Deputy mayor
Councillor Martin Round, Deputy Mayor of Maidstone 2024-2025
Councillor Martin Round has been Headcorn "man and boy” since 1963 but was born in Lancashire. He went to Cranbrook School after briefly attending Maidstone Grammar School.
Whilst at Cranbrook, Martin acquired a selection of O levels and played many sports at high representative levels. He always says that he is a "rugby man that loves his cricket".
He also loves food and had an interest in cooking from an early age that was inspired by living in several parts of Europe. Martin explored the catering and hospitality world and completed a management diploma at Hastings College. He then travelled Europe working as a chef, a waiter and grape picker in France.
Councillor Round returned to the UK in the 1970s and became the Hastings Council Assistant Catering and Entertainment Manager. He was responsible for a theatre, catering suites, kiosks, bars, and many other forms of event catering. He would book musicians including David Essex and the Bay City Rollers and acts like Tommy Cooper and BBC sit com casts to perform.
Martin then moved onto Pepsi Co and worked his way up to becoming a Regional Operations Manager responsible for developing food concepts and franchises. He is especially proud of his time in Northern Ireland at the height of the “troubles” when the food business supported jobs for divided communities and stimulated economic development for the area.
After volunteering for various medical trials including the development of MRI in Nottingham, he went into Local Government. He became an Economic Development Officer in one of the biggest cities with ambitious programmes. It included setting up technology parks, creating a new tram system using fibre and getting everyone on the World Wide Web in the 1990s.
Throughout his roles, Martin was very involved in politics. It gave him a great insight into local and national politics and he was always active in campaigns. This included “Keep Britain Tidy” and he helped young people to access sport. He also played a large part in the campaign for the Disability Discrimination Act.
Martin’s final working days were as a tutor and lecturer at Mid Kent College 2002 before becoming a Headcorn Parish Council Member in 2004. He was elected as a Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) Councillor to the Headcorn Ward in 2014. The ward has since expanded and now includes Sutton Valence and other parishes.
Martin loves the area and believes it is an honour to represent a place he loves. Much of his time is taken up with resolving planning, conservation, and heritage matters. He also uses his knowledge to resolve issues about the landscape, rivers and flooding, trees and wildlife and enforcement.
Councillor Round has vice chaired and chaired several MBC committees as well as being a cabinet member. Despite his history promoting and developing high-tech areas, he still prefers meeting people and talking face-to-face.