General Election Conservative Candidate - How can I help?

[adonirum]

Loz, quite right, it is "shoo-in",fingers didn't type what my brain told them (sits back and awaits the abuse/comments about "my brain").

Agree with all your observations regarding swings in voting patterns

[reshamkotecha]

Apologies for the delay - I was terribly ill!

I didn't mean for anyone to be restricted in terms of asking me National questions but I want to be clear that I am standing as a candidate who, if elected, would fight to represent the best interests of constituents and I understand that a lot of that will be influence by the local impact of policies.

I am not calling for the Gipsy Hill Federation Secondary School (if approved) to be on the Dulwich Hospital site - I meant those as two separate points. I agree that it does not make sense to have it on that site and when I met with the headmaster (Sir Craig Tunstall), we discussed this and he is not proposing for the Secondary school to be there either.

I am fully aware that I would not have the power to control council tax, however it is important to be aware that there are serious inefficiencies in the way the Council Tax is being used. Lambeth Council for example has ?438 million worth of debt which means that 34p in every pound of council tax is used to cover interest payments. This to me is not an acceptable way to use taxpayers money - especially not when ?50 million was spent on a new town hall. I know this is the Lambeth side but it is difficult to get access to this sort if information, although I am trying to do so for Southwark Council in order to understand it for the entire constituency.

I'm not proposing to lower council tax - merely pointing out that other councils are providing similar services or even more services for significantly less money. I would happily support a higher level of services at current prices or a lowering of council tax for the same services provided more efficiently, but I do not support councils providing a less efficient service for a higher amount of money.

I have spent a lot of time in different parts of the constituency - this Saturday I will be having an action day with the morning in Thurlow Park and the afternoon moving towards Gipsy Hill. If anyone would like to meet and discuss things in person I would be delighted to do so!

[James Barber]

I'm sorry reshamkotecha but your analysis of Lambeth Council debt is flawed.

That debt is made of two comments - Housing Revenue Account debt ring fenced and paid for from council rents and general fund which is tiny.

You can't mix the two and you can't say general council tax is used to pay for council housing debt it isn't.

[bawdy-nan]

Hello Resham

I don't think you've addressed my earlier questions. Would you mind answering them please.

Also, I notice that you haven't stated your position on the Harris primary school - can you let us know what your position on that it. The other two prospective candidates (that I know about) and the current MP have made their positions known (in this forum and elsewhere).

On the council tax issue it sounds like you feel very passionately about this. I wonder whether your heart would be in national politics when it seems to lie very much with the local issues. You might be in a stronger position to fight for the things that appear to matter to you if you sought election at local council level. Do you have any experience of being an elected representative?

Edited to say - that was a genuine question, re experience of being an elected representative. But when I looked you up to see whether you'd done work in local councils etc, I see, via your linkedin page that you've worked mostly as a researcher and campaigner (in some worthwhile areas) but also I see who your most recent MP employer was. Bad luck and terrible timing.

[PokerTime]

Hmmm....

'I'm not proposing to lower council tax - merely pointing out that other councils are providing similar services or even more services for significantly less money.'

This is too general a statement, without knowing anything about the quality and productivity of those services, and without knowing anything about the demand on those services. Every borough is different, and has different expenses, needs and challenges. You can't possibly know anything of the above from the figures alone.

And I agree with James. Your understanding of local authority finance, and revenue accounts is flawed. I'm inclined to agree with Bawdynan. Perhaps experience as a local councillor would be a better place to start?

[Earl Aelfheah]

Hi Resham,

As you are concerned about financial governance and value for money, please may I ask you to confirm your support for an investigation into the Heygate Scandal? The mishandled sale of this 22 acre site has led to a significant financial loss for Southwark taxpayers. Furthermore, it has significantly reduced the number of socially rented properties available and seen many hundreds of residents displaced. You can find more detail here: http://www.change.org/p/heygate-estate-scandal-demand-an-investigation

[Dadadada]

Resham,

Will you persuade Dulwich Estate not to building on the playing fields of Judith Kerr Primary School?

[TonyQuinn]

I will not nail my political colours to any mast on the forum but the worry I have of you as our prospective MP is that you are another member of the political class. I looked at your LinkedIn page and it doesn't seem to suggest that you've done anything beyond positioning yourself for a life in politics. The one thing this country's politics needs is people who have lived a life beyond politics. What are your views on how a political class has effectively taken over the governing of us all? Where are the teachers, the miners, the captains of industry, the nurses or the layabouts....surely you agree that they represent us more?

[FraddsMan]

TonyQuinn Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I will not nail my political colours to any mast

> on the forum but the worry I have of you as our

> prospective MP is that you are another member of

> the political class. I looked at your LinkedIn

> page and it doesn't seem to suggest that you've

> done anything beyond positioning yourself for a

> life in politics. The one thing this country's

> politics needs is people who have lived a life

> beyond politics. What are your views on how a

> political class has effectively taken over the

> governing of us all? Where are the teachers, the

> miners, the captains of industry, the nurses or

> the layabouts....surely you agree that they

> represent us more?

Tony - your argument is circular. You condemn someone seeking to become a national politician for being a politician.

[uncleglen]

It always seemed a contradiction to me that politicians are trying to convince us all that they know what is best for the rest of us, but because they are seeking to be politicians and have power over the rest of us they have the totally wrong mindset for the job! I view the clergy in the same way.....

[TonyQuinn]

Fraddsman, all I'm saying is that I want to see politicians who have lived a life beyond politics. Our prospective Conservative candidate appears not to have. And by the criteria I use to vote...she ain't getting my vote. Don't think there's any circularity there.