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30.5.01

Davey celebrates double crossing victory

...King Charles Road Crossing Finished
...Transport for London funds pelican crossing on the A243

Local residents living close to King Charles Road in Surbiton and Malden Rushett celebrated this week after victories in their long campaigns for pedestrian crossings, championed by Edward Davey.

A new crossing over King Charles Road near Christchurch and Britannia Road was completed this week after a long campaign by local residents and Edward Davey. Since December 1997, Edward Davey has repeatedly supported local residents' requests for a pedestrian crossing at this stretch of King Charles Road. Since he sent his original letter, Edward Davey has contacted the Council about this issue over 10 times.

Malden Rushett's new crossing will also be on its way, thanks to new funds won at long last from Transport for London. In 1998, local Lib Dem councillors and Edward Davey collected signatures from residents in Malden Rushett who were concerned that they didn't have crossing on the A243.

Transport for London took authority for the road in July 2000 and have now agreed to fund the scheme. This road is one of the busiest roads in the Borough.

Local Liberal Democrat candidate Edward Davey said,

"This is a double campaign success.

"This is a first step towards improving safety on King Charles Road. Recent accidents have clearly shown that further road safety measures are still required and these cannot come too soon. Our campaign for a safe King Charles Road will continue."

"The residents' signatures collected in Malden Rushett made a real difference.

"Transport for London's agreement to fund this project shows that persistence does pay off. Dodging the traffic when you cross the road in Malden Rushett is set to become a thing of the past."

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29.5.01

Binned in Surbiton this week

29.5.01

Media interest in Edward Davey's campaign

24.5.01

Local residents chose Edward Davey

Paddy Ashdown and Earl Russell speak at rally This week local residents formally adopted Edward Davey as their Liberal Democrat candidate. Right:Enthusiastic crowds at the rally Below:Earl Russell, Edward Davey and Paddy Ashdown
	Commenting on Edward Davey's chances of winning the Kingston & Surbiton seat, Paddy Ashdown said, "He has worked hard both locally and in the House of Commons to stand up for the concerns of residents. "Kingston & Surbiton has never had such a hardworking MP and I would put money on him winning this seat again."

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22.5.01

Friends of the Earth welcome Edward Davey's green pledges

Green Challenge to Other Parties

Friends of the Earth today congratulated the Liberal Democrats for producing a comprehensive set of environmental policies ahead of the forthcoming General Election. The environmental campaigners have challenged the Labour and Conservative parties to follow suit.

Charles Secrett, Executive Director of Friends of the Earth said:

"This is the strongest set of environmental policies produced by any of the three main parties. We now challenge Labour and the Conservatives to show a similar commitment to putting environmental issues at the heart of the election campaign.

"Although the Labour Government has taken some positive steps in the right direction, there is still much more that they should be doing to safeguard the environment. And the Conservatives commitment to green issues can be seen by the failure of William Hague to raise green issues in his pre-election campaigning."

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22.5.01

Davey wins training salaries for local student teachers

Local Lib Dem candidate, Edward Davey, has helped persuade the Government to give trainee grants to local student teachers who unfairly missed out last year.

Part-time PGCE students due to start courses in April or May 2000 were told by the Teacher Training Agency (TTA) that they would be entitled to the £6,000 grant announced by the Government in March 2000. After they started their courses the DfEE has since made it clear that the grant was only ever intended for those students commencing courses from September 2000.

Mr Davey challenged Mr Blunkett to give the students their grants after being approached by affected constituents living in Kingston & Surbiton. His Lib Dem colleague Simon Hughes, who supported his campaign, was recently notified that the Government had now agreed to paying the promised training salaries.

Edward Davey said:

"This was a clear cut case. The TTA misled students and their colleges about these training salaries.

"We are desperate for teachers locally and the Government's delay over this decision has meant we have lost some potential teachers because they couldn't afford to finish their courses.

"The decision to pay the promised salaries is better late than never but this type of mistake must never be allowed to happen again"

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15.5.01

Urgent safety measures must be taken

Second iron pin found underneath Surbiton Railway Bridge

Local Lib Dem candidate, Edward Davey, is pressing Railtrack to take proper safety measures at the Brighton Road bridge after another two pound iron pin was found on the pavement below.

Edward Davey reported an incident at the bridge earlier this month when a passing resident was narrowly missed by a failing iron pin. Railtrack confirmed they had undertaken a visual safety inspection. They also confirmed that they would bring their six year detailed examination forward to be done in the next couple of weeks. However, since receiving this response, a resident has found another two pound iron pin on the pavement under the bridge and brought it to Edward Davey's office.

Commenting on this latest incident, Edward Davey said,

"Clearly Railtrack's recent safety checks have missed the cause of this problem. They followed up my initial concerns and thought the bridge was safe.

"The discovery of a two pound pin on the pavement under the bridge brings their findings into question and I have made Railtrack Directors aware of my ongoing concerns."

"No-one seems to know how this pin got there - whether it fell or some other explanation. Yet surely its better to be safe than sorry."

"Every effort must now be taken to ensure that pedestrians and motorists are safe. This might mean safety scaffolding or some other solution, but urgent safety measures must be taken."

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14.5.01

"Scrag end and shabby insults must go"

Edward Davey calls for insulting descriptions of Chessington, Tolworth and New Malden to be removed from national website

Local Liberal Democrat candidate, Edward Davey has written to Associated Newspapers Ltd to ask them to remove insulting descriptions of Chessington, Tolworth and New Malden from their "Local London" website.

The website prides itself on providing local information for each Borough in London. In their area profiles of Tolworth and Chessington and New Malden, they describe them as, "The scrag end of the Borough" with "wide and bleak" roads and "shabby". As a result, Edward Davey has emailed the producers of the site to ask them to provide a more balanced description of the area and to remove these insulting labels.

Commenting on the site, Edward Davey said,

Local residents will be annoyed by these insulting descriptions of Chessington, Tolworth and New Malden.

"We all know there are problems with graffiti and litter but these exist in other Boroughs and other areas within Kingston.

"The editors of the site are way off the mark with these descriptions and one has to wonder if they have ever been to the Borough."

He added,

"It just doesn't make good business sense for Cheltenham & Gloucester, who advertise on the site, to be associated with these descriptions.

"I would be surprised if anyone from Tolworth or Chessington would want to take out a mortgage with a company associated with insults about the area in which they have just bought a home."

"The producers should realise that these insults are just not good business sense and update their site immediately."

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13.5.01

Website expert gives www.EdwardDavey.co.uk five star rating

Over 100 visitors in the first day of the election campaign

A leading website and IT expert has given Edward Davey, the local Lib Dem candidate's campaign website a five star rating.

William Rashleigh, a former editor of the magazine IT Review praised the site after taking part in the Lib Dem candidate's on-line survey. Mr Davey's election campaign website, which is still yet to be officially launched, received over 100 visitors on the first day it went live. The site has taken months of preparation and has been produced by local councillor, Mary Reid. Mary Reid also produced Mr Davey's previous site, which was short-listed for the prestigious Yell awards and won a Golden Web Award in 2000-1.

Edward Davey said,

"From the feedback I have received from my original site, I know how much residents value the accessibility and empowerment a website gives.

"Many residents like to have the chance to consider all of the candidates standing in Kingston & Surbiton at their own leisure and often in detail. This site will enable them to do that.

"My website will allow them to know exactly who I am and what I stand for. They can find out Lib Dem policies or find out a little about my background.

"They can also let me know what their priorities are and send me any feedback."

William Rashleigh's note:

"Hi. I stumbled across your original site, in a former life as the editor for IT Review. I found it refreshing that at least one MP had made an effort to put a decent website together.

Now it's election time, I thought I have another look at all the MPs and candidates' sites. Just so you know - compared to the other sites out there, yours gets a five star rating.

Given the effort you have obviously put into your site, I hope it pays dividends.

Best wishes
Bill Rashleigh"

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8.5.01

"Expect a close fight between the Lib Dems and Conservatives in Kingston"

Edward Davey to fight on his record and the Lib Dem guarantee of extra investment for the NHS, schools and pensioners

Edward Davey, has today confirmed he will be standing for re-election in Kingston & Surbiton at the General Election on 7th June, 2001.

Edward Davey, who won the seat for the Liberal Democrats from the Conservatives in 1997 by just 56 votes, faces a tough challenge from the controversial, former Conservative MP for Dover, David Shaw.

Lewis Baston, a nationally respected politics lecturer at Kingston University, has predicted that the Kingston & Surbiton seat will be another close contest between the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives, hinging on how many Labour supporters vote tactically for the Lib Dems.**

Edward will be contesting the seat on his local record of action and hard work. Over the past four years, he has worked tirelessly for local people and is recognised in Parliament as a strong voice for Kingston and Surbiton.

He will also be campaigning on the Liberal Democrats' manifesto commitments for more money for the NHS, local schools, better pensions and for more bobbies on the beat.

Edward Davey said,

"It has been a honour and a pleasure working for fellow residents for the past four years. Together we have made a real difference with major campaign successes such as a new A & E unit at Kingston Hospital, a lower speed limit on the A3 and protecting Surbiton's riverside filter beds.

"However, from the hundreds of advice sessions I have held, and 10,000 residents' cases I have dealt with, I know much more still needs to be done."

"That is why, I have made sure the Liberal Democrat manifesto reflects local residents' priorities with more money for local Health Services and schools, for better pensions and an extra 6,000 police officers."

"Only by being ambitious will we resolve the legacy of growing class sizes and waiting lists and failing police numbers inherited from the last Conservative Government, problems Labour has been disappointingly slow in trying to resolve."

He added,

"Local residents have a clear choice in Kingston & Surbiton. It is between the Liberal Democrats or William Hague's Tory candidate from Dover. Labour always come a poor third here."

** Lewis Baston is the co-author of 'Politico's Guide to the General Election', published 2001

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General Election 1997 Kingston and Surbiton

Liberal Democrat majority : 56