local Blog: Council split on Travellers site

I fail to understand how Bracknell Forest Council’s planning committee could be split over such a small site for gypsies and travelling show people. The site located at at land off Wokingham Road, near the Wellingtonia Roundabout, Sandhurst. This site only has two bays, surely two bays can not cause that much traffic. Should we expect caravans to be driving out of this site every day?

Could the reason why some people don't want Travellers at this site is because they simply don't want any travellers anywhere near them?

The government plan to require sites for caravans is in an effort to halt unauthorised sites. This plan at least is an attempt to tackle sites being setup anywhere illegally at any time.

It's time to stop this not on my doorstep attitude we have to anyone in this country who simply don't live the same lives or have a different culture.

More about this story can be read at Gypsy site given go ahead

Owlsmoor - second in both Town and Borough by-elections

The result was announced last night of the Owlsmoor by-elections. I didn't win either of them, instead the Conservatives retained both seats. We did however come second.

Now that we have had the result, I will blog more fully about my experiences in my first campaign to run for elected office soon but in the meantime here are the results:

Owlsmoor (Sandhurst Town Council):

Peter Martin FORBES (Green Party): 50

Guy Alexander GILLBE (Labour): 124

Ian James SIMMONS (UKIP): 112

Mark James THOMPSON (Liberal Democrats): 201

Philip WALLINGTON (Conservative Party): 453

Owlsmoor (Bracknell Forest Borough Council):

Norman William BOWERS (Conservative Party): 508

Peter Martin FORBES (Green Party): 66

Guy Alexander GILLBE (Labour): 126

Mark James THOMPSON (Liberal Democrats): 238

Congratulations to Philip Wallington and Norman Bowers.

This post is cross-posted from Mark Reckons.

Election day in Owlsmoor

So my first election day as a candidate has dawned. The polls opened in Owlsmoor at 7:00am this morning.

I was canvassing up until last night and delivering "good morning" leaflets first thing this morning. I am Telling at the polling station later on and then will be going to the count this evening.

I had a nice experience just as I was finishing the leaflet delivery this morning. As I was going back to my car, I bumped into a chap who I had chatted to on the doorstep a couple of nights ago. He has given me a bit of a grilling previously (in a friendly way!) and he had told me that it was between me and the Conservatives for his vote. Well it looks like I persuaded him because this morning he told me that he was just coming back from the polling station and that he had "given me my chance"! Gave me a bit of a boost to start election day off with!

Hopefully the weather will stay nice and we will have a reasonable turnout.

I will post the results here when I know them.

This post is cross-posted from Mark Reckons.