Nick Wiltshire - A canvasser's tale

12.55.15am UTC (GMT +0000) Sat 28th Apr 2007

Nick Wiltshire

Beach Ward Councillor Nick Wiltshire reported on his canvassing experiences to a Littlehampton Campaign Meeting recently.

"Walking from house to house in the Ward I have been deeply concerned at the number of vehicles being driven at grossly excessive speed. Zebra crossings won't stop this; specific measures like speed cameras are necessary. A change of culture is what is needed as well as firm police action to stop this reckless driving throughout our town before someone else loses their life.

For some 18 months Dr James Walsh valiantly tried to get Lt Colonel Tex Pemberton, the West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member responsible for Transport & Highways to see sense & make funds available to fund a pedestrian crossing on Beaumont Park. Sadly, it took a tragic road death for Conservative-run West Sussex County Council to finally agree to fund a pedestrian crossing. Let's just wait & see if a zebra crossing becomes a reality. It may be that Lt Colonel Tex Pemberton will cancel it as he did the £1 million road safety scheme at the notorious accident blackspot, Comet Corner, on the A259 Littlehampton to Bognor Regis road!

People I have spoken with are really concerned that so much of their income is being taken to pay their Council Tax. It comes as no surprise to them that Labour-controlled Littlehampton Town Council is the most expensive parish council in West Sussex. They agree that a local income tax based on ability to pay needs to be introduced to replace the unfair Council Tax, which hits less well-off pensioners & the low-paid so hard. Conservative-controlled Arun District Council has not only cost us more they have provided us with less! Cuts have been made to vital services, affecting leisure activities, bus services & tourism. You may have noticed that the latest inconvenience is the closure of the Manor House Car Park toilets!

Voters have expressed grave doubts over Tony Blair's Labour Government's decision to agree to George Bush's request for British troops to be sent to Iraq. Remember that the Conservatives supported Tony Blair's wish to go to war & it has cost our country hundreds of millions & so many British lives.

Only the Liberal Democrats have consistently said that the war in Iraq is wrong. Also, we believe that the money spent on this war would have been much better spent on the NHS & improving the services offered by local hospitals. We might have had our Community Hospital built instead of having the pile of rubble, a reminder of the Iraq War!

DON'T LET LABOUR'S SPIN CON YOU!

DO THEY REALLY VALUE YOU? WOULD YOU REALLY VOTE FOR THEM?

I DON'T THINK SO!

Turning to the Conservatives & the lip service they pay to making pledges.

The developments they have encouraged have only served to spoil the character of Littlehampton, putting severe pressure on its' existing fabric & services such as doctors, dentists, NHS services, sewerage system, scarce water supplies, fragile road system, poor public transport & leisure facilities. Much development has been targeted at weekenders rather than existing residents looking to onto the property ladder. Development has continually been on a piecemeal basis & a golden opportunity has been lost to locate a bus depot near the Railway Station to achieve an integrated transport system for the Town.

There is a chronic shortage of leisure facilities in Littlehampton, especially pitches for playing football matches at all levels by both males and females at weekends. The Conservatives have failed to provide the sporting/leisure facilities that young people would like. Instead, the Conservatives have wasted some £400,000 transferring our leisure facilities to a leisure trust, who charge us more to use them!

If the Conservatives lost control of Arun District Council maybe Conservative West Sussex County Council would treat Littlehampton with some respect to help provide Littlehampton's residents with proper access to public transport.

Residents are surprised that Littlehampton Town Council has been controlled by Labour for the past 12 years & are staggered that Arun District Council has been in the hands of the Conservatives for the past 34 years. Voters have voiced concern that councils in the hands of any one political party for so long don't best serve their residents as comfort & complacency set in. They feel it's TIME FOR A CHANGE! IT IS, SO GO FOR GOLD & VOTE LIB DEM!"