2007 News

Helen Whately selected for Kingston & Surbiton. 17/4/2007

Local residents selected Helen Whately as the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Kingston and Surbiton at the end of a close fought contest between finalists. The four finalists were interviewed by Michael Portillo and then questioned by the audience on their motivations and political views. The audience included people of all political persuasions thanks to this new selection process, introduced by David Cameron to give local people a chance to have a say in the selection of their candidate.

Chessington Neighbourhood Policing at First Hand
Helen Whately spent a day on the beat with Chessington North Safer Neighbourhood Team, getting first hand experience of community policing. Chessington’s team introduced her to their innovative COP card scheme which is building links with the community. It has been a hit with primary school children, several of whom came up to speak to the team during the morning. The intention is for children to get to know their local police so they don’t become members of anti-social gangs as they reach their teens. The team believe their tactics are paying dividends already.

Post Offices threatened and left in the dark
Following the announcement that more post offices will close, Helen Whately visited Post
Offices and shops in the borough to find out how they are affected. It turned out the Post
Offices themselves couldn’t say, as they have been left in the dark. A consultation process is
to be launched, but who will run it and who will be consulted is unknown. It’s a cruel twist to an
already worrying situation for people with livelihoods at stake. The Government’s attitude to
Post Offices is an indication of a bigger problem. They overlook the importance of communities
and fail to understand what brings people together. As well as Post Offices, many local shops,
businesses, pubs and social clubs have closed across the country during Labour’s time in
power.

Fighting to save Day Care for the Elderly
The Council is closing Hobkirk House day care centre for the elderly to save money. Helen
visited the centre to speak to users about how they will be affected. They will find the closure
traumatic and may lose their access to the companionship and support provided by Hobkirk.
Helen has campaigned with Conservative councillors, led by Cllr David Fraser, to save Hobkirk.
They collected 3,000 signatures and presented this petition to the Lib Dem councillors, but to
no avail. The closure is not only heartless but also short-sighted as the number of older people
in the borough is expected to increase.

Budding politician wins Kingston Borough Speak Out Challenge
The Kingston Borough Speak Out Challenge, a public speaking contest for pupils in the Borough’s secondary schools, was won by Barbara Ellingwood of Tolworth Girls school. Helen Whately has been involved in Speak Out Challenge as a trainer but this evening she took a back seat, literally, in the panel of judges. Barbara Ellingwood won with a compelling speech about the importance of donating blood. She also revealed an interest in a future in politics, a career for which she showed great potential in her performance at the speak out challenge. Helen is involved in Speak Out as a trainer, helping children in schools across London gain confidence in public speaking and learning to express their opinions more effectively.

International Development in Kingston - May 2007
Andrew Mitchell MP, Shadow Secretary of State for International Development visited Kingston and Surbiton to find out about development activities in the constituency. The visit was organised by Helen and included a presentation from Tiffin Girls' School and a meeting with Kingston's branch of the World Development Movement (WDM). Tiffin Girls spoke of their partnership with a school in India. At the meeting with Kingston WDM (with representatives from Kingston Fair Trade and CAFOD) Andrew and Helen discussed the importance of trade for developing countries and frustration at Labour’s slow progress towards aid targets.

Residents complain of complicated Lib Dem recycling scheme. June 2007
Helen has been speaking to residents of Berrylands and Alexandra wards to find out their views on the recycling trial. Most people have welcomed the opportunity to recycle more but were frustrated at the complexity of the scheme. The scheme involves five separate bins for different types of waste. Some. Extra trips to the dump were mentioned frequently which may cancel out the environmental benefit of recycling. Residents were also bothered by intrusive visits from inspectors who came into people's houses and went through their waste. The Lib Dems should stop underestimating people and recognise that this borough is full of responsible citizens who really want to recycle.

Conservative Future get together to talk politics. 10th July 2007
Helen Whately joined members of Kingston and Surbiton Conservative Future to talk politics and find out about the concerns of younger people in the Borough. The event attracted visitors from Richmond and Esher as well as locals and a journalist from the Surrey Comet. It was generously hosted by Barcadia. Those who think young people aren’t interested in politics were proven wrong.

Helen calls on the council to take care of Cambridge Road Estate
Helen Whately has called on the council to inprove living conditions at Cambridge Road Estate. When Helen visited the Estate recently she met residents who spoke of poor maintenance and disturbance from teenagers at night. Residents pointed out smashed and boarded over windows, broken lifts and dirty, unlit stairwells. A row of flats suffered serious flooding but the council did nothing to help, even refusing to help with disposal of wrecked carpets and furniture. One man had been left with a broken front door for weeks and another stranded because of a broken lift. Helen has written to the council asking them to take action.