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  • Campaign Bulletin for w/c Monday 23 November

    admin 7:13 pm on 23 November 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    Don’t forget to check out our website at http://www.bexleycf.com, or add us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/bexleycf

    Canvassing in Bexley this week

    Wednesday 25 November: Lesnes Abbey ward
    Thursday 26 November: Erith ward
    Friday 27 November: Lesnes Abbey ward
    Saturday 28 November: Colyers ward
    Saturday 28 November: Cray Meadows ward

    Email join@bexleycf.com for more information.

    Forthcoming social events

    Thursday 26 November: Old Bexley and Sidcup Dinner with Sir John Major
    Friday 27 November: Falconwood and Welling ward Quiz Night
    Saturday 5 December: Erith and Thamesmead Coffee Morning
    Wednesday 20 January: Bexleyheath and Crayford Dinner with Caroline Spelman MP

    Email join@bexleycf.com for more information.

    Email us if you have something you wish to advertise in the campaign bulletin!

     

  • Message from the Chairman

    Matt Scott 7:22 am on 17 November 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    I am currently looking at dates in January and February to hold our AGM, however, I wanted to give you advance notice that after four years, it is my intention not to seek re-election as Chairman in 2010.

    I have been delighted by the support that I received from all three Conservative Associations during this time, however, I believe that it is time to hand over to somebody else.

    If you are interested in becoming Chairman, please do let me know. I will be available to talk to anybody that is interested in taking on the role, so please do get in touch.

    On another matter, we have had a few technical problems with the website over the last week, which are being sorted.

    All good wishes

    Matt Scott
    Chairman

     

  • Campaign Bulletin, w/c Monday 16 November

    admin 7:23 pm on 16 November 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    Canvassing this week

    Friday 20 Nov: Canvassing in Northumberland Heath
    Saturday 21 Nov: Canvassing in Crayford
    Saturday 21 Nov: Canvassing in Blendon and Penhill
    Saturday 21 Nov: Canvassing in Belvedere

    Email join@bexleycf.com for more information.

    Forthcoming social events

    Tuesday 24 Nov: Erith and Thamesmead Curry Night
    Thursday 26 Nov: Old Bexley and Sidcup Dinner with Sir John Major
    Wednesday 20 January: Bexleyheath and Crayford Dinner with Caroline Spelman MP

    Email join@bexleycf.com for more information.

    Email us if you have something you wish to advertise in the campaign bulletin!

     

  • A policy on Europe that people can believe in

    admin 5:22 pm on 12 November 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    David Cameron has set out how the Conservative Party will deal with the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty.

     

  • Campaign bulletin, w/c 19 October

    admin 8:00 pm on 19 October 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    In the news

    Evening Standard report on tuition fees: An inaccurate report appeared in the Evening Standard last week, quoting David Willetts MP, saying that the Conservatives would increase tuition fees to £7,000 a year. This is not the party’s position. We have been calling on the Government to get on with their review of fees so that all the evidence on their impact can be considered.

    Tesco boss raps school standards: Standards in many state schools are “woefully low” and employers must “pick up the pieces”, the boss of the UK’s biggest supermarket chain has said. Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy, who is also an education adviser to the prime minister, said his company was particularly concerned about education.

    Stark split in education levels: The qualifications gap between the most and least educated areas in Britain is growing wider, says a lecturers’ union. Richmond Park in south-west London has the highest proportion of graduates, 64%, compared with the lowest, 10% in Hodge Hill, Birmingham (Source: UCU/BBC).

    Canvassing in Bexley this weekend

    Friday 23 October: Thamesmead East ward

    Saturday 24 October: Colyers ward

    Saturday 24 October: Falconwood and Welling ward

    Information on meeting points is in the email bulletin, if you didn’t get yours, email bexleycf@googlemail.com or text Matt on 07930128906.

    Other important dates

    Friday 23 October: Christchurch ward social event – call BCCA on 0208 303 4695 for more information

    Thursday 26 November: OBSCA dinner with Sir John Major – call OBSCA on 0208 300 3471 for more information

    Wednesday 20 January 2010: BCCA dinner with Caroline Spelman MP – call BCCA on 0208 303 4695 for more information

    Email us at bexleycf@googlemail.com if you want to advertise in our Campaign Bulletin!

     

  • Campaign Bulletin, w/c Monday 28 September

    admin 9:01 pm on 28 September 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    We’re also on Twitter here: http://www.twitter.com/bexleycf. Want something included in the next Campaign Bulletin? Email us on bexleycf@gmail.com by Friday 2 October.

    - In the news

    Boris on Eastenders: Viewers tuning in will witness a clash of the blonds as the Tory mayor comes face to face with Peggy Mitchell, played by Barbara Windsor, who has suddenly developed a passion for local politics. The short scene has been timed to appear on Thursday at 7.30pm, just before the Conservatives gather in Manchester next week to persuade voters they are ready to run the country (Source: Guardian).

    Angela Merkel claims victory in German election: German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday recorded a resounding triumph in her country’s general elections and will be able to leave her coalition partners behind after they suffered their worst parliamentary election result since the Second World War. Mrs Merkel was seeking to end her uneasy four-year-old “grand coalition” with the centre-Left Social Democrats (SPD) of challenger Frank-Walter Steinmeier and form a government with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) instead (Source: Telegraph).

    University think-tank urges the Labour Party to stop ‘shilly-shallying’ on fees: In advance of the Labour Party Conference which starts on Sunday, the university think-tank million+ is urging the Labour Party to be clear with students and universities on the Party’s manifesto commitments to students and universities. The think-tank is demanding that Labour no longer hides behind the fees review, due to report after the general election next year and that it reveals its hand in terms of its future approach to tuition fees and university funding before voters go to the ballot box (Source: Million+).

    Schools waste millions: Millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money is being wasted in the Department for Children, Schools and Families, an internal government report suggests. The report, by former WH Smith chief executive Richard Handover, has been seen by BBC One’s Politics Show. It claims civil servants and head teachers appear to have no idea what value for money means, and calls for 40,000 teaching assistant jobs to go (Source: BBC).

    - Target seat campaigning

    There is a mass leafleting campaign in Eltham this coming Saturday (3 October). There are morning and afternoon sessions, and a free lunch if you’re there for both!

    To find out more, contact our Parliamentary candidate, David Gold, by emailing david@davidgold4eltham.com.

    - What’s on in Bexley this week

    There’s canvassing in FOUR different wards this coming weekend, email bexleycf@gmail.com for more info!

    Other important dates coming up…

    Thursday 1 October: Boris appears in Eastenders (episode starts at 7:30pm)
    Monday 5 October – Thursday 8 October: Conservative Party Conference, Manchester
    Monday 12 October: Parliament back in session after the Parliamentary recess
    Saturday 17 October: Leafleting Campaign Day in Eltham constituency (contact PPC David Gold on david@davidgold4eltham.com)
    Friday 23 October: Christchurch ward fundraising event (contact BCCA on 020 8303 4695 for more info)
    Thursday 26 November: Old Bexley and Sidcup Conservative Association Dinner with Sir John Major (contact OBSCA on oldbexley@tory.org)

    Website of the week

    London Conservative Future: The London regional CF group has a regularly updated blog at http://www.londonconservativefuture.com, where you can also find links to their Facebook page and their Twitter page.

     

  • Latest edition of Bexley CF's Campaign Bulletin

    admin 4:13 pm on 24 September 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    Bulletin sent to Members this week.

    In the news

    Too many schools not making the grade: Nick Gibb has attacked the Government after it emerged that 270 schools in England have failed to reach their target of thirty per cent of children achieving five good GCSEs. The Shadow Schools Minister criticised Ed Balls for lacking any solution apart from a pledge to sack 3,000 heads and deputy heads under the label of ‘efficiency savings’ (from Conservatives.com).

    Serious problems with student loans: Shadow Universities and Skills Secretary, David Willetts, has today written to Lord Mandelson to seek assurances about reports that the student loans system is experiencing serious problems with processing applications. Just weeks before the first payments are due to be made, many potential students have written to express their concern about inaccurate information, loss of documents and an unresponsive helpline (from Conservatives.com).

    UK rise in international students: The number of non-European students enrolling on courses at UK universities has almost doubled in less than ten years, a report has found. The study of trends in higher education by Universities UK found a 48% increase in the number of international students between the year 2000 and 2006 (Source: BBC).

    Target seat campaigning

    London Conservative Future have organised a campaign day in Sutton this Saturday (26 September), which is also being supported by Iain Duncan-Smith.

    Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=101369243316&index=1

    What’s on in Bexley this weekend

    There is canvassing going on in two wards this weekend, email us at bexleycf@googlemail.com to find out more.

    Other important dates

    Monday 5 October – Thursday 8 October: Conservative Party Conference, Manchester
    Monday 12 October: Parliament back in session after the Parliamentary recess

     

  • Doing our bit for the cause in Eltham!

    admin 6:05 pm on 12 September 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    Eltham

     

  • Another rise in rail fares for Bexley commuters on its way…

    admin 7:39 am on 19 August 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply

    I was quite pleased when I read on the BBC website this afternoon that rail fares were set to fall in 2010.

    According to the byline to the article on the BBC News front page, “Nearly half of rail fares in the UK, including most commuter journeys, are set to fall by 0.4% next year”.

    Every year, most regulated rail fares rise by the retail price index (RPI) inflation rate in July, plus one percent (RPI+1). RPI in July was -1.4%. meaning a fare reduction of 0.4% next year.

    In one click, I went from Positive Parkway to Shattered Dreams Piccadily.

    Southeastern Railway aren’t like most other operating companies, the article reminds me. They’ve got a special deal with the Government, meaning they can increase fares by RPI plus three percent (RPI+3) next year.

    So if, like me, you are travelling from a Bexley station, or any other station on a Southeastern, you can probably expect rises of around 1.6% next year.

    Of course, this is an average rise, so some could get higher rises, and some get lower rises…

    Watch this space.

     

  • Former Bexley Labour MP charged taxpayers £5600 for food in just over a year

    admin 9:47 am on 9 August 2009 | 1 Permalink | Reply

    Back in June, the House of Commons published the redacted expenses claims of Members of Parliament for the years 2004/5 to 2007/8. However, they did not appear to publish the information relating to those that lost their seats at the 2005 General Election.

    I submitted a Freedom of Information Act request subsequently for the forms submitted by Nigel Beard, the former MP for Bexleyheath and Crayford. He lost the seat to David Evennett MP at the last election.

    Mr Beard claimed for a second home, even though Parliament is only around 12-15 miles from the constituency (depending on the starting point). The forms are interesting. March 2004 appears to be missing, which I will be querying, but the amounts below are those I have available now. Between January 2004 and March 2005:

    - Mr Beard charged the taxpayer £5600 for food (£400 a month, 14 times)

    - He charged the taxpayer £3476.62 for cleaning (£248.33 a month, 14 times)

    - On top of that, he charged the taxpayer £1494.50 for “service/maintenance”, at a rate of £106.75 a month (14 times)

    - He charged the taxpayer £573 to repair fences and gates

    - He claimed £690 for tree cutting

    - He claimed £910.62 for a new brick wall

    That was just from the Additional Costs Allowance. After losing his seat, he was able to claim from the Winding Up allowance for sorting out his office following defeat.

    He attempted to claim £397.15 from this allowance for “making good office in house bought under Additional Costs Allowance before sale”. He also tried to claim £245 for “cleaning above house before sale”. I don’t have a scanner at home so I can’t put the forms online just yet, however, I will do so when I can.

    The taxpayer really was subsiding Nigel Beard’s lifestyle, eating us out of house and home, and charging the taxpayer to clear up after him.

    In comparison, David Evennett MP, who beat Nigel Beard at the last election, doesn’t claim for a second home. David was the Sunday Telegraph’s 13th best value MP in 2007/8, and according to The Sunday Times, was 12th in the table lowest expense claimants between 2005-8.

     

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