“Send The Conservative-Run Council A Message” In The Town Ward By-Election

Labour's Ben Coleman campaigning against police cuts
in the Town ward by-election

The Town ward by-election has been called and will take place on 12th July 2012. Labour has selected local entrepreneur, Ben Coleman as its candidate. He is also a long-standing governor of Jack Tizard School for severely disabled children, where he chairs the finance committee.

It promises to be an interesting election. Firstly, it is taking place in “Cameron’s favourite Council” in a ward vacated by the former council leader.  Secondly, the Conservatives have a vast majority of thirty-one of the forty-six seats on Hammersmith and Fulham Council. Labour has the rest, forming the fifteen-strong Opposition. So, even if Labour wins in Town as I hope it will, this election will not change the balance of power in our local politics. It does, however, give residents a chance to send a message to those running the Council and to the Conservative/Lib Dem government running the country.

Ben Coleman said, “Residents can use this by-election to send the Conservative-run council a message about their cuts to local police, waste of public money and new hikes to stealth taxes on parking, elderly care and using personal trainers in local parks.”

He added, “We can also send a message directly to David Cameron and Nick Clegg. The Tory/LibDem government has taken a gamble with our economy and failed. The UK is back in recession and small businesses and families are suffering. The public expect better and voting Labour in this by-election sends that message direct to Downing Street.”

You can email him by clicking here. You can like his campaign on Facebook here or follow his campaign on Twitter here.

Disappearing High Street - Another Pub Closes

The Wheatsheaf, Fulham as it is now

The Wheatsheaf pub on the Fulham Road has closed down. This adds to the growing list of establishments that have shut up shop in our Borough in the last few years. What will happen to the site remains to be seen but residents fear it could be turned into another of the many local supermarkets springing up in the Borough.

How it looked until recently

Around the corner, the Salisbury Tavern in Dawes Road, Fulham closed its doors within the last couple of years. It re-opened as a Tesco mini-store months later.

There is little doubt that our high streets are changing with independent retailers and pubs disappearing only to be replaced by identikit supermarkets. There has been much talk of action being taken, as I report here, but little has actually been done.

It’s important that local councils and the government consider the planning rules, market forces and sometimes questionable practices that currently facilitate this process. If they don’t and this trend continues then we will have lost much of what’s important to our local neighbourhoods.