Following a recommendation that St Georges Hall in Calshot no longer be used as a polling station, New Forest East Labour has been working furiously to create public animosity within the area.
It is important to stress the very serious issues that surrounded the management of St Georges Hall where access and use by members of the community had become impossible and which therefore led to the original recommendation being agreed.
For nearly two years, the Conservative Councillors on both Fawley Parish Council and New Forest District Council have been working extremely hard to try to regain control of the hall from the current trustees and had Mr Pope, the New Forest East Labour parliamentary candidate, really cared or understood the local issues, he wouldn’t have tried to use the Calshot residents for his own political ends.
After the General Purposes and Licensing Committees decision on 7th March, the trustees unexpectedly returned the keys of the hall, effectively surrendering the lease.
Conservative controlled NFDC acted immediately. As the main reasons for recommending the closure of the polling station no longer applied, today, the original recommendation has been amended to ensure Calshot’s polling station remains open.
Labour’s Mr Pope has been very vocal in his criticisms of local councillors Cllr Wappet and Cllr McEvoy, as he has tried to portray himself as the Champion of Calshot. Mr Pope tried to rally public support behind him, but failed spectacularly. After canvassing some of the area he was only able to find some seventy people who supported his view, out a total electorate of over five thousand.
During the Annual Council meeting where this issue was discussed Cllr McEvoy said, “Where was Labour when £10,000 was needed and won for the refurbishment of the children’s play area in Calshot? Where was Labour when the dreadful fly tipping problems in Calshot were confronted and dealt with? Where was Labour when Councillor Wappet and I fought against all odds to bring back into use the public conveniences on Calshot beach? I’ll tell you where. Labour was nowhere to be seen”.
“Now, after countless years of being conspicuous by their absence in the community, Labour have suddenly discovered that Calshot exists and the rather rude and arrogant Mr Pope thought he would use some of the very vulnerable Calshot residents for his own political purposes”.
“Mr Pope said Calshot residents deserve better representation. He is quite right. They definitely deserve better representation than the Labour Party and Mr Pope. Calshot residents deserve the best, Calshot residents deserve Conservative Councillors, but most importantly, Calshot residents deserve McEvoy and Wappet”.
New Forest Conservatives respect the views of all residents, and of course there was some concern over the proposed closure of the St George’s Hall as a polling station. The matter had been discussed in several committees and by the cabinet. Nevertheless, the end result is the best option and we are pleased that the retention of hall as a polling station has now been agreed.
A major issue was created by New Forest East Labour, a party that is predominantly run from Urban Southampton, with so few members in the New Forest that they don’t understand the true concerns of local people and therefore have to create issues where there are none. On the other hand, New Forest East Conservatives do understand local people’s concerns, and that’s why Conservatives are elected in the New Forest at all levels of government, and why, to date, there are no elected Labour representative in the New Forest.