Making History in Wolvey

In 1910 a General Election took place and one of the candidates had his photo taken in Wolvey with local villagers who came out to meet him. One hundred years on we have recreated the event in the same location. It's fantastic to be playing a part in making history & hope something similar may take place a hundred years from now!

Canvassing in Bilton

We had a rather different canvassing team out on Saturday supporting Rugby Borough Council candidate, Lisa Parker.
It was great to be accompanied by a touch of glamour on this occasion!

Ballot Papers

I discovered a consequence of the leaders debates the other day when a resident told me that they had received their postal votes. The ballot paper for the local election was included, as the one for Rugby's MP with my name amongst those on it. However, the resident wanted to know why there wasnt one with Mr Brown, Mr Cameron & Mr Cleggs name on it.

BBC CWR Interview

Our local BBC radio station, BBC Coventry & Warwickshire visited Rugby to talk about progress in the campaign and issues being raised locally. It was quite appropriate that Sue Curtis and I spoke about Rugby's development on the steps of the Library opposite the new Asda development. This includes a number of shop units which came on to the market at just the wrong time. While we have fewer vancacies than many similat towns, our plans to get the economy moving and the new housing that Rugby will be accomodating in the next few years will hopefully provide an incentive for new retailers to come into out town centre.

Admirals canvassing

A really impressive feature of our 2010 campaign in Rugby is the number of people out on the doorsteps with us. This photo is pretty typical of the team out in Admirals last week, aiming to secure re-election for Mike Stokes as the local Rugby Borough Councillor in addition to victory in the Parliamentary election.

Meeting the Motocycle Lobby

During an election campaign, candidates receive an approach from lots of groups who are keen to get their message across. Last week I met Riders are voters who told me about their concerns over the new test regime to aquire a license, the state & design of roads and the rights of motorcyclists to use bus lanes. It was a good idea to meet at a local motorcycle retailer and put the candidate on a bike in a suitable colour!

Grant Shapps in Rugby

On Thursday, Conservative Spokesman on Housing, Grant Shapps was in Rugby to look at the implications of the huge housing development that Rugby is expected to take over the next 20 years. This is an issue raised regularly on the doorstep throughout the campaign with the greater part allocated to the Mast site at Hillmorton. Grant was shown over the site from a vantage point on the Clifton to Lilbourne road. The big challenge here is to ensure that the appropriate infrastucture is put in place that will enable Rugby as a whole to benefit from these proposals.