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DISTRICT COUNCIL ELECTIONS 2008 |
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DISTRICT COUNCIL ELECTION May 1st� |
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| Rob Evans | Keith Greenwell | Brian Luney | Pat McHugh |
| Labour & Co-op | Independent | Green | Conservative |
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Rob says "Chipping Norton has been my home for 35 years�during which�I have served as Town and County Councillor and�Town Mayor. It is a good place to live and I�ve been glad to be involved in the management of The Theatre, ACE and Youth Centres, School and Town Partnership. Also with others on the Healthcare Users Group, delighted that soon we shall see our new hospital and care home on the London Road. As the town grows, so its facilities have to keep pace,so a new youth centre (possibly on the hospital site), and an upgraded library are projects I�m working on with others. We need to protect the character of the town, find realistic solutions�to the problem of the heavy lorries, and through good planning decisions, keep our gardens and green spaces as well as preserving employment land for more jobs. Community safety and a proper Visitor Information Centre are other causes I would fight for with the strong voice. experience and enthusiasm I could bring if elected. |
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� Recently nominated as Deputy Mayor� Keith says� "The issues facing Chipping Norton are now critical and our present councillors are achieving nothing.� We need a community centre and jobs and must fight to retain the historic character of the town! The Town Council has proposals to use the old hospital as the centre catering for youth and the more mature.� WODC has not brought jobs or provided a community centre. Their focus is not Chipping Norton but Witney. The draft consultation for the next structure plan makes no reference to jobs or community centre but has proposals to increase housing. We must save Chippy
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Brian, who came to Chipping Norton in 2002, is married with three grown-up sons, one of whom also lives in Chippy: Two of his grandchildren attend Chipping Norton School. Brian, who is currently employed by the locally based Phone Co-op, feels he is privileged to live and work in such a pleasant town but believes we must we must work hard to stop the further deterioration of our environment: Local councils should be the vanguard of radical action on climate change, and new developments should only be allowed if they have zero carbon emission. Brian is proud to be the standard bearer of the Oxfordshire Green Party, a party that has had a positive impact on this county; even the Tories feel compelled to claim membership of the green movement!
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� � � � � � Reserved for some words from Patrick MacHugh |
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Mr McHugh has been invited twice to send a biography and statement. |
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EXACTLY TWO YEARS AGO BARRY NORTON PROMISED SEVERAL HUNDRED NEW JOBS IN CHIPPY "WITHIN TWO OR THREE MONTHS" |
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Two years ago in March 2006 Barry Norton was interviewed on Radio Oxford by Bill Heine, The interview contains the following exchange:
Barry Norton: Since the closure of Parker Knoll the District and County Council have been working hard behind the scenes to provide new job opportunities There are a number of landholdings in the town which we are looking at as possible locations for new businesses to set up and lots of initiatives are at an advanced stage. I can't say too much because they are commercially sensitive Contracts have to be exchanged and I could stuff the deal if I talked about it.� There are a number we are working on
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Bill Heine�: How many
Barry Norton: Two or three sites. Bill Heine: How many jobs: Barry Norton: Several hundred
Bill Heine : When
Barry Norton: In the next two or three months. A lot of these deals are some way down the road.
Local residents will not need reminding that none of these initiatives have actually come to anything - two years later. |
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We were very impressed with this very genuine-looking photograph on one of Mr McHugh's election leaflets. Not sure what the line down the middle is. No it couldn't be........ |
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So we used the same high-tech software to produce Dave endorsements for the other candidates! Spot which of the three pics is genuine! |
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  Patrick McHugh explains to the Vicar that an Anglican vote will do very nicely when things are as tight as they seem to be in this election. Right Councillor Mike Dixon wishes good luck to fellow Independent Keith Greenwell Councillors Watkins and Withers are in support � |
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Green candidate Brian Luney finally makes it to vote after work and meets up with the other 'outsider' candidate Keith Greenwell |
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Congratulations to Patrick McHugh! Rob Evans (Lab) 620 41.3 % Poll The political balance of the District Council following the elections is
Mr Cameron, the Witney MP, was not there in person to celebrate with them in the small hours, but jubilant council leader Barry Norton said: "It is a brilliant night of results for the Conservatives." The council holds elections by a third of its seats. The opposition to the Tories is now at an all-time low, with just six Liberal Democrats, two independent councillors and just one Labour On the night the Tories picked up four gains, two from the Lib Dems and two from independents. As well as Mr Norton, three other Tories stood were unopposed - Simon Hoare, Dennis Stickley and Jeffrey Haine. Successful Lib Dem Margaret Stevens, who held on to her seat at Eynsham by just four votes, said: "I think the Cameron factor counted rather than the local issues. It was an anti-Labour Government vote. Sadly, West Oxfordshire has lost a very good councillor because of it with Elizabeth Bickley in Standlake." Another successful Lib Dem, Glena Chadwick in Charlbury, said: "I feel very proud and relieved. I was up against David Cameron who actually came round canvassing with his local Tory candidate in the shops and pub." Duncan Enright, the Labour candidate in Witney East, said: "I am not surprised by the results. But, at least in Witney we came second where we had candidates."Richard Dossett-Davies, a Witney town councillor and one of eight candidates standing for the Greens, came second in Witney North. He said: "I did not expect to win, but at least my vote held up against the Conservatives." Former town mayor Peter Green lost his seat as an independent in Witney South. He said: "I'm disappointed. I would have liked to carry on, but that's the way things are in elections." UKIP, with two candidates standing in Witney wards, came bottom in each poll. It was a close run thing for Ian Hudspeth - also a county councillor with responsibility for transport - who held onto his Woodstock and Bladon seat by just 45 votes. |
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Tories wiped from Oxford City Council |
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�WITNEY WATCH OUT |
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A major plank in Keith Greenwell's manifesto for the May election of a District Councillor is that WODC's focus is not Chipping Norton but Witney. So he took his Chippy First message into� the Witney lions den this morning and made sure that key District councillors received copies of his election leaflet. |
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Politics hit the Market Square |
| Politics hit the Market square on Saturday morning. On Topside the Chippy First contingent took up their positions in support of Keith Greenwell outside WH Smith (alongside the Big Issue man) facing a stylish Tory gazebo with blue balloons across the road which Mr and Mrs Stobart and a busy band of conservative helpers had spent over an hour erecting first thing. Usually the gazebo heralds the imminent arrival of David Cameron but Bob Hayward said he had rung David to find out when he would be arriving but unfortunately David was planning to spend the whole morning in Billingsgate Market canvassing for Boris Johnston - which rather puts us in our place. We all knew it was election time when Hilary appeared pushing a pram containing her brand new granddaughter Ava. "Worth a few votes" I suggested - only to be greeted by one of Hilary's turn-you-to-stone glares. She was in very good grandmotherly form which was good news for some of us who thought she might be ill following her absences from a string of important council meetings during the week. The elusive Patrick McHugh at last emerged from hiding and patrolled Top Side wearing a shooting jacket and looking as if he had left some pheasant hanging on the Town Hall railings. When he was challenged by Chippy First Chairman Graham Birks about his refusal to participate in a Hustings, Patrick replied �Nobody's interested, its a waste of time talking to people in this town". Well that's a refreshing attitude from an aspiring politician. Rob Evans appeared briefly to have a political pow-wow with Candidate McHugh. On our side of the street there was no mistaking the very deep hostility among electors for Prime Minister Brown and the Labour Party in general. They are going to get hammered next week. Labour's traditional supporters will be staying away in droves. The Tories will have to work very hard� to lose this election - but nonetheless Chippy First are going into next week with their tails up. "Don't you realise that all your childish behaviour is turning everybody off" was the constant Tory theme addressed to Chippy First members. Well no actually. That's not what people were saying to us. Lots and lots of folk said that it was important to give those arrogant Tories a run for their money - a group� who think they own the town and� can propose a candidate who has never had any experience of being any sort of councillor, who refuses to take part in any public meeting and who - judging from his literature - doesn't seem to have any ideas of his own. To which I replied " Well think yourself lucky you don't live in Enstone where the Tory candidate is returned unopposed. At least here we make them fight for their seat" Only a few days to go. Things will get rougher yet. |
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