Paul Voden:
I have lived in Bensham Manor for over 32 years so know the area very well, and have contributed to the neighbourhood as detailed below, I believe that with my local knowledge of the area, I can contribute as Co-Chair of the Croydon North West Local Community Partnership.
I worked for Kier Residential for over 34 years as a Project Manager and then Affordable Housing Manager responsible for negotiating agreements with Housing associations for the affordable housing units under the section 106 agreements, and then seeing them through to completion. I also set up and manged the Management Companies for each development to look after communal areas and open spaces.
I was also the Divisional Environmental Manager, sitting on the Group Environmental Committee representing the residential division.
I am currently a committee member of THCAT and with two other Waste Ambassadors I carry out monthly walkabouts with the local councillors and Cabinet Members to resolve issues with fly tipping, and general unsightly problems around Thornton Heath, together with checking HMOs around the area.
I am also Chair of CBNWA which helps to reduce crime across the brough, and our co-ordinators try to ensure the residents in their watch are looked after and protected.
I belong to the following institutions.
- Practitioner Member Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment (PIEMA)
- Member of the Association for Project Safety (MAPS)
- Technician Member Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (Tech IOSH)
- Member Royal Society for Public Health (MRSPH)
Zachary Williams
My name is Zachary Williams, and I believe I am well placed to serve as Co-Chair of the North West Community Partnership. Community is at the heart of everything I do and has shaped my entire working life. Through my role at BE Inspired, I have mentored young people within the local community while also holding strategic oversight that has enabled me to build strong relationships across multiple agencies, including the local authority, police, business owners and grassroots community groups. My work has included organising community sports provision, coordinating outreach sessions to engage our most vulnerable residents, and amplifying youth voice through our Youth Alliance, which directly informs our organisational and community-led work. This has given me a unique perspective on both the next generation who will shape our community and those already working tirelessly to strengthen it.
Most importantly, I am a Thornton Heath resident. I live in the community and experience both its strengths and its challenges firsthand. This lived connection is what originally stirred me to serve and continues to motivate my work—it was, and remains, a call to action. As Co-Chair, I would seek to champion strengths-based, community-led approaches that build resilience, encourage collaboration and ensure local voices are genuinely heard and valued. I bring a deep commitment to inclusion, strong partnership-working skills and a grounded understanding of what meaningful change looks like on the ground, with the aim of helping locality thrive now and for the future.