LABOUR LAUNCHES ELECTION CAMPAIGN

1. The Battle for Sedgemoor is underway

The  Labour Party today launched it’s campaign to try to take control of Sedgemoor District Council from the Conservatives. Labour, currently the main opposition, are fielding 34 candidates across the District . Victories in 25 seats will bring them to power.

The current balance of power in Sedgemoor is 37 Conservative 10 Labour 3 LibDem but Labour expects to gain from the collapse of the Lib Dem vote across the Country –particularly in the South West, where people are increasingly disillusioned with their broken promises and their coalition with the Conservatives.

Condems heading for a wipe out??

Sedgemoor Labour Chairman Cllr Brian Smedley , speaking at the launch meeting at Unity House on Thursday night said “Labour is going into this election with a 6% lead over the Tories in the Polls Nationally while the LibDems have sunk to below 10%. They are even standing against each other in their last shaky stronghold of Burnham & Highbridge and are pretty much finished as a credible alternative whilst  we have strong Labour candidates in the key seats expecting to make gains at their expense. However, the main fight is against the Tories who are not only taking the country back to the 1980’s but have treated Sedgemoor like Feudal Landlords in recent years and who are especially despised in Bridgwater where they have demolished a popular town centre leisure facility, the Sedgemoor Splash, and plan to sell public open space to a Supermarket giant and destroy the town centre.”

  Labour expects to sweep the board in Bridgwater where they currently have 10 seats and to regain seats lost in recent years in Highbridge and Woolavington plus make new gains in wards adjoining Bridgwater such as King’s isle, East Polden, Quantocks and North Petherton.



Kathy Pearce out leafletting in Westover

Sedgemoor Labour group leader Cllr Kathy Pearce, who was the first candidate off the mark leafletting , early  Friday morning in her Westover ward, said “Tory unpopularity and LibDem ineffectiveness could lead, we calculate, to 15 Labour gains across the District so we are taking the fight to the Tories and standing in wards where they aren’t expecting us  such as The Quantock Hills which will face major disruption from the proposed Hinkley Point development and East Polden where even  the Tory leader Duncan McGinty can’t feel safe!”

At the  launch event at Unity House on April 7^th the 34 Labour candidates unveiled their manifesto which will be going out to households across Sedgemoor  during the next week.

"People have the chance on May 5^th to break the Tory stranglehold on Sedgemoor by voting Labour."

A Labour Sedgemoor would;-

Guarantee GENUINE CONSULTATION with the Community

Make Bridgwater TOWN CENTRE REGENERATION a priority



"Getting the message out"



Put QUALITY JOBS at the top of our agenda

Improve the Environment and PROTECT PUBLIC OPEN SPACE

Encourage and develop AFFORDABLE HOUSING alternatives, especially family homes suitable for children and with play spaces . 

Restore CONFIDENCE IN PUBLIC SERVICES

Ensure the LEISURE FACILITIES that people want are in the place where they can really contribute to regeneration

Demand a PROPER COMMUNITY PAYBACK from Big Developers to ensure genuine investment into the area.

Reduce waste in 'TOP HEAVY' SEDGEMOOR rather than the cuts falling on frontline services.