THE morning before I am due to speak with Martin Goss, I already have an impression of what he may want to talk about as I drive past him undertaking an early morning litter pick by the A12.

It’s hard to argue against the fact the man who got about 70 bins installed on his doorstep in Mile End, Colchester is passionate about keeping the town clean.

But the Colchester Liberal Democrat Council Group leader is on another mission....to clean up the votes which will see his beloved party return to power at Colchester Town Hall.

The Lib Dems led the council for 13 years until May 2021. It shared power as part of the council’s so-called rainbow coalition thanks to a pact with the Labour, supported by the Highwoods independents.

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But last year, when the independents changed their allegiance to the Conservatives, the balance of power shifted and the council became Tory controlled.

Now, the Lib Dems lead the opposition working with Labour and Mr Goss is striving to put his vision for helping others into action if the party can seize control of Colchester Council.

“Our candidates are proven, hard-working people who live in their communities and want to do the best for the people of Colchester,” said Mr Goss, 47.

“We are diverse in terms of professional backgrounds and this brings a really good, broad and cohesive view meaning there is someone for each resident to relate to.

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“These are normal people who step forward to work hard in their communities, whether that be getting playgrounds opened, getting potholes fixed, tackling dog mess or dealing with graffiti.

“This is bog standard stuff but it really matters to people. I’ve seen trivial issues like broken paving slabs lead to life changing injuries; we mustn’t underestimate the small stuff.”

Mr Goss tells me how his vision for Colchester would see a major overhaul to transport infrastructure across the borough and improvements made to the roads.

He added: “I’ve always been keen on returning the power of dealing with our roads to the local council, rather than Essex County Council.

“We have swimming pool sized potholes appearing as a daily occurrence and it’s got to stop.

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“I would try to improve the overall transport system in Colchester, including car, bike, pedestrian and bus access; the whole thing has to be more cohesive and much more integrated and affordable.

“The biggest issues is people deem the bus service too expensive in comparison to paying for parking in the town.

“I am also proud of my environmental efforts including pushing recycling up, getting more trees planted and helping to make our council houses more sustainable, cleaner and greener, and I want to build on this.”

Mr Goss has lived in Colchester for more than 40 years, having arrived when he was just four-years-old.

Having been involved in local politics for the past 13 years, he says his passion for the town has never faded as he strives to provide the best for residents.

“I love the town and have moved to three different locations here, but never left,” added Mr Goss.

“I am very passionate about here; we’ve got our challenges but lots of people are proud of Colchester. Although a small majority like to run it down, we should celebrate how many actually love it.

“I am no more than a resident who has been elected to represent the area I live in and do the best I possibly can for it.

“It’s an area we want to be really proud of if we come back into power in May.”