Sandy Martin

Alexander Gordon Martin (born 2 May 1957) is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ipswich from 9 June 2017 to 6 November 2019. A member of the Labour Party, he was elected in the 2017 general election, beating Conservative incumbent Ben Gummer. On 25 October 2018, he became Shadow Minister for Waste and Recycling. He lost his seat at the 2019 general election. In May 2021, Martin was elected to Suffolk County Council as a Labour and Co-operative councillor. Early life Martin was born on 2 May 1957; his father was the late Scottish actor Trevor Martin. Martin sang as a chorister in Winchester Cathedral from the age of 8 to 13. After his parents divorced, Martin moved with his mother and siblings to Halesworth in Suffolk in 1971. He worked at the National Peace Council in London from 1983 to 1987, and then at the National Trust at Dunwich Heath from 1989 to 1992. Martin moved to Ipswich to live with his partner in 1993, and worked at Ipswich Community Resource Centre from 1994 to 1996. In 1995, he took on the role of Coordinator of Ipswich Friends of the Earth, which he relinquished in 1997 after his election to Suffolk County Council. Early political career After serving on Halesworth Town Council, standing for election to Waveney District Council and Ipswich Borough Council, Martin was elected as a councillor for St John's Division in Ipswich on Suffolk County Council in 1997. As chair of Suffolk's Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy, Martin introduced a three-bin collection system across most of Suffolk, raising the recycling rate in the county from approximately 14.5% to approximately 45% between 2001 and 2004.