We are now a few days further on from the election. As a party we are sad to see so many excellent councillors fall, however, the people have spoken. Hull Road did not produce the result that we had hoped for. However, we are proud to have been the only party to provide a proper challenge to the ward's 2 Labour candidates.
You voted thus:
(Lab)Barnes: 1,172
(Lab)Fitzpatrick: 1,046
(Con)Croft: 626
(LD)Allen: 460
(Grn)Cossham: 397
(Grn)Capps: 370
(LD)Pannell: 351
We take a degree of cold comfort from the results since we did slightly better in terms of absolute votes than in 2007, making Hull Road one of the few wards in the city in which we not only held our own but advanced.
Having met the 2 new labour councillors we can certify that they are both lovely people who will work very hard for the residents of Hull Road, hopefully providing all of you with the degree of representation you deserve. We wish them all the best in their endeavours for our complex and multifarious communities.
Party logo header
Sunday 8 May 2011
Tuesday 3 May 2011
Labour-Tory Coalition
We were amused today to come across literature from the Labour Party whilst we were campaigning in Tang Hall today that listed a long list of LibDem-Tory run councils. As a party we feel that it is our duty to get the best deal possible for our supporters. Quite often Labour groups which have held power for decades are very difficult to deal with when it comes to negotiations and we quite simply cannot cut a deal with them that is satisfactory to the people. For instance in York in 2007 we offered labour talks in the aftermath of an election that produced a hung council. Labour, who at times feel that they "own" cities like York, refused, preferring to stay in the political cold.
Of course Labour quite often does do deals with other parties. For instance there are many LibDem-Labour councils. Such as:
*Solihull
*Kirklees
*Calderdale
*Tendring
*East Renfrewshire
*Highlands County Council
*Ceredigion
*Broxtowe
However, conversely, there are also many authorities run by Labour-Conservative partnerships:
*Cumbria (which is currently engaged in massive cuts including most of the library service and children's centres)
*Sefton
*Stockton-on-Tees
*Lancaster
*Pendle
*Ryledale
*East Dunbartonshire
*Falkirk
*Gwynedd
Could York be next?
It is highly unlikely that any one party will control the council come 6th May. So it is not beyond the realms of the possible to imagine James Alexander and Ian Gilles stitching together a deal in some backroom to take control of York.
The Labour/Tory Coalition that is causing misery in Cumbria and which is thwarting electoral reform could be moving from Whitehaven's streets, to your street...
A strange coalition? We think so!
The above is a picture of Labour's the Lord Dr. John Reid ex-Marxist and the architect of much authoritarian legislation with the Conservative party leader and current prime minister David Cameron.
Of course Labour quite often does do deals with other parties. For instance there are many LibDem-Labour councils. Such as:
*Solihull
*Kirklees
*Calderdale
*Tendring
*East Renfrewshire
*Highlands County Council
*Ceredigion
*Broxtowe
However, conversely, there are also many authorities run by Labour-Conservative partnerships:
*Cumbria (which is currently engaged in massive cuts including most of the library service and children's centres)
*Sefton
*Stockton-on-Tees
*Lancaster
*Pendle
*Ryledale
*East Dunbartonshire
*Falkirk
*Gwynedd
Could York be next?
It is highly unlikely that any one party will control the council come 6th May. So it is not beyond the realms of the possible to imagine James Alexander and Ian Gilles stitching together a deal in some backroom to take control of York.
The Labour/Tory Coalition that is causing misery in Cumbria and which is thwarting electoral reform could be moving from Whitehaven's streets, to your street...
A strange coalition? We think so!
The above is a picture of Labour's the Lord Dr. John Reid ex-Marxist and the architect of much authoritarian legislation with the Conservative party leader and current prime minister David Cameron.
Saturday 30 April 2011
Josh Allen Hull Road Responds to Labour's Letter to The Press
Quite frankly I have better things to be doing with my time than replying to Labour's assertions in the York Press (such as actually campaigning). As such I do not intend to send this into the newspaper.
Put quite bluntly, no one from Labour spoke out against the park's management changes, there is nothing in the Labour Party's alternative budget amendment attempting to change it, so we can safely assume Labour's tactic support for the move. Labour may well have since seen the light on this matter, however, that is broadly speaking irrelevant. If the council's proposals had not been modified back in March then if a Labour administration takes power next week (which is unlikely)then the changes would have already been in force, allowing the new council to shrug its shoulders.
P.s. The way we avert the full cut was via a procedural method, not very glorious, but its addressed people's main concerns and we get to keep our park.
Put quite bluntly, no one from Labour spoke out against the park's management changes, there is nothing in the Labour Party's alternative budget amendment attempting to change it, so we can safely assume Labour's tactic support for the move. Labour may well have since seen the light on this matter, however, that is broadly speaking irrelevant. If the council's proposals had not been modified back in March then if a Labour administration takes power next week (which is unlikely)then the changes would have already been in force, allowing the new council to shrug its shoulders.
P.s. The way we avert the full cut was via a procedural method, not very glorious, but its addressed people's main concerns and we get to keep our park.
Saturday 23 April 2011
Hull Road Letter to Postal Voters
You have 2 votes on May 5th Please us them both to elect people who will represent you!
Hull Road
Liberal Democrats
99, Heslington Rd,
York,
YO10 5BJ
e-mail: hullroadliberaldemocrats@gmail.com
Website:http://libdemsforhullroad.blogspot.com/
Dear friend,
I am writing to you as a fellow local resident seeking your vote at this coming election so that I can work with you to improve this area. The Liberal Democrats have run York for the last 8 years and have a proud record. We have delivered a new £18million swimming pool and are building another one at Heslington East to serve our part of the city. The council has gone from being a 2* one under Labour to a 3* one under us. Recycling has gone from 12% to 45% and is still rising. Our children's services and schools are the best in Yorkshire and our highly rated social care department cares for more elderly and disabled people than ever before. Under our stewardship enterprise has blossomed in York, at 2.6% we have one of the lowest unemployment rates for a local authority of our size in the country. All of this has been achieved with a lower council tax than anywhere else in Yorkshire. Unlike Labour and Tory councils near us we have no plans to cut bus services or close libraries and leisure facilities. In Tory run North Yorkshire bus services are vanishing and 24 libraries face the axe, in Labour Leeds 20 libraries are closing their doors one leisure centre in one of the most deprived parts of the city has already shut its doors. The Liberal Democrats support the locality.
At this election the Conservatives are only standing one candidate in Hull Road, she lives in Micklegate. Labour have taken advantage of the fact Hull Road usually returns Labour councillors for decades. One of their current councillors lives in Rawcliffe, whilst Mick Hoban elected last year, attended only 62% of the meetings he was supposed to and left the council chamber before a crucial vote on houses of multiple-occupancy (HMOs)! Both of Labour's 2 candidates at this election live on the other side of York's rivers from Hull Road. If you intend to vote Labour it must be asked, would you rather have a “Labour” councillor or a local councillor? A person who represents a party or a person who represents you?
If elected Jonathan and myself intend to prioritise the revitalisation of our ward. We will tidy up our local centres making them spaces people want to visit and show pride in by providing better cleaning, benches, flower displays and where appropriate, trees. We will look at providing more cycle-lanes, including one from Badger Hill and will support measures to increase the number and usage of the park&rides so as to improve safety on the A1079. I was instrumental in securing the future of Hull Road Park, convincing my own party on the issue, so if elected we will fight to improve this crucial green space, making it a real heart of the community. Crime causes problems for us all so we will work hard to identify measures to address this. Schemes such as “alley-gates” have worked well in other parts of York so we will consider the introduction of these. Our local businesses are crucial, not just for employment and wealth creation, but also as a social glue, holding together our community, as such we intend to support them in any way we can, actively lobbying for them and working to win contracts.
Housing is possibly the biggest issue facing not just Hull Road but the entire city. However, here we are at the sharp end. No one wants to concrete over countryside, however, it is of vital importance that the Derwenthorpe development is delivered so as to accommodate our rising population and to house hard working families. HMOs are clearly a major concern for many residents, as someone who rents myself I know first hand how trying landlords can be. As such we need to be willing to use the extensive powers vested in the council to take them on and get them to maintain their properties properly. Not just so as to improve the ward's character but also to improve the living conditions enjoyed by the tenants, who deserve better. We will use our contacts at the student union to try and get backing for a new initiative I “heart” YO to improve students sense of belonging to the community. Such schemes have made a great impact in cities like Manchester and Birmingham.
If I may be able to help in any way, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Best wishes,
Josh Allen
Hull Road
Liberal Democrats
99, Heslington Rd,
York,
YO10 5BJ
e-mail: hullroadliberaldemocrats@gmail.com
Website:http://libdemsforhullroad.blogspot.com/
Dear friend,
I am writing to you as a fellow local resident seeking your vote at this coming election so that I can work with you to improve this area. The Liberal Democrats have run York for the last 8 years and have a proud record. We have delivered a new £18million swimming pool and are building another one at Heslington East to serve our part of the city. The council has gone from being a 2* one under Labour to a 3* one under us. Recycling has gone from 12% to 45% and is still rising. Our children's services and schools are the best in Yorkshire and our highly rated social care department cares for more elderly and disabled people than ever before. Under our stewardship enterprise has blossomed in York, at 2.6% we have one of the lowest unemployment rates for a local authority of our size in the country. All of this has been achieved with a lower council tax than anywhere else in Yorkshire. Unlike Labour and Tory councils near us we have no plans to cut bus services or close libraries and leisure facilities. In Tory run North Yorkshire bus services are vanishing and 24 libraries face the axe, in Labour Leeds 20 libraries are closing their doors one leisure centre in one of the most deprived parts of the city has already shut its doors. The Liberal Democrats support the locality.
At this election the Conservatives are only standing one candidate in Hull Road, she lives in Micklegate. Labour have taken advantage of the fact Hull Road usually returns Labour councillors for decades. One of their current councillors lives in Rawcliffe, whilst Mick Hoban elected last year, attended only 62% of the meetings he was supposed to and left the council chamber before a crucial vote on houses of multiple-occupancy (HMOs)! Both of Labour's 2 candidates at this election live on the other side of York's rivers from Hull Road. If you intend to vote Labour it must be asked, would you rather have a “Labour” councillor or a local councillor? A person who represents a party or a person who represents you?
If elected Jonathan and myself intend to prioritise the revitalisation of our ward. We will tidy up our local centres making them spaces people want to visit and show pride in by providing better cleaning, benches, flower displays and where appropriate, trees. We will look at providing more cycle-lanes, including one from Badger Hill and will support measures to increase the number and usage of the park&rides so as to improve safety on the A1079. I was instrumental in securing the future of Hull Road Park, convincing my own party on the issue, so if elected we will fight to improve this crucial green space, making it a real heart of the community. Crime causes problems for us all so we will work hard to identify measures to address this. Schemes such as “alley-gates” have worked well in other parts of York so we will consider the introduction of these. Our local businesses are crucial, not just for employment and wealth creation, but also as a social glue, holding together our community, as such we intend to support them in any way we can, actively lobbying for them and working to win contracts.
Housing is possibly the biggest issue facing not just Hull Road but the entire city. However, here we are at the sharp end. No one wants to concrete over countryside, however, it is of vital importance that the Derwenthorpe development is delivered so as to accommodate our rising population and to house hard working families. HMOs are clearly a major concern for many residents, as someone who rents myself I know first hand how trying landlords can be. As such we need to be willing to use the extensive powers vested in the council to take them on and get them to maintain their properties properly. Not just so as to improve the ward's character but also to improve the living conditions enjoyed by the tenants, who deserve better. We will use our contacts at the student union to try and get backing for a new initiative I “heart” YO to improve students sense of belonging to the community. Such schemes have made a great impact in cities like Manchester and Birmingham.
If I may be able to help in any way, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Best wishes,
Josh Allen
Little Tory Challenge in Hull Road!
The local Conservative party have failed to put up candidates in 14 seats across the city. Four of their nomination papers were rejected as they had been incorrectly completed, but they failed to even put in nominations for the other seats.
You can see from the candidate lists on the Council website that even the local Green Party have managed to put up more candidates than the Conservatives.
It is unbelievable that the Conservatives are so disorganised that they can’t even get candidates nominated for the elections. Their failure to put up a full set of candidates means that the Conservatives have no hope of controlling the Council after the elections.
The Lib Dems have hard working local candidates in every seat in the city. We have a record of delivering for local people and we are the only party to keep in touch all year round, not just at election time.
It is clear now that a vote for the Tories is a wasted vote. They have no chance of controlling the Council and cannot be trusted to even fill in forms correctly, let alone represent the views of local people.
You can see from the candidate lists on the Council website that even the local Green Party have managed to put up more candidates than the Conservatives.
It is unbelievable that the Conservatives are so disorganised that they can’t even get candidates nominated for the elections. Their failure to put up a full set of candidates means that the Conservatives have no hope of controlling the Council after the elections.
The Lib Dems have hard working local candidates in every seat in the city. We have a record of delivering for local people and we are the only party to keep in touch all year round, not just at election time.
It is clear now that a vote for the Tories is a wasted vote. They have no chance of controlling the Council and cannot be trusted to even fill in forms correctly, let alone represent the views of local people.
Sound Mo'Fo? Josh Allen Hull Road Writes
Bloke in Tang Hall just told me that he'd vote for me on the grounds that I seem like 'a sound Mo'Fo'. That is possibly the most bizarre, and at the same time sweetest, endorsement I have ever heard.
Friday 22 April 2011
Information for Hull Road Residents About Council Services Over Easter
Bus services
Good Friday (22 April) and the Royal wedding day (29 April)
A Saturday service will operate on routes 14, 20, 21, 22 and 36. A bank holiday service will operate on routes 24 and 26. Park & Ride routes will operate to a weekday holiday schedule. A Sunday service will operate on all other local bus routes.
Easter Sunday (24 April)
A Sunday service will operate on all routes including Park & Ride, with the following exceptions:
• A special timetable will be in operation on route 5 (details available from First York)
• No service on routes 10, 11,12 13A, 20 and 22
Easter Monday (25 April) and Early May Bank Holiday (2 May)
A Sunday service will operate on all local bus services and a normal Monday service will operate on Park & Ride routes.
Council offices
Council offices are closed for bank holidays. York Customer centre is open 8am to 7pm as usual on normal working days.
Waste and recycling collections
All of the household waste recycling centres are open as normal and there are no changes to the refuse, recycling and garden waste collection services over the bank holidays.
Good Friday (22 April) and the Royal wedding day (29 April)
A Saturday service will operate on routes 14, 20, 21, 22 and 36. A bank holiday service will operate on routes 24 and 26. Park & Ride routes will operate to a weekday holiday schedule. A Sunday service will operate on all other local bus routes.
Easter Sunday (24 April)
A Sunday service will operate on all routes including Park & Ride, with the following exceptions:
• A special timetable will be in operation on route 5 (details available from First York)
• No service on routes 10, 11,12 13A, 20 and 22
Easter Monday (25 April) and Early May Bank Holiday (2 May)
A Sunday service will operate on all local bus services and a normal Monday service will operate on Park & Ride routes.
Council offices
Council offices are closed for bank holidays. York Customer centre is open 8am to 7pm as usual on normal working days.
Waste and recycling collections
All of the household waste recycling centres are open as normal and there are no changes to the refuse, recycling and garden waste collection services over the bank holidays.
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