Nick Startin has been a lecturer at the University of the West of England in Bristol since 2002. Prior to this he taught modern languages for five years at a secondary school. He is married with a young daughter and joined the Green Party in 2006 because he felt the three main parties were failing to address the promotion of a fairer society. In 2000 he worked on the successful "Ken 4 London" campaign which saw Ken Livingstone elected as the Independent London Mayor.