John Nichols was born in Greenwich District Hospital and has been brought up his entire life on Vernham Road, Plumstead. He attended the local St Margaret's Primary School, where his mother was a governor. John is now finishing a degree in Natural Sciences at Durham University, where he has been avidly involved in a range of activities. He is a keen runner, has been a Cub Scout leader and an academic mentor for children taken into care, and hopes to join the Royal Navy in the future. John has strong views on justice, bureaucracy, equality of opportunity, freedom, education, health, constitutional affairs and defence, and is determined to help make the community he has grown up in better, especially for people that may not be, or have been, as fortunate as himself.

John says, "Greenwich council is riddled with incompetence, waste and bureaucracy, which is exactly what we don't need given the current recession. I strongly support the concept of having less government interference in our lives and more common sense in our leadership. No one needs councillors to tell them what to do, they just need councillors who will get their bins emptied, ensure discipline and effective teaching in their schools and who will cut down the costs of government. In particular, Queen Elizabeth II hospital, in my ward, needs financial support, not fines for being unable to cope in an ineffective government system.

Some of the most prominent issues for me are justice and defence. We need to provide people with a clear path, away from crime and into training, to give local people the skills and confidence to gain and fulfil new aspirations. But we need to tackle crime seriously: no more lenient sentences. Street thugs know exactly what they are doing and should face serious punishment for the effects of their actions on their victims, not just a slap on the wrist. The 'get-away-with-it' culture must end now.

In defence, I think the boys on the ground are paid far too little, especially the lower ranks, and their treatment by the current government is disgusting and contemptuous. Our armed forces are expected to deal with some of the most difficult threats ever and need our absolute support. We should be very proud of them."