Council Work
Helping thousands of the borough's most vulnerable residents navigate benefits, housing, debt, and cost-of-living crises.
Marc serves as a council-elected trustee on the board of Citizens Advice Kensington and Chelsea, a role that places him at the governance level of one of the borough's most important advice charities. The organisation handles over 10,000 enquiries a year and helped more than 3,500 local residents gain almost £2.3 million in support in a single year, primarily through advice on welfare benefits, housing, debt, and cost-of-living issues.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a borough of striking contrasts. Alongside some of the wealthiest streets in the country, North Kensington is home to more than 6,000 children living in poverty, with more than 5,000 residents unemployed and thousands more claiming in-work benefits. Citizens Advice Kensington and Chelsea operates across this divide, providing free, independent, and confidential advice to anyone who needs it regardless of background or means. The organisation also maintains a long-standing presence at HMP Wormwood Scrubs, where it has provided advice to inmates for over 30 years.
As a trustee, Marc's responsibilities are strategic rather than operational. He works with fellow board members to set the organisation's strategic direction, monitors performance and financial health, ensures legal and regulatory compliance, and acts as an advocate for the clients the charity serves. The board meets quarterly.
Marc sought this role because it sits at the intersection of two things he cares about deeply: the practical welfare of residents who are struggling, and the question of how public and charitable institutions can be run more effectively. His analytical background gives him an unusual perspective on governance, particularly on how performance data should be used to assess whether a charity is genuinely reaching the people it exists to serve.
Kensington and Chelsea is often discussed in terms of its wealth and its cultural institutions. Marc believes it is equally important to understand and address the deprivation that exists within the same borough boundaries, and that elected representatives have a responsibility to engage with that reality directly rather than at arm's length.