2008 News

Boris Johnson, the Conservative candidate for London Mayor, visits Kingston

Boris Johnson brought his campaign to become Mayor of London to Kingston this weekend. He spoke to
shoppers in the town centre about his policies and how they will make life better in the borough. Helen
accompanied Boris as he stopped to greet people and ask about their concerns. Many people wished him good
luck. Boris then signed our petition to keep our post offices open.

Boris's policies went down well with the people of Kingston; his commitment to improving transport for London's
commuters, making the streets safer and making London a greener place to live, are important priorities for
many residents in Kingston and the surrounding towns. Boris said: "It was great to be out in Kingston and I
was really bowled over by seeing so many supporters out and about. People must realise that the only way to
see real improvements in Kingston is to vote for change on May 1st. I will continue to work to set out my ideas
to make London's streets, public transport and green spaces safer." Helen said: "Boris visited Kingston
because he recognizes that being Mayor of London isn't just about the inner city; boroughs like ours count too.
Boris' priorities - getting London moving, making it safe, providing affordable housing - are priorities here too.
He is also committed to letting London's boroughs make decisions locally, rather than butting in and interfering
like we've seen from Ken. I have no doubt that Boris is better for Kingston"

Helen delivers your petitions and letter to the Post Office Ltd 31st March 2008
Today, Helen delivered over 200 letters from local residents and petitions with over 1600 signatures to Post
Office Ltd's head office. She highlighted her concerns to the Post Office representative during the meeting,
including; The impact on elderly and disabled people who will find it very difficult to access alternative post
offices The impact on relatively deprived communities, particularly around Norbiton Common Post Office, who
will also find it difficult to travel to town centre post offices.

The impact on local businesses, because many use local post offices to serve internet customers,and often
rely on passing trade as people come and go from the post office. The long queues likely at the town centre
post offices as they get more customer, and where there are already unacceptably long waiting times. Helen
asked the Post Office to take full account of the evidence presented. The representative committed to ensuring
the letters would all be read and the information taken into account in the review process. The final decision is
due to be announced in May.

After the meeting, Helen commented; "Post Office Ltd will not be able to ignore these petitions and letters.
I went in person to make sure they will be read. Anyone reading them will be unable to ignore what a terrible
thing they are doing closing our post offices. They will realise the affect on elderly and disabled people
particularly, who cannot make the longer journeys to town centre post offices, let alone stand in queues for
30 minutes or more waiting to be served".

"I am calling on Post Office Ltd to reconsider and reverse their plans to close these post offices. At the very least, they should put the brakes on the closures until they have properly assessed their impact and provided realistic alternatives for residents who cannot manage the long journeys to other post offices."

David Cameron visits Kingston to find out about crime and antisocial behaviour in the Borough 2nd April 2008
David Cameron visited Kingston on Wednesday 2 April to find out about crime and antisocial behaviour in the Borough. David and Helen met the Borough Commander, Police Constables, Community Support Officers and Kingston's Street Pastors to discuss the challenges they face in Kingston. David asked about form-filling, and was concerned to learn how much this keeps the police them from their frontline duties. He also spoke to the PCSOs about how they feel their role is working. There was agreement at the meeting about the need to balance keeping records, for the sake of tracking repeat offenders, with time on the beat.

David emphasised that just to focus on punishment of criminals is not enough; in order to achieve a long term reduction in antisocial behaviour, the fundamental breakdown of society must be tackled as well as ensuring tough policing. While most crime reporting is focused on violence in inner-cities, he recognised that Kingston also suffers from social breakdown, particularly in its deprived areas.

David Cameron was particularly interested in the collaboration between local police and street pastors, as an example of how voluntary organizations are often better placed to deal with local problems than government. After the meeting, David pledged his full support for Boris Johnson, the Conservative candidate for Mayor, and spoke to an audience of local Conservatives about how Boris's crime policies would help Kingston's antisocial behaviour.

Boris Visits Kingston Again 10th April 2008
Boris made another visit to Kingston last week, where shoppers welcomed him and then followed up with tough questions. Transport, crime and corruption at City Hill were the most popular topics. Boris' proposal to make under-18s earn back their free travel privileges went down particularly well, and pensioners were pleased to hear his commitment to keeping the freedom pass. His detailed answers to all the policy questions asked showed that Boris is certainly not a buffoon, as some critics have suggested - he is deeply serious about becoming London's mayor and making London, including Kingston, a better place to live.