This is the latest in ConservativeHome's new ongoing series in which each week a different PPC provides us with an insight into life as a candidate and gives us a flavour of their own campaign and interests. If you are a candidate and are keen to be featured, please email Jonathan Isaby.
This week's diary is written by Andrew Bingham, candidate for the High Peak constituency in Derbyshire. He fought the seat in 2005, reducing the majority of sitting Labour MP, Tom Levitt, from 4,489 to just 735, and he was reselected soon afterwards. Being born, brought up and still living in the constituency, Andrew is a true local candidate. He is also a councillor on High Peak Borough Council, being a Member of the Council’s Executive, with responsibility for Community and Social Development. The High Peak boundary has changed for the next General Election, effectively making Andrew’s task harder by increasing the sitting Labour MP’s majority quite significantly.
Saturday 14th March
I have been asked to speak on environmental issues at a Fair Trade show in the spectacular setting of the Dome in Buxton. Last year I spoke on Fair Trade and the use of child labour. Also last year, I was asked to model Fair Trade clothing. This year, however, the modeling was not required! The show consisted of Fair Trade exhibitors, a fashion show and talks given by a variety of speakers. As the last speaker, I was asked to speak for 10 minutes. I dealt with the environmental issues facing the world today and how we can look to rebuild the economy into a low carbon economy, harnessing all the British skills in technology to develop skills in the area that we can then export to the rest of the world.
After the Fair Trade exhibition it's back out on the streets knocking on doors. Today I am out with our County Councillor for Chapel & the Hope Valley, Cllr. Tracy Critchlow. We start working through the village of Dove Holes. The High Peak is, as its name suggests, high! Dove Holes is amongst the highest points of the area and there is a bitterly cold wind blowing through the village. By the time we are done, both Tracy & I are frozen, and retire home for a well earned hot drink. The feedback we get though is good and people seem genuinely pleased to see us.
Buxton has been selected for the Entente Florale – which is a European wide version of Britain in Bloom. This is a tribute to its efforts the previous year for the Britain in Bloom contest. It is a real feather is the cap of the town. However, the costs of entering are quite high. The Conservative-controlled High Peak Borough Council has put some money in, but more is required so a fundraising dinner is being held tonight. Hosted by the Mayor, the Duke & Duchess of Devonshire are also in attendance, together with the local MP. I attended the dinner both as the PPC and also as an Executive Member of High Peak Borough Council. Held at the refurbished Pavilion Gardens restaurant, we are treated to an excellent meal. The speaker was first class too. The speaker and the band both gave their services free of charge to help with the fundraising.
Sunday 15th March
Paperwork day. I always try to avoid ringing people on Sundays, but it is an ideal day to read the papers for the coming week’s meetings, catch up on the local press and prioritise the tasks for the week ahead.
It's also a good day to catch up with casework. I really should tackle my garden, but not being a great lover of gardening, it’s always difficult to motivate myself in this direction. Sunday is a day when I try to put time aside to spend with my wife Jayne, as during the week we sometimes seem to be ships that pass in the night.
Monday 16th March
My casework load has increased dramatically in the last few months, almost doubling. Following up Sunday’s work, today I can call people who I need to speak to in connection with outstanding casework. I do worry that I may miss someone, but I think I am fairly on top of it all. Today’s work also includes speaking to our printer, proof reading and signing off our latest editions of our InTouch leaflets. Also I need to check the logistics of delivering what will be almost 40,000 leaflets, keeping people across the constituency informed of what I and my Conservative colleagues are doing.
Tonight, it’s the monthly meeting of the Conservative Council Group on High Peak Borough Council.
Tuesday 17th March
First job is a breakfast meeting with two of our councillors in Glossop to get my regular updates on what is happening in their wards. This precedes the quarterly meeting with the Chief Executive and Chairman of High Peak Community Housing. HPCH is the company set up to manage the Council’s housing stock, which falls under my portfolio. The meeting monitors the performance and provides the opportunity to check that everything between the two organisations is working as it should.
Last meeting of the day is the meeting of the Council Executive. There are 6 members of the Executive (sometimes referred to as Cabinet in other Councils). There are no agenda items from my portfolio on tonight’s meeting.
Wednesday 18th March
Ward meetings again with Borough and County Councillors from Buxton & Blackbrook. In the evening it’s the meeting of the Chapel-en-le-Frith Branch of High Peak Conservatives.
Thursday 19th March
The first question time of the week; at Buxton Community School for the 6th formers. Due to be sharing the stage is the Lib Dem PPC, a Labour councillor and a member of Amnesty International. The Lib Dem fails to show however, meaning there are three of us and a Chairman. We deal with a wide range of questions from the students during the two and a half hour session, ranging from tuition fees to the economy and also tax on chocolate and alcohol.
Tonight’s evening meeting is the Buxton Area Forum. There are 4 Area Forums across the High Peak that meet 4 times a year. They fall within my portfolio on High Peak Borough Council, but I go also to listen to what residents have to say. It is a part of being accessible to as many people as possible across the whole constituency.
Friday 20th March
At the invitation of New Mills school I am appearing in 3 question time events in the day, each to a different age group of students. Sharing the platform are the sitting Labour MP (Tom Levitt), the Lib Dem PPC (Steve Sharp) & Pam Bond who liaises with schools and local businesses. The first session with years 7 & 8 is dominated by questions on leisure and provisions for young people. Session 2 is with Years 9 & 10 where the questions start to get more political and the students more vocal. They wanted to know the definition of a recession and why we were in one. Obviously the definition was agreed on, but the reasons for why we were in one, did cause plenty of disagreement between myself and the MP. There was also a discussion around tuition fees, which I was expecting, but I thought that the last session with Years 11, 12 & 13 would be dominated by this subject as the thoughts of university would be at the fore front of their minds.
Following a lunch with the students and a tour of the school, the last session took place. The older students’ questions were very much on the current issues of the day, and as I expected a lot of discussion took place regarding tuition fees and general current affairs.
Next week's Diary will be written by Leah Fraser, PPC for Wallasey
