Report circulated to party members in mid-May 1994; published 11th. Triumph in Derby.
Labour took Derby with 3 gains last Thursday, with swings of up to 18% from 1990.
Blagreaves.
This ward was targeted to provide the single gain needed.
There was pandemonium in Derby Labour Club as the 1,000 Labour majority was announced - the Tories finished third.
Breadsall.
Nottingham was twinned with Breadsall to help to ensure this large seat was held. In the event the majority was 1500.
Chellaston.
I'd been canvassing in Chellaston with South Derbyshire colleagues.
5 factors worked against us -
- the Tory Councillor who died was very popular;
- the Labour candidate was shy of canvassing;
- our canvass was sketchy;
- the election day organisation fell apart - there was no knocking up sheets;
- Labour had not won the seat since 1981.
And yet we won by 250 votes!
Mackworth.
An NF candidate stood in this safe Labour seat and won 95 votes. He was allegedly nominated by OAPs thinking they were signing a petition for a Pelican crossing.
Tower Hamlets.
Probably the best news of the night was the defeat of the BNP Councillor and of the Liberal Council.
Euro Triumph to Follow.
The predicted Euro election results based on the local elections is -
Labour 55;
Conservative 14;
Liberal Democrat 13;
Others 5;
Nottingham.
Mel Read has spoken to many party members during the last few weeks and everybody remarks to me how impressive she is.
Swimming.
The City Council's Leisure 2000 is now undergoing a further review.
One reason cited was the failure to assess the capacity needed fro schools.
City Local Plan.
This plan builds on the County Council's Structure Plan.
New Housing Development.
A new housing plot is proposed off the Crescent in Alexandra Park.
Sherwood Shopping Centre.
The plan calls for -
a large modern foodstore to provide an anchor for the centre;
increased car parking.
I'm not sure where this is supposed to be sited though I understand developers do make frequent bids for the bus garage.
Traffic Calming.
About 60 people attended a public meeting to discuss traffic calming for Redcliffe Road and Magdala Road.
There was support for calming, particularly from young mothers.
A committee of 15 people has been appointed to discuss the plans in detail with officers.
Bus Lanes.
Alfreton Road.
Nottingham's first new bus lane for a very long time is to start on Alfreton Road for incoming traffic during morning rush hour, later this summer.
It's an experimental scheme.
Sheffield.
I went with the Environment Committee to see the bus lanes that have been introduced in Sheffield.
Of course, Sheffield had less congestion when it had a low bus fares policy.
Now money has to be spent on new physical schemes.
Supertram.
And millions has been spent on its first modern tram. The tram offers a very smooth ride (at about 45 m.p.h.) and a lot more space and comfort than buses.
Bus wars.
The main lesson however was the bus chaos in the city centre served by about 8 different bus operators.
Beechwood Childrens Home.
Residential Child care services provided by the County Council are under review.
One major focus is to reduce the number of children taken into care; not least because there's a better chance of improving children by leaving them either with their own families or foster families.
Part of this trend is to introduce a remand carers scheme to train foster parents taking on children in remand.
If this works out, it's hoped to reduce the number of children at Beechwood from 17 to 8.
Remand Unit.
But the home is to be formally recognised as a unit for children on remand.
This change has been picked up by some residents who have called a public meeting.
Call for Closure.
In fact the meeting was announced as a meeting to call for the closure of the home.
The call was backed by Bill Bradbury who has been asked to join the committee.
Cheap Stunt.
A more considered view can be found when talking to people on the doorsteps.
We should have confidence in knowing we represent this more considered view. And we should ask ourselves to what extent Bill Bradbury's position has been adopted because he fears for his seat.
Concerns.
I will be raising the legitimate concerns with Joan Taylor.
Government waste.
£500 million to save £10 million.
The use of consultants to advise public service management is now being questioned as poor value for money.
National I.D. Scheme.
John Heppell asked John major a cute question on this, that threw him slightly.
This scheme would also cost £500 million.
Silent majority.
John Major cited a silent majority in our constituency that would support such a scheme.
South Africa.
Great, innit?
Cases.
59 in 1994.
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