my own business – producing a monthly magazine that is distributed to 13,000 homes locally. I work with more than eighty small businesses every month and understand the challenges they face. 

Small and medium enterprises are crucial to both our local economy and our communities – inflation and the cost of living crisis have made trading difficult for many businesses, as well as our residents.

I am involved in numerous local charitable groups including the Charles Burrell Centre in Thetford where I serve as Chair of the Board of Directors. This is a role I have undertaken since its inception back in 2012. The CBC has progressed from nothing more than a shell, into a thriving community and business centre with an annual turnover of nearly half a million pounds. 

We provide crucial services that support residents every single day, tackling poverty and deprivation and improving people’s life opportunities. Through this role, I have seen the impact of the Government’s austerity agenda with constant cuts to services and local government. 

I am also Vice Chairman of the Staniforth Trust, maintaining Kings House, garden and Staniforth collection in Thetford.

Fuel poverty, malnutrition and insecure housing are daily struggles for many in South West Norfolk – I believe we can and should do better and our Member of Parliament should serve ALL residents.

I encourage people to contact me directly should you have any queries or want to find out more information. This website will contain information about my priorities for this election campaign and where I stand on particular issues.

Best wishes,

Terry Jermy