More local Election News

WHILE 'ELECTION FEVER' IS CERTAINLY NOT sweeping the area, there has been some interest in the local elections in Holderness - at least from the politicians!

As well as our main election coverage in the South West Holderness area listed on Ward Election News, HU12 has picked up and noticed other snippets of news.

Hedon Town Council has 14 candidates standing for 12 seats and some candidates have been busy leafleting the town asking for voters support. Catch all the Hedon leaflets we've come across at our previous Hedon Town Council Slideshow or at our Flickr pages. Independent Jim Lindop had his statement published on the Hedon Blog.

Voters in South East Holderness have a colourful line up of candidates which includes Independent, Neil Whitelam, a former Keyingham Parish Councillor and Parliamentary candidate who describes himself as a "Community activist" and  "Patriotic alternative to the old parties...". See Neil Whitelam's election statement (Google Docs). Also in that Ward is former Conservative Councillor Charles 'Chuck' Hunter who after serving for 12 years on the East Riding Council was deemed an unacceptable candidate for that party so is also standing as an independent. He has advertised his candidacy in the Holderness Gazette on 21st and 28th April (see at ElectionLeaflets.org).

Also advertised in the Gazette on 28th April was Ann Suggit's candidacy (Google Docs). Unfortunately Ann was listed as a North Holderness candidate and not South West Holderness where she is really standing!

This article was supposed to have mentioned things that were unusual or humourous about the local elections - unfortunately we haven't discovered any! If you have - then please send us your story at hu12@gmx.com

Finally - whilst being neutral in the Referendum vote on AV - HU12 has to point out its favourite campaign video from the YES camp - it's this on a Cat's view of the referendum - enjoy!

Is your Cat confused about the referendum on the voting system on the 5th May?
- Watch more Politics Videos at Vodpod.

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Royal Wedding Blues?

THE ROYAL WEDDING of Prince William and Kate Middleton does not seem to have captured the imagination of people locally. Those who remember the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977 will remember the street parties that seemed to be held in almost every neighbourhood. Compare the mood then with the apathy that seems to exist today for the Royal Wedding.

There are two parties being held locally. The Station in Hedon is hosting a Royal Wedding Gala in its beer garden, whilst the Paull Village Hall is teaming up with the The Crown to hold a celebration in the village. However, despite these two events there has been a noticeable lack of interest in celebrating the Royal occasion.

Local community and independent political activist in Keyingham Neil Whitelam says that he hopes that people will pull their fingers out to make "a massive show for the wedding" but warns that Britishness seems to be becoming "politically incorrect":

It does seem on the face of it that people are not that fussed about a royal wedding. It comes as no surprise to me, after all, for the past 12 years patriotism, flying our national flag and promoting Britishness has become unpopular and politically incorrect. Yet when it suits they want us to roll out the colours and sing Rule Britannia!

On the other side of the argument singer and songwriter Paul Heaton (former Hull frontman with The Housemartins and Beautiful South) is an anti-royalist and said in the Guardian recently:

The royal wedding will strike many people from the area as the worst kind of excessive wastefulness: a festival of pomp, circumstance and religious platitudes. How am I planning to spend the day? I think I'll celebrate in a manner appropriate for a son of Hull and go down to the pub. What's so fancy about bloody bunting anyway?

Whatever you think - the Royal Wedding takes place on Friday 29th April 2011. And we have a day off work to celebrate - or not!?

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Graham Stuart attends Keyingham meeting on controversial Gypsy site

GRAHAM STUART MP has stepped into the middle of a row over a retrospective planning application to continue to use land North of Mill Road, Keyingham as a residential Gypsy/Traveller site for four caravans.

The MP has been invited to a meeting tonight organised by the Keyingham Parish Council to listen to residents' views about the planning application. The planning application would retrospectively give permission for the siting of the caravans including hardstanding, erection of amenity block and installation of sewage treatment plant. The Gypsy/Traveller applicants have already bought the plot of land under discussion.

The planning application has prompted an angry reaction from local residents with over 300 letters of objection being submitted and an active campaign being fought by action group: Holderness RAID (Residents Against Inappropriate Development).

Graham Stuart said: “Residents don’t like the fact that people appear able to move on to land without planning permission, build hard standings and flout the laws that apply to everyone else. Having spoken to the East Riding Council I am reassured that this application is being treated like any other application. It is up to the Council to determine but, while I have no formal role in the planning process, I am happy to support residents and make sure that they know the most effective way to have their voices heard. This application is for retrospective planning permission which, rightly or wrongly, is a long established part of the planning system and covers anyone, anywhere who builds something without permission."

The MP says that the coalition government is planning a raft of measures to restore the trust and confidence of residents, like those in Keyingham, and ensure that local communities have more say over what happens in their areas, whilst also introducing measures to support travellers to address discrimination (see Graham Stuart, MP website).

The Keyingham Parish Council meeting will take place tonight in Keyingham Village Hall at 7.30pm (Friday, March 4).

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THE HOLDERNESS GAZETTE has contained a lively debate in its letters page over the last few weeks between the Chair of Holderness RAID, Neil Whitelam and Community Development Worker, Lindsey Jones of the Hidden Voices project which works with Gypsy / Travellers in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Neil Whitelam, Chair RAID

Lindsey Jones has warned of the possible "racially motivated undertone" of the RAID campaign and pointed to the fact that its Chair, Neil Whitelam, is a previous British National Party candidate. Neil Whitelam was the BNP candidate for the Beverley & Holderness constituency in the 2010 general election although he says in the current edition of the Gazette (March 3rd) that he is not affiliated to any political party at this present time.

Because of the alleged BNP connection it may be that 'traditional' politicians have been reluctant to get involved in the issue? The Parish Council meeting tonight, attended by Graham Stuart, should therefore be seen as a positive development.

Whatever the involvement of the politicians, it would seem to be prudent for Keyingham campaigners to ensure that their action is not seen as some racist backlash against a particular ethnic group, but is actually what it says on the tin; a concerned campaign against inappropriate environmental development.

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