Close, but no cigar...

The votes are counted, the result is in and I regret to report that I lost.

I am of course philosophical about the result, as I have always known that all elections are really just beauty contests, although it was a revelation to discover that I was less attractive than Mr Clark.

Going into the election I had hoped that my record would be sufficient to see me returned, but in truth the maths were always against me, particularly once the Lib-Dems had been 'persuaded' by the Liberal candidate not to contest the seat. Apparently Mr Clark threatened to stand a candidate against David Lloyd Williams in Norton, unless he was guaranteed a free run in Pickering. Ironically, Mr Lloyd Williams still lost to the Conservative.

I guess the press coverage of MPs expenses, particularly that carried by local papers the day before the election, will not have helped my cause. I was not alone in this, across North Yorkshire all the major parties faced independent candidates, able to capitalise on the debacle of Westminster's creative accounting saga and, in total, an additional eight were elected, making them the second largest group at County Hall.  

In the end I fell short by just 58 votes (or 2 per cent) which makes Pickering the fourth most marginal of the 72 council divisions in North Yorkshire. (Commiserations to the other three, David Fagan at Selby Barlby -31 votes, Richard Cooper at Harrogate Central - 26 votes and Peter Southward at Scarborough Woodlands - just 4 votes!)  

It was a huge honor to represent Pickering for the past four years and I hope that my period at County Hall was effective for the town and surrounding villages. I want to thank everyone at NYCC, Pickering Town Council and all those working on the boards and partnerships in which I was involved, for making it such a pleasure. I would also like to thank the Green candidate, Chris Newsam and the Labour candidate, Doreen Davies, for running fair and honest campaigns and wish Cty Cllr Clark the best of luck, as he seeks to make his mark at Northallerton.

Now, I need to go and find a proper job.

Credit Union Launch

As a voluntary director of the North Yorkshire Credit Union I am pleased to announce that, after more than five years of hard graft, it is finally here and open for business. If you live or work in North Yorkshire you can now join this mutual (not for profit) organisation, which allows people to save and borrow relatively small amounts of money at reasonable rates of interest.

The new North Yorkshire Credit Union has been created, with the help of North Yorkshire County Council, through a major investment in the existing York Credit Union.

This was the first project I worked on when I joined North Yorkshire County Council and supporting its launch now fits within my responsibilities on the Council's Executive. I quickly became convinced that this kind of organisation, with government guaranteed savings and modest but affordable short term loans, available to most people, could play a vital part to people's economic well being. I was so keen to see it succeed that I got myself elected onto its Board of Directors and I would urge all residents of North Yorkshire to support and make use of this worthy venture.

The rebranded and fully interactive North Yorkshire Credit Union web site launches soon, but you can find out more and join now on the current York Credit Union site:

http://www.ycu.org.uk/

NB My posts include my personal opinions, which are not necessarily shared by the organisations of which I am a member.

Oh dear, one can't do right for...

Apparently my idea, to allow people to politely decline to be canvassed by displaying a card, has not been universally popular.  It seems that some people are accusing me of stifling debate, yet this could not be further from the truth, I just wanted to give people a choice.

The turnout in the last County Council Elections was over sixty five per cent, which was significantly above both the local and national average.  Over the last four years I have found civic engagement and political debate to be alive and well in Pickering, with an effective town council, a civic society, an events group and several active single issue organisations, covering everything from flooding to flowers.  At both the public meetings, which I chaired, about the disputed right of way at Wells Walk the attendance was well into the hundreds.

It is precisely because many people in Pickering, particularly those who put themselves up as candidates, are so enthusiastic about local politics that I considered these cards to be needed.  In the past, whilst canvassing, I have heard numerous complaints that some candidates and their canvassers will call back to the same house persistently, often quite late at night.  Whilst such dedication to a campaign may be admired, we politicians need to accept that not everybody wants to talk to us at their door, including some who will inevitably be frail or getting on in years, and we have no right to oblige them to do so.  Instead we should move on to the next house, after all there are more than three thousand front doors in Pickering that do not have a card.

NB My posts include my personal opinions, which are not necessarily shared by the organisations of which I am a member. 

County Council Manifesto

The following link will take you to a news item on The North Yorkshire Conservatives manifesto launch, where you can also download or view a copy of our manifesto.

http://yorkshireconservatives.wordpress.com/2009/05/05/conservative-campaign-for-north-yorkshire-county-council-elections-is-launched/

We believe that we are doing a good job here in North Yorkshire and hope you will re-elect us for a further term.

The Reluctant Canvasser...

It’s election time again and that means politicians like me calling at elector’s homes to canvass their votes.

Although it is always great to talk to electors, I do not particularly enjoy canvassing. The reason for this is simple enough, I don’t like being cold-called myself and can fully empathise with those who object, both to being disturbed in the first place and then being asked how they are going to vote in what is, after all, a secret ballot. The problem for us candidates is that if we do not call, some electors may think that we don’t care or we are taking them for granted.

This time I am trying out a new idea. When I distribute leaflets, suggesting people might consider voting me back in, I am also attaching a card like the one in the above picture. So, if people do not want me or any other electoral candidate to call on them, all they need to do is put the card where we will see it. I will respect people's preference and will not call where notices are displayed, although I cannot vouch for any other candidate.

If you live in the Pickering division you should get a card delivered in due course, but anyone can make their own, by simply saving and then printing the above picture.

NB My posts include my personal opinions, which are not necessarily shared by the organisations of which I am a member.

Full Steam Ahead? (Press Release)

North Yorkshire County Council's Executive have today agreed to contribute £300,000 towards the replacement of Bridge-30 on the North York Moors Railway. Greg White, Pickering's County Councillor and the Executive Member responsible for tourism, welcomed the decision saying:

"The North York Moors Railway makes a massive contribution to the tourism offer of the North York Moors and I am pleased we have been able, on this occasion, to help fund the renewal of this vital bridge. Taken together with contributions from other agencies and private donors, this allocation should be sufficient to ensure that the bridge is fixed quickly and the threat to the continued operation of full sized locomotives is lifted.  Of course the railway is also keen to return locomotive number 80135 to steam, in order to reduce their reliance on borrowed and hired in engines, so I am sure their appeal is still very much in need of further donations."

At the same meeting, the Executive also approved a million pounds to realign the Vivis Lane/Ropery junction in Pickering.  Councillors stopped short of authorising compulsory purchase of the required land, in the hope that a consensual deal could be brokered with the land owner Lidl.  Speaking at the meeting Cllr. Greg White said:

"The people of Pickering desperately want another supermarket in their town, but they also want the junction improved.  Highways and Lidl are now talking to each other but they need to start listening as well.  A workable compromise which satisfies all parties is  surely achievable and is what the town needs and deserves."  

ENDS

NB My posts include my personal opinions, which are not necessarily shared by the organisations of which I am a member. 

Justice for Pickering Lady (Press Release)

County Councillor Greg White has applauded the actions of a Pickering lady targeted by cowboy builders.

The 73 year old had agreed to pay £180 to a father and son building firm, for her driveway, paving, fascias and guttering to be pressure-washed but the pair, who are both called Edward Orchard, continued to work at the house for several days persuading the lady to agree to additional work as they went along.

At the end of the job they asked for £5000 and, although stunned by the amount, the lady paid up to avoid any unpleasantness. She then contacted the County Council’s Trading Standards department, cancelling her cheque on their advice. A subsequent surveyor’s report showed that work charged for had not been carried out.

The builders, who had also massively overcharged an 84 year old Harrogate man, appeared at York Crown Court yesterday in a prosecution brought by Trading Standards. Both men admitted offences under the Trade Descriptions and Consumer Protection Acts. Edward Orchard senior will be sentenced at a later date following a probation report, whilst his son received 6 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, 150 hours community punishment and a fine of £500.

Commenting on the case Cllr White, who represents Pickering on North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“It is outrageous that these charlatans sought to prey on our older residents in this way, presumably believing them to be easy pickings. It is heartening that both victims proved more than a match for their tormentors, by calling Trading Standards and stopping payment. It is right and proper that North Yorkshire County Council does not tolerate this sort of sharp practice on vulnerable householders and uses consumer law to run these latter day cowboys out of town.”

ENDS

NB My posts include my personal opinions, which are not necessarily shared by the organisations of which I am a member. Cowboy image borrowed from and copyright of Fotosearch.