All the fun of the fayre

On Saturday 21st May, Friends of Chase Park hosted the Whickham May Fayre. As usual, my job was to collect tables from Marley Hill Community Centre on Friday to be used in the burger tent. On Saturday itself, I had my own stand to run, promoting self-sufficiency and selling my preserves and eggs. I brought along some of my week old quail chicks which proved quite an attraction.

Well done to the organisers. Another great event.

Mick Henry's parting speech

This video was filmed at Gateshead Council last week. Mick Henry was Labour leader of the Council but Labour councillors rejected his advice for Gateshead to be part of the North East devolution settlement. The battle against the plans was led by Deputy Leader Cllr Martin Gannon. Mick resigned in the middle of the election campaign and Martin was elected as Leader in his place last Friday.

Though Martin led the vote of thanks to the out going Mayor, Alex Geddes, he gave no speech thanking Mick, his predecessor. And listen to Mick's speech. He talks about Gateshead's strength over the past 14 years of his leadership as being based on the partnership the council has with other authorities. Gateshead under Martin is now heading for isolation, setting itself up as the hole in the middle of the North East devolution doughnut.

And notice Mick's closing comments: he thanks the support he has had from councillors, and then clarified it, "most of them". I wonder who he had in mind. Over to you Martin.....

Chocolate cake and mayoral thanks

Last Friday was the annual Gateshead Council meeting. It is customary for the Leader of the Opposition to second the vote of thanks to the out going mayor. I was happy to do so as Alex Geddes has been a first class mayor. I also used the opportunity to present the new Leader of Gateshead Council, Martin Gannon, with a homemade cake with a large hole in it. It represents the North East region which is moving ahead with devolution while Gateshead, in the middle of the region, has walked away from the deal.

Back on BBC Politics Show

I was interviewed last Thursday for the BBC Politics Show, North East edition, about Gateshead Labour Council's decision to opt out of devolution proposals for the North East. The programme was broadcast on Sunday. You can see it on this link. The devolution issue starts about 41 minutes into the programme.

A cake with a hole in it

On Friday, at our annual council meeting, Comrade Martin Gannon became Supreme Leader of Gateshead, the Hermite Council of the North East. Martin was the leading advocate of Gateshead's rejection of the devolution proposals for Gateshead. Following his successful campaign to disengage from the North East region, Leader of the Council Mick Henry resigned. Now Gateshead, in splendid isolation, faces being cut off from millions, possibly tens of millions of pounds of devolved funding on transport, training, economic development and other matters. All so that Gateshead Labour Party could make a stand against the Conservative government.

It fell to me as Leader of the Opposition to welcome Martin to his post. I did so by baking him a cake full of bananas which I presented to him at Friday's meeting. The cake had a large hole through the middle of it, representing the gap in the middle of the North East that is Gateshead, The borough will of course get no slice of the devolved cake if Gateshead Labour Party continue to stick by their decision to declare UDI. Or perhaps Martin should see sense, reverse the decision and stop using the people as a stick with which to beat up the government.

Thank you Mick

Cllr Mick Henry was Labour leader of Gateshead Council but following his group's decision to block Gateshead's involvement in the North East devolution proposals, he announced his resignation. This was the speech I gave to Gateshead Council's annual meeting on Friday 20th May in which I thanked him for his work and referred to some of the events with which we have both been involved over the past few years.

The hole in the middle of the North East

 

This is the front page of The Journal from earlier this week. It puts into context the ludicrous decision by Labour in Gateshead to walk away from devolution and the North East Combined Authority (NECA). The implications of the decision are enormous. While the rest of the region goes ahead with devolution and an elected mayor, Gateshead is declaring UDI. The People's Republic of Gateshead, under the guidance of the Supreme Leader Comrade Martin Gannon, will stand alone against the Conservatives. Powers over transport, training, housing, planning and potentially health will pass from the Government ministers based in Whitehall to a devolved body in the North East. Except that Gateshead will not benefit at all.

We will have no influence over the devolved powers and budgets that directly affect Gateshead because Gateshead is no longer to be part of the governance system. Gateshead residents, thanks to Labour, will have no vote for who will lead the region. NECA is responsible for the Metro rail system which runs through Gateshead. Up to now, we have been one of the partner authorities running the Metro. Labour in Gateshead are walking away from the set up that has benefited the borough for 40 years.

The devolved settlement allows for control of billions of pounds of public spending currently controlled by the Government and to a lesser extent by Europe. That money will now be channeled through NECA and the elected mayor. Gateshead will not be entitled to a penny of it.

If Labour in Gateshead thought they could lead the rebellion and revolution against the Conservative Government, they have seriously miscalculated. Gateshead Labour may think they are the only ones in step and the rest of the region is out of step but the reality is that of the 7 councils in NECA, 6 have agreed to go forward with the devolution deal. That leaves Gateshead out on her own. This is a disaster of Labour's making in Gateshead, brought about by a group of people who think that kicking opponents is more important than using the opportunities that come your way to improve matters. It is a group that is prepared to make the people of Gateshead, as well as their own previous leader, the collateral damage in their war with the Conservatives.

I am determined to fight Labour's disastrous decision. That was my message when I did interviews today with the BBC Politics Programme, BBC Radio Newcastle and the Chronicle. And I won't rest until Gateshead is at the heart of the region, rather than the Labour created hole in the middle the Gateshead Labour Party has in mind for my home town.

Campaigning in Gateshead for the EU Referendum

I joined local Lib Dem members to support the IN campaign in Low Fell in Gateshead on Saturday morning. We had a stall on Durham Road with balloons, t-shirts, leaflets and a petition. I turned up expecting to get a bashing from loads of anti-European residents but it was much better than I expected. Yes there was one person who wasn't going to vote for “those b******d Germans”. And of the few we quizzed about why they were voting to leave, they were unable to give a picture of what life would be like outside the EU, other than some vague idea about “trading more with the Commonwealth”. What pleased me however was that there were plenty of people who enthusiastically said they were voting to stay in. There were many who were undecided but they tended to be leaning towards voting to remain. I even found one person who said that his heart was with the leave campaign but that he will vote to remain as he works for Nissan and was concerned about the impact of a leave vote on the company. I came away buoyed up by my experience.

Gateshead Lib Dem Members' eNewsletter

The latest edition of our email newsletter to Lib Dem members in Gateshead was finished last night. It features the local election results and the IN campaign action day (which is tomorrow). You can read it on this link.

Martin Gannon to be new Gateshead Council Leader

Gateshead Council is at the tipping point between being a pragmatic authority that takes advantage of the opportunities coming its way (that's how I would sum up Gateshead before recent events) and stumbling into being the basket case council of the North East. The crazy decision by Labour to reject the advice of their own Leader, Mick Henry, and the Chief Executive, Jane Robinson, to back the devolution proposals and instead to walk away from the combined authority was followed by Mick's announcement in the middle of the election campaign that he was quitting as Leader. This week, Jane has announced her decision to leave the authority and take up a senior position with Durham University.

I am informed that Martin Gannon, Deputy Labour Leader, is to be the new Leader. Labour's annual group meeting is tonight and there's only been one self-nomination. So in a North Korean style election, Comrade Martin will become Supreme Leader later today. He was the Labour member who led (from a rather late date) the Gateshead Labour battle against the devolution proposals. The decision could, if followed to its conclusion, isolate Gateshead in the North East and leave us with substantial costs whilst denying us access to government cash for training, transport and economic development.

Martin has something of a colourful past. In the 1980s he was militantly socialist. In the 1990s and the 2000s, he was more New Labour than Blair. In the Coalition years, he was shifting leftward and now he is Momentum Martin. It seems he has gone full circle but he has a habit of not practicing what he preaches. He calls for people to reduce smoking to improve health whilst smoking like a chimney. He complains about people driving their children to school while admitting to doing the same himself from his enormously posh house near Low Fell. So with a bit of luck, he will abandon the absurd decision to walk away from devolution and take away from me the big sticks I can use to beat him. Or he can lead Gateshead into disaster. Which is it Martin?

Photo:Martin Gannon, the one shrugging his shoulders, left on front row.

A strong hold in Dunston Hill and Whickham East

In Gateshead, Dunston Hill and Whickham East has, in recent years, been the most closely fought ward in local elections. We used to hold all 3 seats in the ward but we lost in 2010 and 2011 to Labour by relatively significant majorities. In 2012, our remaining Councillor, Peter Maughan, retained his seat. In 2014 and 2015, Labour clung on. Last year, their majority was just 23, despite the general election turnout. Their candidate, Chris McHugh, replaced a Labour Councillor who no one really noticed had retired from the council.

Last week Peter retained his seat with a majority of 432 and 49% of the vote. It was something of a knockout blow for Labour despite their high hopes of victory and their first place last year. After the verification on Thursday evening, they knew they had lost. Their faces said it all. They also got sight of helpful information they gleaned from us as they quickly glanced over Lib Dem shoulders to look at our calculations.

So where now for Labour in the ward? Up next is Labour Councillor Allison Thompson who will face the voters in May 2018. Her profile in the recent election campaign in the ward was barely noticeable. In Labour's first election leaflet, she got only 3 passing mentions: in the contact details, the ward surgery details, and the imprint. There were no articles about her, unlike her ward colleague Chris who had a big right up about the speech he had given at council on workers rights, "collective action and solidarity" (whatever that is). And whilst Chris is the golden boy of the class war left, Allison did not even merit a photo in the leaflet.

Had Labour forgotten about her? Were they holding her at arms length? Had she forgotten about them? Was she deliberately avoiding the Labour campaign? Who knows? But don't bother trying to check her Twitter account for clues. She has changed the settings so that all her posts are private. Allison is, after all, something of a loose canon on social media. Her attack on our candidate on a local residents' Facebook page last year for not living in the ward was something of a spectacular own goal. Putting aside (as she clearly did) that she lived in my ward for some time while being a Dunston Hill councillor, she claimed that living a mile away from a ward (as Kevin our candidate in 2015 did) was “far enough away not to know what’s going on in the ward." She then went on to say “It’s been highlighted how councillors should live in their wards and I agree with that.”

So the fact Labour's candidate this May lived over a mile from the ward has left an awful lot of egg on her face. Nevertheless, in an attempt to keep up Allison's profile in the ward, we included her comments in one of our election Focuses. She is a useful asset for us!

Gaining again in Gateshead

Groundhog day in Gateshead is now gone. In 2014 and 2015, no seats changed hands. The polling day repeats were at an end. In 2010-12, we suffered losses to Labour in the borough. The Lib Dem team on the Council was cut from 24 to 11. We have to go back to 2008 for the last Lib Dem gain in Gateshead. So the elections on Thursday saw us breaking the recent mould. We gained Pelaw and Heworth from Labour.

Historically, Pelaw and Heworth was a safe Labour ward. We then won it in the Blair years but lost it in the early Coalition years. Ian Patterson, who first won the seat for us about 16 years ago, continued to keep the ward warm though our expectation of winning it back this time were not high. Our campaign was aimed at putting us in a realistic jump-off position for a gain in 2018, when the next local elections are held.

Verification of votes took place on Thursday evening though the count itself was not due to start until 1.30pm on Friday. We knew by the time we left in the early hours of Friday morning that it was neck-and-neck in the ward. And we knew from the expressions on the faces of Labour members, and from the brief conversations they had with us, that they were not aware of a potential problem for them in the ward.

Frank Hindle, retiring as councillor for Low Fell, number crunched some figures and emailed me around 2am to say he could not call the result in PH. It was just too close.

Back at the count on Friday afternoon, it was some time before Labour were shaken out of their complacency. It began to dawn on them that they were facing a problem in PH. They tried to do random counts as the votes were being separated into the different piles for the candidates. As the piles of votes mounted, they knew they were facing their first loss in 8 years. The count went right up to the wire for a photo finish. Lib Dem Ian Patterson won by 20.

So after an absence of 4 years, Ian rejoins us in the Gateshead Lib Dem Council group and we can genuinely say that we have turned a corner.

Winning in Whickham South and Sunniside

I wasn't up for election in my ward of Whickham South and Sunniside this year, but my colleague John McClurey was. Alas, my record majority (for recent years) of 1199 votes was smashed by John. He added a whopping 7 votes to our lead! But he did notch up 63% of the vote, 13% up on my share at the local elections last year (which coincided with the general election). There was no campaign or literature from the Conservatives and UKIP. Labour's campaign consisted of one leaflet which they paid to have delivered.

As recently as last year, Labour were stating publicly that they would win my ward, though as it was their deputy leader on Gateshead Council, Martin Gannon, who made the prediction, it could not be taken seriously. Nevertheless, just over a decade ago, my ward was a serious target for Labour and they poured everything they could into it. Their campaign then was a disaster and they are still suffering from the fallout in the ward.

So a very satisfactory result. Well done John McClurey!

On BBC Politics Programme

I was on the BBC Politics Programme (North East) today, debating with the 3 other candidates in the Northumbria PCC election. You can see it on this link. The North East bit starts about 31 minutes in.

Labour leaflet cock up!

Spot the mistake in this Labour leaflet, delivered commercially yesterday in Whickham North ward of Gateshead with all the pizza leaflets! Alas, encouraging people to go to vote 2 days after the polls have closed is arguably not the best route to winning elections. This is the main leaflet for Labour in the ward (Lib Dem held and formerly a top target for Labour during the Coalition years though our majority steadily increased from 2011 onwards). If past experience of Labour elections campaigns is anything to go by, the same leaflet, adapted for each ward, will be delivered across the whole of Gateshead over the coming days to catch the postal voters next week. If their template is wrong, all their main leaflets could potentially be wrong. Oops!

eFocus on Blaydon and Ryton

Just published, our latest edition of our eFocus for the western part of Gateshead. The main towns included in the circulation are Ryton, Blaydon, Winlaton, Chopwell, Rowlands Gill and Crawcrook. You can read eFocus on this link.

Selfish one ruins it for everyone else

Kindred Wood is on the edge of Sunniside, the village where I live and which I represent on Gateshead Council. The wood is popular with walkers and as a play area for kids. So you can understand the anger I felt - shared by many residents - that someone had taken it upon themselves to drag their wheelie bin to the woods and dump its contents there. Having spoken to constituents, I know a number of people witness the bin being moved.

I went with a constituent on Sunday evening to inspect the rubbish. We opened bags and found evidence of who originally generated the rubbish. This has been passed on to environmental health who themselves visited the site and sorted through more rubbish yesterday.

Fly tipping like this is completely unacceptable. Our woodlands, parklands and public spaces are not rubbish dumps. Anti-social individuals who dump their waste selfishly and irresponsibly, leaving it for the rest of the community to clear up, are pursued by Gateshead Council when evidence is recovered of who did the dumping. Culprits can expect a knock on the door.

PCC nomination in

100 signatures and £5000 deposit later and my PCC nomination has been accepted. I went to Sunderland Civic Centre this morning to hand it in with my agent Cllr John McClurey. We will get the full list of candidates on Thursday afternoon.

Canvassing in Whickham

We were canvassing in Dunston Hill and Whickham East ward yesterday. A good response on the doorsteps. I guess the 59% definite Lib Dem response rate is more a reflection of our decision to canvass one of our strongest areas in the ward. It was a targeted canvass, calling on people for whom we don't have a previous canvass response. I found no one intending to vote Labour. We were also asking about police commissioner voting intentions. The vast majority of people answered that their local election and PCC votes will be for the same party.

I'm now off to canvass in another ward.

Birtley eFocus

I've just finished and published our latest email newsletter for the Birtley and Lamesley wards of Gateshead. You can read it on this link.

eFocus 100

A bit of a milestone today - we published the 100th edition of our email newsletter for the Whickham area of Gateshead. This edition covers bin collections, the new Front Street School, house-building at Dunston Hill and my selection as PPC candidate for Northumbria. You can read the newsletter on this link.

Labour - putting party interest first

I am just back from a special meeting of Gateshead Council Cabinet. This all-Labour body met today to decide whether or not to accept the devolution package that is on offer to the North East. It's a package that includes control over skills training, transport, planning and economic development. All areas that need regional direction and control. The price of the devolution package is the creation of an elected mayor.

I am no fan of elected mayors but they were a key commitment in the Conservatives' manifesto. And in case anyone missed this significant point, the Conservatives won the general election last year. Whether we like it or not, if we want devolution, we have to have elected mayors. Details of the devolution package can be negotiated, but the government has made absolutely clear that there will be no negotiations on elected mayors. We can have devolution AND elected mayors, or no change.

Meanwhile, the dinosaur wing of the North East Labour party has swung into action to fight the mayoral plan. They view any change to the current system as a challenge to the Labour Establishment. They have run everything in the North East for too long and exist now to continue controlling the Establishment rather than to do anything beneficial for the people and the region.

Indeed, one of the loudest complaints from the Labour Establishment about the devolution package was that it could challenge the North East as "a Labour region." Labour talk of wanting "democracy" but drill down through their statements and what Labour means by "democracy" is everything run by Labour.

Sadly, the reactionaries and the dinosaurs have won the day in the Labour party today. The cabinet unanimously threw out the devolution proposals. This was a totally and utterly mad decision. It's about internal Labour politics, posturing at other people's expenses. There are lots of bad for the people of Gateshead in this decision, but no benefits.

I've already been interviewed by the BBC. Here's my news release:

Anger as Gateshead Labour reject devolution

Liberal Democrat Leader of the Opposition in Gateshead, Cllr Jonathan Wallace, has described the Labour Council Cabinet’s decision to reject the proposed devolution package to the North East as “utterly mad.”

The Cabinet met today, 22^nd March, for less than half an hour to discuss the package that had been negotiated by the 7 council leaders in the region with the government.

Despite months of negotiation by Gateshead Council Leader Mick Henry, his own Deputy, Martin Gannon, moved that the plans be rejected as he opposed the creation of elected mayors.

Speaking after the Cabinet meeting, Cllr Wallace said, “This decision is completely the wrong one. We have on offer from the government control over skills training, economic development, transport and planning. There is even the possibility of taking on some health powers.

“This has all been sacrificed by those in the Labour party who view elected mayors as a threat to their own establishment and control of the region. Labour have now put party interests before the people’s interests.

“Labour have not even put Gateshead into the Slow Lane. Instead they have put us in the No Lane – no extra powers, no extra investment, no hope.

“There were many smug grins on the faces of Labour cabinet members this morning after the meeting. But smug grins won’t held fill the skills gap, develop the economy or sort out our transport. Labour have set back Gateshead and the North East. It is difficult to see how the region can recover from this wholly unnecessary, Labour-inflicted wound.”

ends

PCC email newsletter no. 2

I recently published the 2nd email newsletter for members in the North East about my Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner campaign. You can read it on this link.

My insider's guide to conference

I filmed this video over the weekend - 7 minutes about everything that goes on at conference.

Full set of photos of York Conference

I was really pleased that Tim banged the drum for community politics in his Leader's speech today. A great speech generally and some strong points especially about the refugee crisis. I now have a full set of photos of the conference on my Flickr site. Click on the picture above and enjoy.

Photos from Saturday at York Conference

Barbican, where conference is being held.



Lots of reminders that there is a referendum coming up.



Debate under way on regulating cannabis.



The best attended fringe meetings are those offering food!



Lib Dem mugs



Our newest members are cuddly and cute.



Me and my handiwork.



Tim's Q&A



Put out to grass (not a reference to the cannabis debate).



Every gay man's hero, Lynne Featherstone, the person who delivered gay marriage.



Glee club (I chose to go back to my hotel!)

Off to York Conference

I've just arrived at York and got to my tiny guesthouse (Gregory's Hotel) about 45 minutes ago. I never see the point of staying in conference hotels as they charge silly prices. I spent the journey on the Cross Country train crammed into a small space reading the latest copy of the Smallholder magazine. And I spent a nearly fruitless half hour after getting to the Gregory trying to connect to the internet. My laptop is now speaking to the system so I'm back on line!

Time now to head to the conference centre, the Barbican.

My first PCC email newsletter to members

Last night I sent out my first email newsletter to Lib Dem members as Northumbria PCC candidate. You can read it on this link.

Visiting Lib Dems in Blyth Valley

On Monday I did another PCC meeting with party members, this time in Cramlington, in Blyth Valley Constituency. There are no local elections to the unitary Northumberland Council this year (unlike in Tyne and Wear) so the contest there is purely about the PCC. We had quite a good chat about local campaigning, the dinosaur nature of the Labour Party and the need to scrap PCCs and use the money on front line policing.

Pictured above, me with some of the members who came to the meeting.

Gone to the dogs!

Today it was the turn of Pelaw and Heworth ward to host an action day. The aim was to get the next Focus delivered across most of the ward. In the end, we managed to cover the whole ward, though a couple of patches were taken by a member to be delivered through the week. I was given a patch to do near Heworth Grange Comprehensive with a warning there are usually lots of big people-eating dogs. Sadly for the dogs, I encountered none and therefore continue to be alive and kicking rather than being Pedigree Chum substitute.

Back at HQ, Pelaw and Heworth now has the most points from me for best action day lunch - sausage casserole. Alas, I wasn't able to hang around for too long to enjoy it. Once lunch was consumed, I was sent off to Bill Quay with another bundle of Focuses to deliver.

Campaigning in Dunston, Staiths and Lobley Hill

Our second action day over the weekend was in 2 different wards: Dunston and Teams, then Lobley Hill and Bensham. We had focuses for each area to deliver. The Staiths area was delivered first and then we split into two teams, one heading to Dunston, the other (with me) to Lobley Hill.

The two wards are strongly Labour but before the Coalition years, we came close to winning Lobley Hill and Bensham. Our aim now is to build up our strength in the two wards. This is a gradual process which will take time, but it is how we won in other wards in Gateshead.

Steps and cake - campaigning in Low Fell

I was in Low Fell in Gateshead on Saturday to help with the action day in the ward. Low Fell is Lib Dem held though the majority is not large. It is home to a large number of Labour councillors who live in nice houses whilst representing less well heeled areas in other parts of Gateshead. On Saturday we spent the morning delivering target letters. I discovered that Low Fell is built on the side of a steep hill. Long flights of steps are needed to get to some streets.



Those hosting action days are expected to provide lunch for the helpers. I was able to tuck into a large quantity of cakes before heading out to do some door-knocking. A good response.

Tom Brake MP in Newcastle

Lib Dem MP Tom Brake was a visitor to Newcastle last week. I was part of the delegation to meet and greet him at Newcastle Central Station and we took him on the Metro to South Gosforth and then the Regent Centre. He then headed to Newcastle University to speak in favour of staying in the EU.

You can see photos from the visit on the above link.

Campaigning in Whickham North

I was away last weekend (in Stockholm) so in my absence, my colleagues arranged for me to deliver lots of Focuses! On Wednesday, I delivered 370 in Whickham East. Yesterday, I headed down to Whickham North to deliver 200 Focuses in the morning then returned in the afternoon to do a survey of residents with Cllr Sonya Hawkins. We called on houses in the Glebe, where my Dad lives. I caught him heading to Newcastle to go to a club that had a free jazz afternoon. At over 85 years of age, we have retired him from delivering Focuses. Dad headed off for the music, Sonya and I continued door-knocking in the cold! We got a good set of survey returns.

Visiting Sunderland

I attended an enjoyable pizza and politics event hosted by Millfield ward Lib Dems in Sunderland last night. Speaker was John Shipley, former leader of Newcastle City Council and now a peer. Host Niall Hodson took the opportunity to show off some of his campaign publicity. I wasn't the only PCC candidate there. Craig Martin, Lib Dem for Durham, was also enjoying pizzas!

Burning pizzas in Ryton

Sunday saw the local Lib Dem team move into Ryton for the day. A group of us hit the doorsteps to do a survey of residents. Alas, one of our members called on the son of the Labour mayor Alex Geddes. Since we like Alex (I appreciate that in the Labour group, being liked by us is something of a popularity killer), the conversation went well.



Meanwhile, back at HQ, we shifted a large quantity of sandwiches. Sadly, one of the pizzas we were hoping to eat was left in the oven for a bit longer than necessary. It emerged a bit incinerated.



Once the survey was done, we spent the rest of the day mopping up a few leaflet patches. Job done by 3pm.

Scampi and Chips in Dunston Hill and Whickham East

On Saturday I headed down to Dunston Hill and Whickham East ward in Gateshead to be part of a team that delivered 1100 Focuses. In rain, snow and hail (which stings when hitting cold hands) we got the leaflets delivered, stopping only when we ran out. We did however take a break for lunch at the Harry Clasper in Whickham. Scampi and chips went down very well.

450 Focuses delivered in Whickham

I headed down to the Whickham part of my ward yesterday. 450 Focuses were delivered. My feet were sore when I got back home! Other wards are now lining me up for more deliveries!

eFocus 99

The 99th edition of our Whickham eFocus has just been published. It leads on the proposals by Labour in Gateshead to change bin collections to once every three weeks. Other issues include house building in Dunston Hill and the Fugar history project. You can read the newsletter on this link.

More Focus deliveries

My colleague Cllr John McClurey kindly dropped off a box of Focuses for me a couple of days ago. I've done a couple of delivery sessions since then in Sunniside and Marley Hill. I have a couple of patches left to do in the Whickham part of my ward. I guess I know what I'll be doing tomorrow. Once I've delivered my patches, the spares will go back to John who will take the bundles of leaflets to our deliverers.

The lead story is about Labour's proposals in Gateshead to move to collecting general waste and recycling waste bins to once every three weeks. We've also included articles about Labour's proposals to reduced most grass cutting, the Fugar history project and the A1 improvements. I've already had people emailing me about the issues we've raised. And people were asking me about them when I was in the queue for the till in the Sunniside Coop this evening. It seems this is going to be quite a lively edition of Focus.

Selected as PCC candidate for Northumbria

I am pleased to announce that I have been chosen by local Liberal Democrats to be the party's candidate for Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria. Below is the news release the regional party has just issued.

Gateshead's Dr Jonathan Wallace selected as Lib Dem Police and Crime Commissioner Candidate for Northumbria

Liberal Democrats in Northumberland and Tyne and Wear are putting forward a candidate for the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner who will campaign for the post to be axed and the savings ploughed back into putting police on the beat.

Dr Jonathan Wallace is Leader of the Opposition on Gateshead Council and has almost 30 years of experience in local government in the North East. He was born in Bensham, grew up in Lobley Hill, and was elected at the age of 23 to Gateshead Council in 1986 for Whickham South and Sunniside ward where he has been re-elected 8 times since.

Whilst Jonathan has extensive experience of local government, he does not come from a typical political background. 7 years ago he gave up paid employment to live the “good life” with his partner David in Sunniside, growing his own food and keeping bees, poultry and goats. His broadcasts about self-sufficiency on his YouTube channel have had over 4 million viewings. Jonathan graduated from Newcastle University in 1988 where he studied history, and was awarded a research doctorate in 1995.

 

“It is a great privilege to have been chosen by fellow Liberal Democrats,” said Jonathan, who is also Leader of the Opposition on Gateshead Council.

 

“My three priorities are to ensure front line policing is protected, bureaucracy is kept to a minimum through scrapping the post of police and crime commissioner, and seeking to reduce the increase in crime experienced under the current incumbent.

 

“Liberal Democrats want a more democratic system to ensure all communities in the area of the police force are taken into account when policing plans are drawn up, without the unnecessary overheads of the commissioner and her office.

 

“I am determined to challenge the Labour establishment in the North East. They have complacently controlled the region for decades without the North East seeing any significant gains. After years of crime falling locally, the incumbent Labour PCC has presided over an increase in crime rates and has been involved in controversy over the departure of the chief constable and her decision to axe funding for Victim Support in favour of funding an alternative organisation of which she is a director. I want to prioritise community policing principles which have taken a back seat under the current Labour PCC.”

On the doorsteps in Chowdene

It was a rather breezy day to be out in Chowdene in Gateshead. With a gale blowing, I still managed to get round by leaflet patch. The Focus being delivered is joint with Low Fell, the neighbouring ward which we are also defending. Yesterday. Low Fell was delivered. Today was the turn of Chowdene.

I had a superb view from one street across the Team Valley to Ravensworth, the country estate which is partly in my council ward.

Anyway, the next ward to be delivered will be my very own Whickham South and Sunniside. I printed the back page of the Focus last night. Front page awaits more ink from the print suppliers.

On the doorsteps in Whickham South and Sunniside

A useful afternoon on Sunday: I was door-knocking in my ward of Whickham South and Sunniside. We got a positive response on the doorsteps. Issues raised included the traffic lights at Sunniside, the recent rain, my goats and how my aunt in Canada is doing. Clearly we were calling at a patch where, not only was I well known, some people had known my family for decades!

We will be doing another door-knocking session shortly but in the meantime we are ploughing our way through the pile of survey returns that was the result of Sunday's activities. There are quite a few email addresses to add to our email newsletter. And one of my forthcoming jobs is to complete and publish the next edition.