Conservative Party Keeps Control of Fazeley Town Council for Third Term

The Conservative Party have retained control of Fazeley Town Council for a third term following Thursday’s election held in Fazeley, Bonehill and Mile Oak.

After all of the votes were counted and the results declared, the Conservative Party won eight of the eleven Town Council seats with the other three going to the Labour Party.

Fazeley’s current Town Mayor, Cllr Debbie James, and Cllr Jean Dann were both re-elected and they are joined by the Conservative Party’s new representative on Lichfield District Council Cllr Olivia Shepherd along with Cllr Brian Hoult, Cllr Gwen Kingsley, Cllr Sam Kingstone, Cllr Cindy Rogers and Cllr Evelyn Rowe who also represents the Conservative Party on Tamworth Borough.

The once Labour safe Town Council has been under Conservative Party control since 2007 when, for the first time, the Party fielded eleven candidates and won nine of the eleven seats.  The Party put up eight candidates at the 2011 election and retained control of the Council without an election taking place due to only eleven candidates in total putting their name forward.

The first meeting of the new Town Council will take place on Monday 18th May at 19:30 in the Council Chamber at Fazeley Town Hall and members of the are welcome to attend.

Click here to see the full results

Conservative Party Increases Majority on Tamworth Borough Council

Tamworth’s Conservatives celebrate victory in the Borough Council election

The Conservative Party has retained control of Tamworth Borough Council and increased it’s majority to 6 after Thursday’s election.

When the polling stations opened on Thursday morning, the Conservative Party held 16 of the 30 seats on Tamworth Borough Council.  When the all of the results were declared on Friday afternoon, the Conservative Party held the 6 wards they were defending (Amington, Castle, Mercian, Spital, Stonydelph and Trinity) and won Belgrave and Wilnecote wards, giving them 18 council seats and increasing their majority to 6.

The Election victory saw 3 Cabinet members retain their seats, Michelle Thurgood (Amington), Steve Claymore (Castle) and Stephen Doyle (Stonydelph) and Tamworth’s Deputy Mayor Maureen Gant also held Spital ward.  The Conservative Party also wlecomed 2 new Councillors to it’s expanding group; Simon Goodall (Belgrave) and Roy Rogers (Wilnecote).

Amington – Con hold
Belgrave – Con gain from Lab
Bolehall – Lab hold
Castle – Con hold
Mercian – Con hold
Spital – Con hold
Stonydelph – Con hold
Trinity – Con hold
Wilnecote – Con gain from Lab

Christopher Pincher Retains Tamworth with Increased Majority

Christopher Pincher speaking after the General Election result in Tamworth was declared

Christopher Pincher has retained the Tamworth Constituency for the Conservative Party with an increased majority of 11,302.

Speaking in the early hours of Friday morning after the election result had been declared Mr Pincher said, “I would like to thank my agents and all the people who have campaigned for me and with me over the last several months.  There are too many to mention individually, but you all know who you are.

“Can I also thank my fellow candidates for the way they have conducted themselves during this campaign, particularly the Labour candidate, Carol Dean.  Carol has worked hard as a County Councillor for our town and I’m sure she will continue to do so.

“But most of all can I thank the people of Tamworth for reinvesting their trust in me.  Five years ago I made a speech saying it was the honour of my life to serve as Member of Parliament for Tamworth and now, having been re-elected, I will do my utmost to deserve that trust.”

The full results of Thursday’s election in the Tamworth Constituency are below.

The Polling Stations Are Open – Vote Christopher Pincher, Vote Conservative

On 7th May 2015 between 7am and 10pm Vote Conservative

Vote Conservative in Tamworth

Local Conservatives have three main priorities for Tamworth, economic growth, protecting our heritage and protecting the vulnerable residents of our borough and we will ensure the council’s finances are used to meet these priorities.

We have been in control of the Council for 11 years and have in this time driven the town economy towards growth and low unemployment.  Every year the amount of business rates collected in Tamworth will grow demonstrating growth in local businesses and more jobs created for local people.

Tamworth currently has one of the lowest unemployment figures in the country, but more work is needed to improve education levels and the skills required to get the best opportunities for local people, under the Conservatives this is happening and will continue to improve over coming years.  Tamworth is becoming an economic force in the midlands again.

Conservatives have invested over £1.5million in protecting our historic Castle for future generations.  We are now investing in a Cultural quarter around the Assembly Rooms and Library, this will give our historic town centre a much needed boost and ensure the Assembly rooms is protected for more generations to enjoy.

We are also investing in the gateways project to better connect the town centre and Ventura, giving a better visitor experience.

We also ensure that those in society that most need us are protected and have the same chances in life that the rest of us enjoy.  We have an aging population and must prepare carefully for their future.

Tamworth is succeeding and under the local Conservatives this will continue.

Conservatives to Fund Apprenticeships with Bank Fines

A Conservative government will use fines imposed on Deutsche Bank for its involvement in rigging interest rates to fund 50,000 apprenticeships, David Cameron has announced.

The Conservative leader said the scheme would “train young people and get them off the dole and in to work”.

It comes on top of three million apprenticeships the party has pledged over the next Parliament if re-elected.

The Conservatives’ latest apprenticeship pledge will target people aged between 22 and 24 who have been unemployed for more than six months.

The £200m cost of the scheme will be paid for out of the £227m fine that Deutsche Bank received earlier this week for trying to manipulate Libor and Euribor inter-bank lending rates.

Mr Cameron said, “We’re going to take the fines from the banks who tried to rig markets – and we’re going to use it to train young people and get them off the dole and into work.”

Happy St George’s Day

Conservatives Pledge New Childcare Places

The Conservatives’ manifesto pledge on childcare will create an extra 600,000 free places, David Cameron is to say.

The prime minister will say his party’s reforms will ensure it pays for people to go out to work.

Under the £350m Conservative plans, the amount of state-subsidised childcare for three and four year-olds would be doubled to 30 hours a week.

Currently, all three and four-year olds in England are entitled to 570 hours of free early education or childcare a year, which works out as 15 hours each week for 38 weeks of the year.

The Conservatives said the 30-hour offer from 2017, announced a week ago, would result in more than 600,000 extra 15-hour free childcare places every year.

They said the proposal would be funded by reducing tax relief on pension contributions.

Mr Cameron will say his government inherited a “shocking” situation, “where couples were spending as much on childcare as one of them took home in earnings”.

He will add that “for many second earners, work didn’t pay because the cost of childcare was so high”.

A Conservative government would expand on the changes made in the last Parliament, Mr Cameron will say.

3,750 Cars Behind Bars in Staffordshire Thanks to Conservative PCC

Over 3,750 vehicles have been seized by Staffordshire Police officers in a landmark crackdown on car insurance dodgers thanks to the county’s Conservative Party elected PCC.

Behind Bars was instigated by Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis and has proved popular with people across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.

The campaign carried out by Staffordshire Police has seen 3,772 cars, vans, motorcycles, mopeds, lorries and even a tractor seized – with over 1,200 vehicles scrapped – since it was launched in May 2013.

More than 70 higher-value uninsured vehicles have been sold off at auction with the proceeds going back into local communities in Staffordshire.

The number of car insurance dodgers in Staffordshire is being driven down as the crackdown gathers pace. Annual figures released by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau show there were an estimated 1,214 fewer uninsured vehicles on the road in Staffordshire in 2014 compared to 2013.

Mr Ellis said, “The crackdown on insurance dodgers remains far and away the most popular thing raised with me by people I’ve spoken to across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.

“Over 3,750 people have had to learn their lesson the hard way thanks to tremendous work by officers from Staffordshire Police, which has really gained momentum in recent months.  It’s clear that the message is hitting home as the number of insured motorists on Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent roads has risen significantly.

“Those who drive without insurance can’t hide in Staffordshire, they are being caught and dealt with by having their vehicles seized and, in many cases, scrapped or sold at auction.  It’s definitely struck a chord with law-abiding motorists who are hit by rising premiums because of these law-breakers.  Why should all pay more because some people don’t pay at all?”

Some of the vehicles seized since the campaign launched can be viewed atwww.staffordshire.police.uk/carsbehindbars.

Cars Behind Bars uses Staffordshire’s extensive automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system that identifies those flouting the law.

The fixed penalty fine for people who are caught without insurance was increased nationally from £200 to £300 in 2013.  Motorists also face their car being seized, could be summoned to court and be disqualified, and an endorsement of six penalty points. Drivers re-claiming their car when they have proof of insurance have to pay £150 car recovery costs plus £20 per day storage.