The Bradley Stoke Journal

With 29 candidates contesting 15 seats, this week’s Town Council election could potentially throw up a few changes on the local political scene.

The Conservatives have the greatest number of candidates (15, the same as in 2007) and are the only party with the potential to make a clean sweep.

The Labour Party, not currently represented on the Town Council, puts up a surprising eight candidates (six more than in 2007), while the Liberal Democrats have six candidates (twice as many as in 2007).

The Conservatives had an easy ride in 2007, winning seven seats in uncontested wards. This year all seven wards are being contested so they may find it harder, although they are certain to win at least three seats because the other parties combined field fewer candidates than seats in two of the wards (Woodlands and Lakeside).

Of the twelve current Conservative Councillors, five are not seeking re-election, so a majority of their candidates this time round are ‘new faces’.

The Liberal Democrats are losing one of their two current Councillors, so five of their candidates are newbies, although Meadowbank candidate Sachin Singhal contested a by-election for them in 2009.

As previously reported, four ex-Mayors are amonst the seven Town Councillors choosing not to seek re-election for another four-year term.

Read on to find out how many candidates actually live in BS »

Local elections on Thursday this week (5th May) see all the seats on South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) and Bradley Stoke Town Council (BSTC) up for grabs.

Electors will also be asked to vote yes or no to the introduction of the Alternative Vote system for choosing MPs.

Most residents will by now have had a fair few election leaflets through the door, with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats being, as usual, the most prolific.

Here at The Journal, we wanted to find out what issues the candidates are encountering in their conversations with voters “on the doorstep”, so we contacted the hopefuls in the SGC Bradley Stoke North ward, where each of the three main parties has put up a candidate to contest the single seat.

First to get back to us was Jonathan Moore (Labour), a first-time candidate who lives in Wheatfield Drive. We met up with Jonathan in Stanley Mead, off Ormonds Close, where he and his team were delivering the South Gloucestershire Reporter, Labour’s local election newspaper.

The paper has little to say on local topics, focusing instead on national issues such as “unnecessary” health care reform and increases in student tuition fees. South Gloucestershire’s “biggest ever” drop in Government grant settlement and the Council’s £2.3m “raid on reserves” are mentioned as is Bradley Stoke Conservative Councillor Robert Jones’ infamous “we’re not cutting enough” message on Twitter.

Jonathan himself highlighted concerns over SGC’s closure/privatisation of care homes for the elderly and he questioned Conservative promises to put more police on the beat when budgets are being slashed.

Read on for reports from the Lib Dem and Conservative candidates »

South Gloucestershire Conservatives promise more police on the beat, the roll-out of superfast broadband and a recycling reward scheme if they win next month’s local elections.

The party’s manifesto was launched in Bradley Stoke’s Town Square on Friday, in the presence of local MP Jack Lopresti and the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries,  Ed Vaizey.

The document, entitled “Making Promises, Keeping Them and Delivering Value for Money”, includes these key promises:

• Keep household bills down by controlling council tax, insulating more homes and investigating a ‘rewards4recycling’ scheme
• Support our local economy and jobs by delivering the flagship Science Park, campaigning for the roll-out of superfast broadband, make small business rate relief automatic and keep car parking free
• Invest in our schools to give our young people the best possible opportunities in life
• Secure the maximum possible health facilities at Frenchay, Cossham, Southmead and Thornbury Hospitals
• More police on the beat by working closer with the council

South Gloucestershire Conservative Group Leader Cllr John Calway said:

“Since 2007, not only have we kept the promises we made, but residents’ efforts have helped us go even further.”

“However, we know there’s more to do, but as we start on the hard road of paying off Labour’s debt, we won’t be able to afford to do everything that we would like to.”

“But, just like four years ago, we won’t make promises we cannot keep.”

Read on for more comment from Cllr Calway »

A visit by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to Bradley Stoke planned for today has had to be cancelled “for operational reasons”, according to a Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

The visit first came to light on BBC Radio Bristol news bulletins this morning (Friday 8th), where it was announced that:

“The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is to make a flying visit to the West Country today. The Liberal Democrat leader will be in Bradley Stoke to answer questions from the public in what his party calls a Town Hall-style meeting.”

However, on contacting a local Lib Dem source, The Journal was told that the visit had been cancelled on security grounds because the BBC “shouldn’t have announced it”.

Further investigation by The Journal revealed that the meeting was to have taken place at Bradley Stoke Community School (BSCS).

Continue reading for more background to the axed visit »

South Gloucestershire Labour is the latest politcal group to launch its manifesto for the 70 seats on the district council that are up for election on Thursday 5th May.

The theme of Labour’s manifesto is that the party will be the community’s voice in the tough times ahead. It outlines “the Con Dem Coalition’s harsh treatment of local government, the litany of broken Tory promises” and gives five pledges to local voters.

Launching the manifesto, Labour Group Leader Cllr Roger Hutchinson (Filton) said:

“The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats support massive cuts in council services and their government is taking millions of pounds away from South Gloucestershire. We need to make it clear to voters that only Labour will speak up for local people against this government and the destruction it is causing.”

The five key themes identified in Labour’s document are:

• Support our communities (e.g. Safeguard homecare services)
• Regenerate our town centres (e.g. Target resources to achieve cleaner streets)
• Develop our priority neighbourhoods (e.g. Help local community groups to survive and thrive)
• Improve our transport and highways (e.g. Use existing powers to achieve joined-up integrated transport)
• Secure a sustainable environment (e.g. Increase the amount and range recycled from the doorstep)

Read on for a review of Labour’s record in Bradley Stoke »

South Gloucestershire Liberal Democrats fired the opening shots in the 2011 Local Election campaign when they launched their ‘Action for our Area’ manifesto in Bradley Stoke’s Town Square on Saturday morning.

Local MPs Steve Webb and Don Foster joined local candidates and activists to promote the document that promises to “create a Council that works for you … not for the Government”.

Voters will go to the the polls on Thursday 5th May to elect representatives to South Gloucestershire Council (SGC)  and Parish/Town Councils, including Bradley Stoke Town Council (BSTC).

SGC has been controlled since May 2007 by a minority Conservative administration, while the Town Council currently has a comfortable Conservative majority (twelve seats against the Lib Dem’s two and one independent).

The three SGC wards in Bradley Stoke and Stoke Lodge are represented by five Councillors. Of the current incumbents, four are Conservative and the other a Lib Dem.

In looking to regain overall control of SGC, the Lib Dem manifesto states:

“When we ran South Gloucestershire – and when no party had complete control – things were better. Residents had a real say in things. Now, the local Conservatives are simply doing what they want, irrespective of whether you want it.”

“If you give us power in 2011 we will work with you to help you create the sort of green, clean, fair and safe communities you have told us you want to live in, with a Council that listens to you and gives you real power over your own lives and communities.”

Read on for six things the Lib Dems say they will fix »