Tom was born at North Wing, Bedford Hospital and educated in Bedford. He then went to the agricultural college at Shuttleworth, near Biggleswade, working on the family farm and in various family businesses. Tom also worked with the Young Farmers Organisation taking on a number of voluntary roles with the Blunham Club, ending up as Chairman and holding a number of county organisational roles. Tom is very proud to have hosted ploughing matches and the Young Farmers' annual rally on a number of occasions.
Tom has always had a keen interest in local politics and aside from being on a number of church councils he served as a member of Ravensden Parish Council, serving for around 30yrs. During this time Tom took the opportunity to fight for election in a number of seats in town and around the Borough giving him a wide knowledge of our towns.
In 2002 Tom stood for election to the County Council for the division of North East Bedfordshire. This division covered 14 rural parish councils, including Riseley, Roxton, and Wyboston, and was the largest division in the county. Tom proudly represented this division until the dissolution of Bedfordshire County Council.
In 2007 Tom stood for election to Bedford Borough Council for the former ward of Roxton covering another seven Parish Councils, many of which he was already representing as a County Council. This ward was reorganised a few years later to become the Wyboston Ward. Tom represented this ward continuously until May 2023.
Tom campaigned to be Mayor of Bedford Borough for over a year before the election, knocking on doors every day, and is very proud of the manifesto on which he stood. In May 2023 the approximately 186,000 voters of the Borough went to the polls and Tom was elected with a mighty majority of 145! At the same time the Conservative Group advanced against national trends making gains, one of the only Conservative Council groups in the country to grow during that election. Because of this Tom has been able to form a Conservative Administration, bringing together an amazingly talented group of individuals as a Cabinet.
Tom wouldn't have been able to do any of this without the support of his family and the number one treasure of his life, his wife Elizabeth who was alongside Tom and has tirelessly encouraged him every step of the way.