Dear Residents
While the country goes into a spin with the election coming, life goes on as normal in Kingston Borough with all our lovely summer events.
Chessington Festival
Locally we had plenty of good news this week at the Celebrate Chessington Fun Day where hundreds of families came to play the tombola and games, get a face painting, listen to live music and see their friends or get a selfie with the Gruffalo! Many of the children came to meet our local Met police neighbourhood watch team, try out the motorbikes and body armour, guns and helmets as well as meet the local team from Thames Water. It was an honour to have so many of our local representatives, businesses and community leaders all in one happy place for the children.
It was fascinating to talk to our local Met police team about knife crime and about being first on the scene when there are dangerous weapons suspected, as well as mental health emergency, a campaign close to my heart from my work in Kingston Hospital.
Our High Street
My husband and family work in the pubs and restaurant business so this is a topic on the top of my High Street list. How are we doing in our Kingston borough? So we headed out to ask a few local entrepreneurs about their takeaway food business... and here's what we heard on the cost of living impact on customer demand and the costs of food and energy with protections from the government .. we love to see business thriving and local people getting out enjoying themselves. Take a walkabout with me ...
Our Local Priorities
As your voice for Kingston and Surbiton I have invested my time in our charities, communities, businesses, schools and university, hospital and pharmacies, policing and talking to you on the doorstep. Now I’m asking you to put your trust in me to represent your interests in parliament.
- Protecting our Community
Community is everything to me. Whether it’s attending wonderful local events, helping our vibrant diverse communities such as our Korean, Hong Kong and Tamil groups, standing up for our special places like historic Kingston Marketplace and glorious Thames riverside environment, Richmond Park and our green belt south of the borough, standing up for our high streets and making them safer for women, fighting ugly tall building planning proposals like Surbiton Station, supporting professional commuters, getting more affordable starter housing like the one I was born in, in Chessington, or fighting homelessness… Community is the Number One for me.
- Protecting Education Choice and Standards
I’m standing up for our educational choice to keep independent schools free from VAT. As a local school governor, I am championing our record on educational achievement and backing the PMs flagship policy on apprenticeships, childcare and new family hubs.
- Investing in our Hospital and Health
I’m standing up for Kingston Hospital where I volunteer and the new government funded ICU, backing the PM’s flagship Pharmacy First programme to improve fast flexible access to healthcare. I’m keen to get our Kingfisher Leisure Centre back as an important health and fitness asset to the community and helping to get funding for Chessington Football Club.
Welcoming Lord Lamont previous Lord Chancellor and MP for Kingston
How old were you in 1990? We were delighted last week to host a wonderful event with Lord Lamont who was thrilled to reconnect with his Kingston constituency home. He talked to us about the 11% inflation he inherited in 1990 as chancellor under Thatcher then Major, and how he sacrificed everything including high unemployment to get it back down saying it was “worth the price”. He proudly told us that he might have got it down even quicker that current chancellor Jeremy Hunt who has also reduced inflation from 11% last year to 2.3% this month! He sends his best regards to Kingston!
Where’s Ed Davey this week?
Meanwhile, on a paddle board near you or in Lake Windermere and Frome Somerset … Ed Davey the MAMIL (middle-aged-man-in-lycra) belly-flopped multiple times splashing headlines not policy, completely out of his depth on the big catch issues that voters need to discuss and debate. Can he tell us what a woman is? Can he say sorry to the victims of the Post Office? Can he stop sh1t-stirring on sewage and talk about the big investments going into water quality like Thames Tideway, the London Super Sewer under the Thames, due to open next year that will solve 95% of spills upstream? Or is he trying to detract from the more serious key question that faces voters of who should actually run the country? As it won’t be a Lib Dem leader maybe he has little to lose. Did he impress you with his shallow gimmicks?
The General Election has taken all of us by surprise, hasn’t it?
There’s a new policy from Rishi every day! So let’s do a round up to make sure we haven’t missed the Manifesto headlines.
One: Young and the New National Service
Not a conscription, but national service with a choice for all 18-years-olds between a one-weekend-per-month civic volunteering opportunity with great charities like the RNLI or police or NHS or an army training placement in logistics, cyber security or procurement – modelled on similar successful schemes in Sweden and Scandinavia. With a backdrop of youth knife crime, mental health, social media dependence and identity politics, social cohesion has never been more important for our next generation, and we saw first-hand during lockdown how kindness and community made everyone feel valued and cared for. The rewards of public service can be transformative in skills and pride for country and community at a time when our democracy has never been more under threat and investment in defence has never been more crucial.
Two: Pensioners and the Triple Lock Plus
The Triple Lock Pension introduced by the Conservative government in 2010 guarantees the state pension rises annually at the highest index vs RPI/ earnings or 2.5%. The Conservatives Manifesto pledge have added in a new protection level for pensioners to guarantee you will never pay tax on your pension. The Labour party won’t guarantee the Triple Lock or the tax protection, threatening a Retirement Tax. Last time they were in power Gordon Brown hijacked £118 billion of pensioners savings.
Three: Students, Mickey Mouse Degrees and Apprenticeships
Students studying uncommercial degrees, half-paid for by the taxpayer, are locked into a cycle of debt that prevents them from getting on the housing ladder and getting a great well-paid job. Universities have grown fat under a business model that doesn’t work relying on foreign students. The conservatives have committed to 100k more UCAS apprenticeship degrees for learning and earning which shoehorns students with skills straight into secure well-paid jobs. Better for students, better for the taxpayer and better for employers and the economy - no debt.
This election will also be fought on two main fronts: The Economy and International Security.
Four: The Economy and Tax
Labour and Lib Dems say Tories have crashed the Economy. Not True. Around the world we have seen soaring interest rates and inflation as a result of the Chinese Covid virus and war with Russia impacting energy and food prices and borrowing to cover furloughing (a policy they both voted for) . Despite world volatility, the Conservative leadership took very difficult decisions, to get inflation down from 11% to this month a normal range of 2.3% - a first priority which Labour and Lib Dems dismiss. In addition, under the Conservative government, the economy has grown 0.6% ahead of France Germany the US and Japan – and in a full employment environment. While the cost of living has been hard, business is starting to thrive again. The conservatives have made two tax cuts in the last two budgets and have pledged to keep cutting national insurance when we can afford it – while Labour still haven’t said how they are going to find £38.5b to fund their green policy pledge.
Five: International Security
While war rages not far from our European borders in Ukraine and in Palestine and malign threats from Russia, China and N Korea’s authoritarian ambitions are all too recently transparent our democratic freedom has never been more at risk. Do you really trust our international security in the hands of Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner? Keir Starmer twice backed Jeremy Corbyn and his plan to cancel Trident.
Can you chip in?
If you think Labour are going to win and if you’ve seen enough of Ed Davey’s antics and want to see a proper conservative choice for Kingston then we need your help in getting our message out … can you chip in to our fighting fund?
Donate via transfer or cheque to Kingston and Surbiton Conservative Association.
Sort code 23-05-80 A/C 2248 3129 using the Ref Surname POSTCODE.
Donate your time instead. Save us a fortune on postage by offering to deliver a few leaflets? Reply to this email thank you!
As ever, tell me what you think. Share your views here
https://www.helenedward.uk/campaigns/kingston-residents-survey
And write to me, I always reply !
[email protected]
My very best wishes
Helen Edward | Parliamentary Candidate Kingston & Surbiton
3 Bridle Cl, Kingston upon Thames KT1 2JW
Helen Edward | Parliamentary Candidate Kingston & Surbiton
3 Bridle Cl, Kingston upon Thames KT1 2JW
Promoted by Alexander Fiuza on behalf of Helen Edward, both of 3 Bridle Close, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 2JW
https://www.helenedward.uk
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https://www.kingstonconservatives.org.uk
