Born and raised in Lowestoft, Jamie's family has lived in the area for many, many years. James was educated in Kirkley, and is employed by the NHS.
Jamie was a member of Waveney District Council from 2004 to 2013, serving on the Scrutiny committee (keeping the cabinet to account); the Standards Committee (ensuring the other councillors maintain sound ethical standards); and Chairing the Audit & Risk committee (reviewing governance procedures within the Council). Presently, Jamie is the Suffolk County Councillor for the Kirkley, Whitton and Carlton areas.
Currently, he is the Vice Chairman of the Sentinel Leisure Trust charity (SLT manages sports and leisure facilities in the Waveney & Great Yarmouth areas). Jamie is also, a member of Sentinel Enterprises Limited, the commercial arm of SLT, running portions of SLT's services for the betterment of local people.
He has also been a union steward for UNISON.