A wet day on the doorstep

A few clouds but the sun was up in a mainly blue sky, it looked like it would be staying warm as seven of us prepared to start delivering a Labour leaflet to every house in Rushmere.

Well we started- but did not finish- 40 minutes into delivering and the skies opened up. three of us ended up having to find shelter in the shops at Brunswick Road. it looked like the day would be a wash out as the rain was very heavy but fortunately after about 20 minutes the rain stopped long enough for us to finish Brunswick Road.

The other 3 teams out also managed to carry on through the rain, enabling us to get out the first 1,000 leaflets to Rushmere residents.

For all Rushmere residents who have not received a copy yet, you should be getting it delivered in the next seven days.

The main topic is the demand of Rushmere residents for an attempt at traffic calming on a number of roads - many local residents feel it is only a matter of time before a child or elderly person is hit by a speeding car.

We are still waiting for work to start on the new zebra crossings on Rushmere and Woodbridge Road. The Tories did vote against it but after they received a large petition from local residents, they had a change of heart and relented- we only found out about this when the Tories put out a leaflet before the election stating that they had secured the building of the new crossings- well you could not get further from the truth - just now we will have to see how long it will take before we see this magical crossing.

We campaign hard and the Tories try and take the credit!

Monday was a busy campaign day, a visit to the party office to drop off canvas sheets whilst other members were delivering a leaflet about the new Hayhills development. The evening saw us in the South West of the town, 18 of us canvasing. A good response on the door, none of the negativity that we are reading about in the national papers. We finish off over a pint at the Steamboat and then we hear the news (good).
After a determined campaign by local residents (many of them parents of Sidegate School pupils)and assisted by myself and St John's councilor Neil MacDonald we seem to have been successful in getting the much needed zebra crossing that will make it safer to cross both Rushmere Road and Woodbridge Road.
How did we find out about? That is the bad news - through a Tory leaflet- they seem to be taking the credit - no mention that the Tory Councillor for Rushmere voted against funding for the zebra crossing when it came before the council the first time. It seems strange (if not surprising) that it has been announced so close to the local election. Then again the Tory leader has admitted that she is playing politics- by that she means that they can lie in their manifesto- as if this is acceptable behaviour in election time!
I would just like to say well done to the residents of the Roundwood Road area who did not give up in their desire to get the zebra crossing- they deserve all the credit- the Tories?- all they deserve is to be defeated at the ballot box.