Nic Best was a councillor on Castle Morpeth Borough Council from 1999 until its abolition last year, and has been on Morpeth Town Council since 1997. He is also chair of the Northumberland Credit Union, chair of NE England Farmers Markets, chair of Morpeth Fairtrade Forum, director of Greater Morpeth Development Trust and as his day-job he is regional policy officer for the Council for the Protection of Rural England. He first stood for the Green Party in 1990, has been a Green Euro-candidate twice and this is his fifth general election in Wansbeck.