A recently elected Nottinghamshire councillor says that fulfilling his new role whilst running a pub will be the "perfect combination." Kane Oliver, 28, has taken on the task of serving his constituents in Eastwood at Nottinghamshire County Council alongside serving pints at his award-winning business which is based in the town.
Nottinghamshire Live met with Councillor Oliver at Oliver's Pub and Kitchen, on Nottingham Road, which is one of several Eastwood businesses that he owns. Kane Oliver was born in Wollaton but his grandparents lived in Eastwood and his parents went on to open a business there.
His family also includes the Strelley lion keeper Reece Oliver, who is Kane's brother and who ran in a Nottinghamshire County Council by-election himself last year. Reece Oliver stood on behalf of the Liberal Democrats to try and win the Nuthall and Kimberley ward, but this contest was eventually won by Conservative Party candidate Philip Owen.
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Kane Oliver's election came about after the death of Councillor Eddie Cubley earlier this year, who had represented Eastwood on behalf of the Conservative Party. In terms of why he entered the political sphere as an independent councillor, Kane Oliver says that he has a determination to make Eastwood one of the first towns that people think about when someone says Nottinghamshire.
Councillor Oliver believes this is something that has not been prioritised by his predecessors, claiming that Eastwood is seen as a "secondary town" by the mainstream political parties. He said: "As an independent I can make Eastwood a primary town, I think that more money was pushed in different directions to other towns.
"I won't stand for that, Eastwood needs to be primary and to get what it deserves. You look at some of the disrepair and the roads, that's what needs to be accounted for and I don't believe anyone has done that yet. From an outsider's point of view, Eastwood is seen as a secondary town in the eyes of the big parties.
"You're lucky in Eastwood if you go up Queen's Road South and you've got your tyres by the end of it. The potholes need fixing, the roads are a state, but Eastwood is a prominent place.
"We've got IKEA sitting at Giltbrook so from the travel point of view we've got people travelling from all over to IKEA so why aren't we drawing them through into Eastwood? It's about time Eastwood lost its reputation and gained a decent reputation that's one to be proud of."
Despite his brother's party political allegiance, Kane Oliver says that he only ever wanted to be an independent candidate on the council, something which he believes was crucial to winning his election. He said: "Reece stands with the Liberal Democrats and gets on with them so we have some interesting conversations about political topics.
"He is very well known and he's over the moon for me because he knows how hard I've worked for this and he has supported me in everything I do. In terms of party politics, I'm just an independent and I sit with the alliance of independents at the county council because a voice on its own is harder to be heard than a voice in an alliance.
"But there is no whip and I won't be whipped, if I want to sit with the Tories I'll sit with the Tories, if I want to sit with Labour I'll sit with Labour. If I believe what they are saying is correct then I will go that way and that is the beautiful thing about being independent. I think the people of Eastwood have been crying out for someone who isn't going to follow mainstream politics."
The independent alliance of councillors at Nottinghamshire County Council now has 15 members following Councillor Oliver's win, placing it alongside Labour as the second official party of opposition. Despite juggling this responsibility with running businesses such as his pub, Councillor Oliver believes that the two will go hand in hand.
He said: "I think this is a perfect combination because I think a lot of people don't approach councillors because they don't want to go and knock on their door at home. My door is always open, I'm going to hold surgeries at the pub, I'm going to have meetings with people.
"Anyone who wants to have a coffee should feel free, it's not about having a pint. I'm always here and if not, I'm a phone call away. There is no hiding in my living room watching Forest, I'll be in my pub watching Forest."
The next full Nottinghamshire County Council elections won't be taking place until 2025 and in terms of his priorities between now and then, Councillor Oliver added: "In terms of Eastwood's current reputation, some seem to wonder why you would go to Eastwood and what there is to go to Eastwood for. We need to make sure we're getting a lot of tourism to the town because we have an amazing story.
"One of my aims is that when someone says Nottinghamshire, one of the first towns they will think of will be Eastwood. I'm going to be the bane of everybody's life for those who are stopping Eastwood from being a primary town - but you can't build Rome in a day."
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