Pendle is the most marginal seat in Lancashire having been held by the Conservatives until 1992 and is currently held by Labour’s Gordon Prentice MP with a majority of 2,180. The seat was created in 1983, but is almost the same as the former seat of Nelson and Colne, a classic marginal constituency, with the addition of the small Yorkshire towns of Barnoldswick and Earby. Pendle has some unusual political characteristics with a Labour MP, Lib Dem run borough council, and a strong BNP presence. There have been no boundary changes and Andrew requires a 2.65% swing to take the seat. You can get in touch with him through his Facebook Group or website.
Monday 6th July
I have the day off work to focus on politics and I spend the morning at Whitefield Infant School and Nursery Unit where I’m a school governor. The school is based in the most deprived part of Pendle (Whitefield Ward) and will soon have to be rebuilt because increasing roll numbers are putting a huge strain on the current facilities.
I then head out for a few hours canvassing in the sun with Christian Wakeford, one of my CF volunteers. We head to a part of Nelson that is not currently represented by Conservative Councillors, focusing on areas where we are most likely to find people in on a mid week afternoon.
I finish the day by attending the Colne Neigbourhood Action Group (NAG) where housing issues and anti-social behaviour are high on the agenda. I hear a group of women from part of the town make a heartfelt plea for the council, police and other agencies to do more to address the drug problems that are destroying their neighbourhood.
Continue reading "Andrew Stephenson's PPC Diary: Eleven months until Pendle can vote Labour out!" »
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