The Bradley Stoke Journal

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 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 »

South Gloucestershire councillor Peter Tyzack has been chosen as the Liberal Democrat’s candidate for the new Filton and Bradley Stoke (FABS) parliamentary constituency at next year’s general election.

Cllr Tyzack becomes the third Liberal Democrat to be nominated to fight the seat after the resignations of two previous candidates.

Emma Bone quit “for family reasons” in 2008, while John Kiely stepped down earlier this year saying that he need to give priority to his work on Bristol City Council.

Cllr Tyzack, who represents Pilning and Severn Beach on the district council, has stood for parliament on two previous occasions.

In 1997 he fought the Bristol East seat, where he finished in third place with 14.8% of the vote. More recently, he contested the Bristol North West seat in 2001, finishing with 15.9% of the vote behind runaway winner Doug Naysmith.

In a press release issued by Filton and Bradley Stoke Liberal Democrats, Cllr Tyzack says:

“I am honoured to have been chosen by the Party to represent the people in this new constituency for the next general election. I would like to say thank you for the support that I have already received and the further encouragement since my selection especially from Steve Webb MP.”

“What I would like to do is to offer a real alternative for the people of this new constituency. With just over five months left to run to the general election, FABS is a rare opportunity for us. Local by-election results across the country show a significant move towards the Liberal Democrats, so we should be optimistic.”

Cllr Tyzack has served on South Gloucestershire Council and the previous Northavon District Council since 1994. As a qualified teacher he taught at three Bristol secondary schools before leaving the profession to set up an independent property business and also a small building company.

The new Filton and Bradley Stoke constituency is formed exclusively of wards from the district of South Gloucestershire. The wards that it incorporates previously belonged to the Bristol North West, Northavon and Kingswood constituencies.

Independent website ukpollingreport classifies Filton and Bradley Stoke as a marginal seat but predicts that it will be won by the Conservatives with 35.7% of the vote, followed by Labour on 32.8% and the Liberal Democrats on 27.2%.

Related link:

• Filton and Bradley Stoke – General Election 2010 (The Journal)

Local Liberal Democrats have suffered a setback in their campaign to win the parliamentary seat of Filton and Bradley Stoke (FABS) at the next general election with the news that their prospective candidate has resigned.

John Kiely was selected in April 2008 as the party’s prospective parliamentary candidate (PPC) for the newly created FABS constituency. He wasted little time in getting involved in local issues, including the dispute between Northavon Bowls Club and Bradley Stoke Town Council (BSTC).

Mr Kiely attended the Special Meeting of BSTC held on 8th May 2008 to discuss the bowls club dispute and later described the Conservative-led Town Council as “the most unhelpful in England”.

He also filed an official complaint with the Town Council’s external auditor about the way the bowls dispute had been handled.

Prior to being selected to fight the parliamentary constituency, Mr Kiely served on Bristol City Council for many years, but he lost his seat in 2007.

In a surprising move, Mr Kiely stood for the Easton seat on Bristol City Council in June 2009 and was duly elected. Many questioned the rationale of rejoining the Council instead of focusing all his efforts on winning the Westminster seat.

Bradley Stoke Lib Dem Councillor Jon Williams told The Journal:

“This is obviously a blow for the local party and local executive will be making plans to appoint a new PPC as soon as possible.”

According to the House of Parliament Library, FABS is the third closest three way marginal in England  – based on 2005 figures, amended for boundary changes, the seat is split 35.5% Con, 33.9% Lab and 28.4% Lib Dem [source: Terry Cook].

Other prospective candidates announced to date are Ian Boulton (Labour) and Jack Lopresti (Conservative).