Jon O’Connor was born in London, has three grown up children and is married to artist Amanda Wood, with whom he runs a small studio and gallery near their home in Folkestone. He has worked in public service education for over 45 years, as teacher, head and education partnership coordinator - including a national role with the 200-strong group of Coop Schools and as charity lead for The School Bus project for refugee education programmes. Jon has been an adviser on major community regeneration programmes in the past and has a strong interest in community engagement. He is currently Chair of Folkestone & Hythe Labour Party and a facilitator for AFRA – the Alliance of Folkestone Residents Associations. Jon enjoys writing, songwriting and performance, coming from a strong family background of writing and acting.
The democratic deficit and the growing disconnect between residents and the Council is evident in FHDC’s latest Place Plan for Folkestone Town Centre – adding to 20+ other strategic plans from recent years.