Banbury Constituency Labour Party

WELCOME – THE OFFICIAL LABOUR PARTY WEB SITE FOR BANBURY, BICESTER & NORTH OXFORDSHIRE VILLAGES

Nationally, we now have 552,000 members. Great news! Let’s make it a million! http://www.labour.org.uk/join 

Bicester West (Cherwell) result:

Labour’s Stuart Moss increased vote by 8% but we still have some way to go to break the Independent/Conservative dominance in this ward.

IND: 40.5% (+40.5) BROAD John 877 votes

CON: 33.0% (+16.0) LYDIAT David 716 votes

LAB: 20.2% (+8.3) MOSS Stuart 439 votes

GRN: 3.3% (-1.7) NIXON Robert 72 votes

LDEM: 3.0% (+3.0) CHIVERS Mark 64 votes

Independent GAIN from Conservative.

No UKIP (-11.7) and other Ind(s) (-54.2) as prev.

Turnout 33%

Election for a seat on Cherwell District Council held on June 21 2018

Helen Pankhurst

Women’s Rights activist Helen Pankhurst was our guest speaker at a recent Banbury & Bicester CLP supper club (9 June 2018).

She happens to be the great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst and the granddaughter of Sylvia Pankhurst, leaders of the British Suffragette movement, and continues the fight for Women’s equality.

Her new book, “Deeds not Words – The Story of Women’s Rights, Then and Now” is published by Sceptre, and to quote Helen she discusses “How far women have come since the Suffragettes, how far we still have to go, and how we might get there”.

She told her audience, “I can’t be too late home tonight I am going on the Women’s Procession in London tomorrow”. (An event held in various locations across the UK to mark 100 years since votes for women).

 

 

Helen signs copies of her book

Not a pothole in sight as local councillor surveys newly resurfaced road

Mark Cherry on Stratford Road

Despite Oxfordshire County Council having little money to eliminate Banbury’s potholes and invest in road improvements, Mark Cherry, Labour councillor for Banbury Ruscote, is doing his almighty best to improve the situation in his ward.

He has just overseen a 200-metre stretch of complete resurfacing on the A422 Stratford Road between the entrance to the North Oxfordshire Academy and the junction with Warwick Road.

Mark Cherry said, “We all know the roads in Banbury are appalling but I’ve had some local success, which I put down to persistence, four years experience as a councillor and good liaison with County Council Highways’ officers and local developers.

That stretch of road cost £90,000, but the cost has been partly covered by the Bloor Homes Development on the Banbury Rise estate. Developers are required as part of their contract to contribute to basic infrastructure and facilities in the area they are building in.”

In the pipeline is topcoat resurfacing of Trinity Close, Caernarvon Way roads off Edinburgh Way, the end of Edmonds Road meeting Woodgreen Avenue and the end of the Fairway meeting Orchard Way Roundabout.

But despite the efforts of Mark Cherry and other councillors, the countywide pothole problem is still growing because of the continuing effects of cuts to local authorities by central government, and there just aren’t enough out-sourced road gangs to do the work.

Mark Cherry said, “Oxford County council estimate they need up to an additional £300 million to sort the problem but the Conservative government only gave us an extra £1.8 million this year.”

Simple solution gives Windrush residents some peace and quiet

L to r: Maria Harding, Cllr Surinder Dhesi, Sheila Snooks and Paul Clare.

With the help Surinder Dhesi, our local Labour Councillor, and Banbury Town Council, residents living around the Windrush Play Area in Neithrop believe their problems with anti-social behaviour might be a thing of the past.

Two park benches situated only fifteen feet from residents’ front doors became a social gathering spot for young people. Danesmoor resident Paul Clare said, “During the heat of the summer months I had to close all my windows because of the noise, and this has been going on for as long as I’ve lived here, that’s over thirty years.

My neighbour took some photos and passed them to our local Councillor Surinder Dhesi who raised the issue with Banbury Town Council and they agreed to move the benches to the far end of the park away from any houses.

Resident Sheila Snooks said, “This was done last year but again the siting of the benches directly facing the footpath meant that many of us walking our dogs suffered abuse as we passed in front of the people hanging around the newly sited benches.”

Surinder Dhesi, Labour Councillor for Neithrop, said, “I approached the Town Council again and a couple of weeks ago they moved the benches so that they faced inwards to the park with the footpath behind. This simple manoeuvre meant that people using the footpath could now do so unhindered.

Fingers crossed, we seemed to have sorted the problem. Nobody is against young people having fun but they have to be considerate of their neighbours.

If anyone has any problems of this nature they should always ring the non-emergency police number – 101. Calls are logged and if a pattern develops the local police will take action. In addition we have a three-monthly liaison meeting with the police at a local Community Forum which any resident is welcome to attend.”

Cassi Perry

Headlines … Cassi Perry wins Banbury Cross and Neithrop, Shaida Hussain (Banbury Grimsbury and Hightown) and Barry Richards (Banbury Ruscote) are re-elected, Perran Moon (Banbury Hardwick) 140 votes short of victory. Suzette Watson doubles our vote in Adderbury, Bloxham and Bodicote.

 

The Banbury Labour Party constituency is divided into 3 Branches:

  • Banbury Town
  • Bicester & District
  • North Oxfordshire Villages

To work out in which Branch you live, see the constituency map.Since May 2010 your local Labour Party has been actively campaigning against the speed and scale of cuts to public services that are affecting the most vulnerable in our local communities. These include cuts to housing, transport services, policing, libraries, health and social care.The Conservative-led Coalition cuts go too far and too fast and, through increased unemployment, low paid jobs, many with zero hour contracts, there is a highly negative effect on the economy which although showing some small signs of recovery is still extremely fragile. There are almost a million young people unemployed which is a shocking statistic. As the burden on state services from cost of living crisis increases, the budget deficit becomes harder to reduce. The Banbury Labour Party is fighting for a strategy for growth, an increase in employment and better paid jobs, and reducing the deficit through this growth, rather than excessive cuts.