Tag Archives: Politics

Leader With A Mission To Transform Town

Posted on by
Reply

Stephen McLoughlin, the Conservative leader of Bournemouth Council, is a man with a mission – to implement the vision for Bournemouth that he started three years ago.

He has come under pressure to stand aside as leader whilst being investigated for misuse of council computers.  Commenting on recent, torrid headlines in the local papers, he said:  “The investigation is underway and I cannot comment on it.  But, the recent headlines are unhelpful and unwelcome.”

He added:  “It distracts from the plans which this council embarked on in 2007 and we need to focus on delivering for the people of Bournemouth.”

His focus includes implementing the new town vision and responding to financial pressures to reduce expenditure, especially to the local government financial reductions announced in this month’s budget.

The £1.1 billion cut to local government finances, out of a total of £6 billion cuts announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer last month will cost Bournemouth a total of £3 million reduction in grants this year.

Although the council had devised a two-year financial strategy in 2009 to reduce expenditure by £16 million over 2010-12, it now needs to revise its plans and consult on service priorities for Bournemouth.

Current plans include outsourcing services, including IT, and finalising a private-sector partner to work with the council on the town centre vision.

This month’s budget announced further cuts of 25% across the board and the council will need to fight it’s corner to achieve them and complete plans to refurbish schools and implement it’s flagship town centre vision.

With local elections to take place in May 2011, the council and its leader have their work cut out to meet the competing demands of its residents and the cuts demanded by central government.

Share

Post General Election Blues

Posted on by
Reply

In elections, as with other competitions, the victor gets the prize and glory whilst the losers disappear.

And so it would seem with the May general election this year.  We interviewed four losing candidates to find out what they now think, after time for reflection, and their future plans.

Alasdair Murray stood for the Liberal Democrats in the Bournemouth West constituency but lost decisively to Conor Burns, the Conservative candidate.

He said:  “The leaders debate ignited the political arena but as the election date approached people returned to their traditional voting patterns.  We, as a party, had perhaps enough funds to fight for some 80 new seats nationally.  In Bournemouth we were short on both money and people.”

He added that the Liberal Democrats were disappointed by the overall result and he had not expected the Liberals to form a coalition government with the Conservatives.  However, he said, he was pleased with the outcome there was good coalition agreement with both sides investing heavily in the new government.

He expected the new government to last even if not for the full term of five years and credited the two leaders with the ability to handle objections from their own parties.

He said that he would have to think hard about running again although he had enjoyed the campaign.  He had to put family first and consider working, perhaps in London, as a political consultant.

Harvey Taylor stood in the same constituency as Alasdair but as an independent.  He polled only 456 votes and lost his deposit.  He said:  “As an independent I had no support nor funds.  I used money from an inheritance to fund my campaign.  I did so to try to inject meaningful, local politics into the elections but I was naïve when I started.”

He added:  “I enjoyed campaigning and debating with the other candidates but found the rest sheer hard work.  I was a one-man party and could not match the others for manpower and I had only two months for my campaign although I did get some support from the Independent Network set up by Martin Bell.”

However, Harvey added, he was impressed by those currently in politics and felt that they were not recognised for the amount of work that they did and for putting their reputations on the line.

He supported the new coalition government and wished them well but would have to think hard about running again.  He said that he would try to establish himself more in local affairs, including business and school governorships, in preparation for any future elections.

Sharon Carr-Brown was the Labour candidate for the same ward, losing to Conor Burns and coming in behind Alasdair.  She said that she was not put off standing again but would prefer to fight for a seat where she stood a better chance of winning.

She said:  “We lost ground while both the Liberals and the Conservatives gained several thousand votes.  We diverted a lot of local resources to help Jim Knight in the neighbouring constituency where we thought we stood a better chance of winning.  I had been expecting a hung Parliament.”

She added that, in the country’s best interests, she wanted the new coalition government to last the course as long as it implemented the right policies.

Lisa Northover, currently a Bournemouth councillor, stood for Parliament for the first time as a Liberal Democrat.  She lost to the Conservative candidate, Tobias Ellwood, in the Bournemouth East constituency.

She said:  “I was quoted betting odds of 30-1 against and was pleased that we held on to our share of the vote.  I had few resources and only two months so it was a high hill to climb but I will be fighting again.”

However she added that she would, if she had won, have struggled to keep her family commitments.  With young children she would have found it hard to balance family with political life and feels that Parliament needs to think hard about encouraging more women to stand.

In the mean time she continues as a Bournemouth councillor and wants to find better ways of holding the executive to account.

All-in-all the four candidates have good memories from their election campaigns and hope for future prizes even if it may be years before they can run again.

Share

Bournemouth stays blue – but the nation holds its breath

Posted on by
Reply

Tory candidates took decisive wins in Bournemouth last week, but five days later the colour of the next government remains a mystery after the election delivered the first hung parliament for thirty-six years.

The Conservatives fought off Lib Dem challengers to hold on to both of Bournemouth’s Westminster seats in with increased majorities, but nationally the party failed to achieve the breakthrough many were expecting.

In Bournemouth East, Tobias Ellwood increased his majority to over 7000 ahead of Lib Dem Lisa Northover.

He said: “I’m delighted, it’s a real honour to be continuing to represent Bournemouth East.  I’ve got an increased majority and I think that reflects the positive campaign we’ve conducted here. But also the message that many people in Bournemouth as well as across the country want to see a change of government and Gordon Brown out of Number 10.”

Even as he celebrated his success, he warned about the indecision of a hung parliament: “I do hope we see some decisive decisions on which way we’re going to go. A hung parliament is dangerous territory; anyone looking at the markets will see things are very volatile. We need leadership, we need direction, we need a change of office in Number 10.”

However, he has since made a statement on his website urging his party to: “put aside party politics and recognise the urgency of providing strong leadership and a clear direction for Britain in order to navigate out of these difficult economic and political waters”.

Northover, meanwhile, used her Twitter account to encourage people to attend an electoral reform rally in Bournemouth on Saturday.

Bournemouth West got its first new MP for twenty-seven years, as Conor Burns received over 5000 votes more than Lib Dem Alasdair Murray.

Speaking moments after his victory was announced, he said: “I’m really looking forward to starting work for the people of Bournemouth West, delivering on the promise I gave them that I would be a hardworking, community-focussed, energetic politician who would take their concerns to Westminster and be a community champion for our area.

“I’m delighted in the trust they have put in me, and I can’t wait to start work tomorrow morning on their behalf.”

The seat was previously held by scandal-hit Sir John Butterfill, who stood down for this election. He had previously been embroiled in controversial expenses claims relating to his Surrey mansion, and was one of four MPs caught in the Dispatches lobbying sting in March.

Share

Jim Loses South Dorset by Landslide

Posted on by
Reply

Employment Minister Jim Knight is out of a job after losing South Dorset by over 7,000 votes to the Conservatives, ending almost a decade in power.

Conservative candidate Richard Drax won by a landslide of 7,443 votes, giving him a swing of 9.3%, one of the largest Tory gains in the country.

Mr Knight had held the seat since 2001, but the seat had long been recognised as a marginal, prompting both Gordon Brown and John Prescott to visit the area during this year’s campaign.

However, though the Conservative win was hefty, there was no official declaration in South Dorset until 5.35am, several hours later than expected.

In part, this can be attributed to polling stations in Purbeck that mixed ballot papers for both the local and national election into one box, unlike the rest of the constituency, adding an extra layer of sorting.

“So the Employment Minister is unemployed,” said Mr Knight at the declaration. He also thanked the people of Dorset for his nine years in power, before offering the incoming Mr Drax some advice: “Richard, I know you know this area really well, but please look after it.”

But Mr Drax was ready to reassure Mr Knight and his supporters that he would serve them equally: “There are many thousands of people in the constituency who did not vote for me, but I can assure you that I will work as hard as I can for you as I will for everybody else.”

Ros Kayes, the Liberal Democrat candidate, was the third-party runner-up with 9,557 votes. She stressed the need for electoral reform in Britain in her speech.

Share

2010 North Dorset Election

Posted on by
Reply

As Conservative and Lib Dem leaders continue talks in Westminster, it seems that the outright win Conservative candidate Bob Walter had in North Dorset may leave him closer to his long-term electoral opponent than ever before.

Emily Gasson has fought and lost the seat for the Lib Dems three times and saw Mr Walter poll 27,640 votes in Blandford on Thursday night.

On the night, the Conservative candidate seemed confident as results from across the country came in.
“The message which comes from this result is that there is a time for change, not only a change in government but a change in Prime Minister.” 

He also said that it can only be change for the better, reinforcing the Conservatives’ campaign for change that was held by Mr Cameron on 4th May.

Ms Gasson , however, called for electoral reform, and said it was a shame that many people voted tactically: “We really need to sort out the electoral system.”

The results were announced at 4.30am, with Mr Walter polling 51.05% of votes. 

At points, it appeared that the Lib Dem, who Mr Walter has now defeated in the last three elections, would have the majority. However, by the end of the evening, Conservatives had a lead of 7,025 votes, after Ms Gasson polled just 20,015.

Share

Is the Election Affecting Property Sales?

Posted on by
Reply


House sales in Bournemouth are have recently been sluggish according to several town based estate agents.

Goadsby Sales Coordinator and Trainer, Cheryl Johnson believes that the impact of the election really depends on the area.

“Generally property owner want to hold fire until after the elections, due to the changes that may be occur, such as that to the Energy Performance Certificates,” she said.

The Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives have both pledged to abolish Home Information Packs and the Conservatives have been vocal about their desires to turn Energy Performance Certificates into an opportunity to support a greener approach to home energy consumption.

According to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors there has been a noticeable increase in house sales over the last year.  However, some businesses fear that a hung Parliament will cause indecision within government, resulting in a negative effect on house sales.

According to Russell Cruwys, the Branch Manager from Alan and Bath, Hinton Road, the property market appears to have slowed over the last two weeks.

“Generally there is a mixed reaction.  There are fewer properties available, which could account for a rise in sales.  However, people are seeing what happens in the election”.

Mr Glynn Evans, the Associate Director of Savills in Old Christchurch Road thinks that the housing market is an equity rich market which is driven by lack of stock.

“The Bournemouth market is comfortable at the moment.  People always need to move and as the market is currently weak it is uncertain whether the election will substantially affect it,” said Mr Evans.

The economic disaster of the 1974 hung Parliament, during which time the stock market and the pound collapsed, is hard to forget.  It seems everyone will be waiting for Thursday’s result with baited breath.

Share

Nick Clegg pledges to trim fat from NHS

Posted on by
Reply

Nick Clegg today outlined his plans to reduce the bureaucracy of the NHS and to tackle the £167 Billion deficit, to rounds of applause from the Royal College of Nursing.

Mr Clegg said “there was no bag of gold” waiting for them and they were going to have to do better with the same money they have now.

He marked out issues such as the “Grandiose ICT project running years late and way over budget”.

“GP and consultant contracts poorly negotiated … and the endless botched re-organisation of the NHS with endless quangos” said Mr Clegg, were the causes of inefficiency.

Mr Clegg pointed out that it would take “one person, 491 years to process” the administration work of the NHS, at a cost of £1 Billion a year. That is enough to pay 25,000 Nurses in wages and points to the sad situation that the NHS has “more managers and clerks than beds”.

The biggest applause of the day however came from a question raised by a nurse, who asked Mr Clegg if he was planning to give nurses the power to sack their Chief Executives, like he had promised constituents could do to an ill performing MP. The sentiment in the room was that they knew more about health and welfare of patients than the Chief Executives.

Clegg didn’t want to go this far but was keen to stress that he wanted to see more “John Lewis style” trusts where the people involved in the service would be more in control. However with a record deficit of £167 Billion, and many estimates saying we need cuts of £40 billion a year, it may be that more radical steps are needed.

Share

Election fever heats up in Purbeck

Posted on by
Reply

Ed Miliband and Jim Knight on the campaign trail in Swanage

Leading figures from the major parties have paid visits to both of Purbeck’s constituencies to bolster local candidates ahead of the election on May 6th.

Government minister Ed Miliband dropped in to Swanage this afternoon to field questions on climate change and proposed wind turbines at East Stoke alongside South Dorset Labour candidate Jim Knight.

The energy and climate secretary took advantage of the perfect spring weather to relax with an ice cream on the seafront after a day on the campaign trail that also took in controversial plans for a palm oil power plant and major offshore wind development near Portland.

Mr Miliband told a Daily Echo reporter: “We need onshore and offshore renewables, we need nuclear power and we need clean coal, because the challenge of climate change is massive and we cannot reject any of the alternatives.”

Former Deputy PM John Prescott also added his weight to Labour’s bid for South Dorset when he toured Weymouth on Monday.

The seat is a key target for the Conservatives, who need to make major gains in the South West to stand any chance of a majority in Westminster. Knight, Dorset’s sole Labour MP, won a slim majority of 1800 in the 2005 election, but faces a tough fight to retain his seat against Tory contender Richard Drax.

Meanwhile, Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne flanked Annette Brooke during campaigning in Wareham yesterday. The pair focussed on alternatives to the town’s pedestrian rail crossing, slated as one of the riskiest in the country.

Brooke will be hoping to ride the tide of ‘Cleggmania’ sweeping Britain following last week’s historic leaders’ debate to see off the Conservative challenger Nick King in her Mid Dorset and North Poole constituency.

Share