Fellow Barnet Cllr, Robert Rams has asked me to mention a new cross party think tank called Londonsays that he has founded. Part of this is a campaign called iwant The press release is below.
Londonsays Launch iWant Campaign
Londonsays has today launched its iWant campaign to hear what Londoners want from their Mayor of London.
We would like to invite you the public to contribute to the debate by visiting our website: www.londonsays.org, dropping us an email at: iwant@londonsays.org, or by joining our Facebook group and letting us know what is important to you.
The iWant campaign is going to directly feed into the work which we present to the people who want to run our city.
7.5 million people call London home. It is an exciting, multi-cultural, and vibrant city.
As the Mayoral elections fast approach we at LondonSays, an independent, cross-party think-tank, believe that it is important that Londoners are given an opportunity to have their say, and to put their views forward.
We shall be presenting each candidate for Mayor with a manifesto of ideas, not tied to political doctrine but independently written by experts, guided by a desire to see the best for our great city.
Ordinary Londoners should be able to have in say on the issues that the next Mayor of London should be focusing on too.
Commenting Simon Fell, Co-Founder of Londonsays said,
“This is a wonderful opportunity for Londoners to put their views to the Mayoral Candidates on what they want to see from the next Mayor of London.
“I urge all residents to have their say and contact us by visiting our website at www.londonsays.org, dropping us an email at:iwant@londonsays.org, or by joining our Facebook group and letting us know what is important to you.”
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Friday, March 07, 2008
Highgate by-election result
Hurrah! Rachel Allison has won the Highgate ward by-election, with a big swing and a more than doubling of the Liberal Democrat majority:
Rachel Allison (Liberal Democrat) 1,339 (50.9%, +12.6%)
Peter Forrest (Conservative) 725 (27.5%, -1.5%)
David Heath (Labour) 241 (9.2%, -1.3%)
Ralph Crisp (Independent) 190 (7.2%, -4.4%)
Sarah Mitchell (Green) 138 (5.2%, -5.3%)
Liberal Democrat majority: 614 (23.3%, +14.1%)
I managed to get down to Highgate last night and spent a few hours helping with the campaign. If the Tories were going to get a foothold back in Haringey then this was the place they would do it. The fact that their vote fell proves how unlikely that is. And to think that once upon a time there was a Tory MP in the constituency!
Rachel Allison (Liberal Democrat) 1,339 (50.9%, +12.6%)
Peter Forrest (Conservative) 725 (27.5%, -1.5%)
David Heath (Labour) 241 (9.2%, -1.3%)
Ralph Crisp (Independent) 190 (7.2%, -4.4%)
Sarah Mitchell (Green) 138 (5.2%, -5.3%)
Liberal Democrat majority: 614 (23.3%, +14.1%)
I managed to get down to Highgate last night and spent a few hours helping with the campaign. If the Tories were going to get a foothold back in Haringey then this was the place they would do it. The fact that their vote fell proves how unlikely that is. And to think that once upon a time there was a Tory MP in the constituency!
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
A wolf in sheep’s clothing
Tuesday was full Council and it’s was the meeting where the annual budget is agreed. The budget went through as expected but before that happened the Conservative group and the Labour group both moved emergency motions on the 8 post offices that are lined up to be closed in the borough of Barnet.
The motions were similar and opposed (as I do) the proposed closures, including one post office in my ward (Potters Road). It must be quite difficult for the Labour group to oppose something so strongly that their party is responsible for. Since Labour came to power we have seen 4000 post offices close and another 2500 under threat.
The Conservatives portray themselves as the champions of local post offices. However their record is no better than Labours. When the tories were in power they closed 3500 post offices. In my speech on the motion I pointed this out and asked Cllr Coleman (who was moving the tory motion) what a future tory government would do about the post office. I’m sure it won’t surprise you to know that I did not get an answer. In the end we voted for both motions. The tory motion was passed. I’m not sure that getting the Chief Exec of Barnet Council to write to the government will worry them greatly but at least our opposition to these cuts is on record.
In the meantime my advice to High Barnet residents is by all means sign the tories petition but make sure you object directly to the post office. In the letter I have put out to the 500 households most affected by the Potters Road closure I have given full details of exactly how to oppose closure. Remember the sheep currently collecting signatures were the wolves busy closing post offices a few years ago!
The motions were similar and opposed (as I do) the proposed closures, including one post office in my ward (Potters Road). It must be quite difficult for the Labour group to oppose something so strongly that their party is responsible for. Since Labour came to power we have seen 4000 post offices close and another 2500 under threat.
The Conservatives portray themselves as the champions of local post offices. However their record is no better than Labours. When the tories were in power they closed 3500 post offices. In my speech on the motion I pointed this out and asked Cllr Coleman (who was moving the tory motion) what a future tory government would do about the post office. I’m sure it won’t surprise you to know that I did not get an answer. In the end we voted for both motions. The tory motion was passed. I’m not sure that getting the Chief Exec of Barnet Council to write to the government will worry them greatly but at least our opposition to these cuts is on record.
In the meantime my advice to High Barnet residents is by all means sign the tories petition but make sure you object directly to the post office. In the letter I have put out to the 500 households most affected by the Potters Road closure I have given full details of exactly how to oppose closure. Remember the sheep currently collecting signatures were the wolves busy closing post offices a few years ago!
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