Welcome to my blog. I am a former local journalist who now works in PR and the Conservative council candidate for Horsell West at the next election. This blog will keep updated on local issues as well as my interests and quirky news stories.
Some viewers to this site might be Horsell West voters wanting to find more about me. You’re not going to make up your mind by simply reading about me here but maybe you were out when I knocked on your door and there’s a few issues you’d like to know my stance on. Well, here goes…
Q: What do you think about Woking Borough Council’s borrowing?
I favour a debt-free council position and will argue for a full independent review of the council’s finances and implementation of any recommendations. I am glad that the Conservative administration has said that it will cease new borrowing other than for schemes already agreed to and has taken action to reduce the council’s borrowing level. Borrowing can be a force for good when local authorities practise it responsibly.
Q: Do we pay too much council tax?
Yes. The amount of money the government has provided to Woking Borough Council for the past 10 years has not even matched inflation. It has taken our business rates and redistributed the money elsewhere. The council has no other income except through fees and charges and council tax. I want to see a government in Westminster that will fund the borough properly so that people here don’t have to pay more than people elsewhere in the country relative to the service they receive.
Q: What would you do to preserve the character of Horsell?
It is very important the village environment in Horsell is protected from inappropriate development. I will be arguing that clauses that identify certain parts of the village as protected should be included in the new Local Development Framework currently being put together. This should ensure that in future years we have solid planning reasons for refusing poor development in Horsell’s best and most prominent locations.
Q: Speeding is an issue around here. What would you do to help?
Cars travelling too fast down residential roads – particularly along the High Street and Meadway Drive, Morton Road and South Road where children may be coming out of school – is dangerous and anti-social. Unfortunately, the borough council has little power as highways matters rest with the county council and speed enforcement Surrey Police. But I would be working closely with county and borough colleagues to identify problems and work on solutions to eliminate this menace.
Q: Do you think the Brewery Road car park should be developed?
Personally, I feel that it is inevitable that something will go on that site – its planning status means that the council is committed to building on it. Under the circumstances, it could be argued that we should try and find as favourable solution as possible in order to head off the eventuality. But I know a lot of people in Horsell use this facility and prefer it to our town centre car parks and if the voters of Horsell told me that they wanted Brewery Road car park left untouched, that’s how I’d argue and vote in council.
Q: What will you do to combat anti-social behaviour?
Anti-social behaviour is ultimately a matter for the police and courts but I think that councillors can make a difference by becoming an extra link to the police and other bodies. Youth crime and anti-social behaviour is linked to poor school attendance, a lack of other activities and opportunities and young people wanting to take control of one part of their lives while other parts seem out of control. It is a nasty experience for those affected but a wide range of agencies are working to help prevent and combat it; councillors can become valuable partners in this process.
Q: Aren’t all politicians on the fiddle? How much expenses would you get as a councillor and why are you any different to MPs?
No, all politicians are not on the fiddle. There are plenty of local councillors of all political persuasions who work hard for their communities and care passionately about improving the lives of their residents as far as they can. Unfortunately, hard-working local activists and representatives have been let down by a number of MPs, who although they were following rules that were in place at the time, were clearly indulged by a poor system that was over-generous and wasteful of taxpayers’ money. But that isn’t representative of most politicians I have met in my personal and professional life.
If elected, I would receive a members’ allowance of around £6,700 a year. This is used to offset councillors’ expenses, although members can claim extra for out-of-pocket things such as travel. I promise that if elected I will not claim any extra expenses over and above my members’ allowance because I understand that I may be called upon to incur expense as part of the role. But I would receive the members’ allowance – after tax, postage, travel, tickets for events and endless raffles, I know that few members have anything left at the end of the year.
Q: Do you believe we should be a member of the European Union?
No, I think that a strong Britain could happily sit outside the EU with an equal trade relationship to that we currently enjoy without the need to contribute a net of £7bn a year. But at the moment, Britain is not strong because of the economic vandalism carried out by Labour under Gordon Brown as Chancellor and Prime Minister. Although I favour a referendum on EU membership, I want to see our economy, schools, the NHS, social mobility, defence and quality of life for the poorest in society addressed first. The issue will always be there to return to.
Q: I last voted Conservative in 1992 and look where that got us. Why should I give you my vote this time?
Well, I was only 14 in 1992 so hope that I can’t be held reponsible for what ended up being a shambles of a government. But however much of a shambles that government was in 1997, Gordon Brown’s government is worse. I don’t want to talk about what you shouldn’t vote for because I want to be positive and I want to be local. In Horsell West, I would be a young voice, someone who has a great deal of experience dealing with Woking Borough Council and who will work hard to deliver proper representation to everyone in the village, regardless of who they vote for or whether they vote at all.
Being a councillor is a layman or laywoman’s job – there are no “special skills” that make you a good councillor. You just need to be able to listen to people and empathise with them, to be able to digest and extract important information and apply principles and to be willing to put the work in. Most of all, you need to have a passion for the area you represent. I think I have all these – if you want to make your own mind up, then get in touch.
Also have a look at my post when I was selected to find out a bit more.
