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.
Monday 23rd November
This morning almost felt like a rest as my alarm went off at 05:50 to get me into work on time. The weekend was a busy one. Saturday was nothing unusual – an advice surgery in Mundesley in the morning, a working lunch with the campaign team and then meeting local people in Stalham to talk about the old Station Yard site, which has been blighting the High Street for too long. Sunday was the killer though, and it had nothing to do with politics. Instead the trouble came in the form of a very cute eight-week-old black labradoodle puppy, Ebony. A day with a new puppy and a very excited three-year-old meant that I was unusually relieved to get up and go to work this morning!
As a candidate with a full-time job I have to try to juggle the competing pressures and today was a good example – after a busy morning I managed to snatch some time over lunch to canvass some people by telephone. Then after work it was on the train up to Cromer for a meeting with the Association’s Deputy Chairman Political to finalise my literature for the general election.
Tuesday 24th November
I am working from home in North Walsham today so that Lisa and I can go and look at a local primary school for Alex, who will start school next September. Being at home also gave me the chance to join a group of elderly people in Wells over lunch to discuss their concerns. North Norfolk has a large number of elderly people and I am always struck by the number of them who are scared about growing older. Today’s discussion centred on the problem for elderly people in the area who are not cash rich but who have seen the second home market drive up the value of their homes. These elderly people are living in fear of having to sell their home in order to pay for long-term care. Needless to say our plans to make sure that no-one has to sell their home to pay for nursing care went down very well.
This evening I am having a quiet one at home doing my share of the puppy-sitting and catching up on constituents' emails and letters...
Wednesday 25th November
Most of today was spent on the ‘day job’ although I managed to get a couple of newsletters designed on the train on the way home. I have also recently carried out a survey about speeding on the Bacton Road in North Walsham and my excellent volunteers have obviously started getting the surveys delivered because a lot of responses came through on email today. It looks like I have touched a nerve as almost all the initial replies suggest there is a problem with the issue. Once all the replies are in I shall discuss them with Norfolk County Council and the Police to make sure that any problems are tackled.
Thursday 26th November
I have a day off from work today as I have a visit from the Shadow Environment Secretary, Nick Herbert. If there is one issue that people care about in North Norfolk it is our precious coastline. It is not difficult to see why - the seat includes over 50 miles of some of the most beautiful coastline in the country and under this Government we have seen the centuries old policy of defending our coast abandoned and large swathes of North Norfolk (and most of the rest of the east coast) left to literally drop into the sea.
Shadow ministerial visits are never as long as they need to be and so I had to get as much out of it as possible. This meant having the Chairman of local Internal Drainage Board in my car when I picked Nick up so that we could discuss the Government’s plans to abolish the IDB’s and hand their powers over to County Councils. IDBs are efficient and effective – mainly because they are run by local communities with a vested interested in making sure the land does not flood - and it would be crazy to close them down.
Having picked Nick up it was up to Overstrand to meet a local expert. If Nick was not aware of the causes and the solutions before his visit, he certainly is now! Then it was over to Happisburgh where the impact of the Government’s disastrous policy is most obvious. Large parts of the village have already fallen over the cliff-top and Nick saw for himself the next houses that will go. We also discussed the possible link between erosion and the dredging taking place off the Norfolk coast.
A couple of interviews with the media later and it was off for a spot of door knocking in Briston before heading out to Walcott for a night with the North Walsham Round Table. The Round Table gives me the rare opportunity to just be Trevor rather than the Conservative Candidate and I am particularly looking forward to it tonight as we are welcoming two new members.
Friday 27th November
Back to work today with wall to wall meetings. Then home to watch Spooks, which I had recorded on BBC3 earlier this evening. I do not get much time to watch TV, but just try and stop me watching Spooks!
Saturday 28th November Some house calls in Holt this morning seeing people who have asked to meet me or who want to discuss something in particular. I have talked about everything from Britain’s role in the EU to the future of the town’s public toilets on Church Street!
Then it was over to Cromer for our fundraising Christmas Fair. A short while later, having thanked all the helpers and bought some cranberry relish, a Christmas stocking for Alex and some other gifts, I am off for some canvassing in Sheringham before heading home to see a friend who has come up for the weekend. Later we shall be heading into North Walsham to see to Christmas light switch-on.
Sunday 29th November
A rest day today. A walk along Weybourne beach with Alex this morning was followed by a spot of DIY as I tried to put up a chicken wire fence in the garden to stop Ebony escaping through the hedge. DIY is not something that comes naturally to me, but so far the fence is holding!
This afternoon I have been catching-up with the emails again and trying to get ready to start all over again tomorrow morning when that alarm goes off... I realise that it is December this week and I have not done anything about Christmas cards yet!
Last week's Diary was written by Melanie Hampton, PPC for Mitcham and Morden
