About Belinda Brooks-Gordon
Belinda was educated at Churchill College where she gained an MPhil followed by a PhD. A former beautician who left school at 16 years of age, Belinda did a mature degree at the age of 28 before coming to Cambridge where she successfully balanced her research, working for a living 3 days a week, bringing up two children as a sole carer, and leading a number of highly successful campaigns.
Some of her many campaigns in Castle ward over the past 15 years include successful campaigns for necessary facilities like the Nursery in West Cambridge. She ran effective campaigns to prevent colleges over-developing properties and ‘garden grabbing’ as well as successful campaigns for better lighting and bike safety. She initiated and organised the first school trip for Mayfield Primary School to the Churchill Archives Centre and is keen see other colleges offer some wider community use of their educational facilities to local schools.
A chartered psychologist with a PhD from the Cambridge Law Faculty, she now is a University Reader in Psychology and Social Policy. Her research and practical policy work focuses on human rights, civil liberties, and the protection of the vulnerable. On a national level, from October 2007 to February 2008 Belinda campaigned for the removal of clauses 123-125 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill 2008. The clauses were removed in March 2008. Belinda sits on the national Liberal Democrat working party for policy on women.
Currently Belinda is leading a formidable campaign against a proposed large supermarket on the University’s North West site. She is the only candidate who formally objected to the NIAB2 development in person and is a staunch opponent to the £1billion expansion of the A14 because the road can be upgraded quicker, cheaper, greener, and more safely than the expensive 10-lane highway proposed for Girton interchange. Not least because it would result in a one-way system on Huntingdon Road. The money should be invested in getting the lorry freight off the A14 and better public transport. She has facilitated a number of road safety initiatives including pedestrian crossings at Lady Margaret Road and improvements to the crossing at Northampton Street.
Belinda lives in the heart of Castle, with her partner Mark, and their four children aged from 2yrs to 21yrs. Her older children attended Mayfield Primary School and Belinda hopes that her youngest will as well.
