Councillor Roy Perry. Councillor since 2005, Leader of Hampshire County Council since 2015. 
Report by Lisa Nightingale
Politicians are not listed bottom of opinion polls. In some ways they have lots in common with writers – it is necessary for them to relate complex issues and detail ideas in just a few words to an ever expanding range of intellects. Councillor Perry recognises that this is not an easy ask.
As Culture Secretary, he has been able to visit many countries and experienced the reawakening of the ‘closed down cultures’ of Tallinn bringing the city back to life.
In the UK, it is a difficult time. Councils are fraught with cuts. Many libraries have been incorporated into Discovery Centres where a broad range of resources can be found. The provision of culture has been assigned along with a ‘realistic’ brief to the Hampshire Cultural Trust.
Groups like the Hampshire Writers’ Society can help by putting pressure on himself and his colleagues, he tells us.