On election day at least a third of people coming to the polling station had not received a polling card. The Didcot Herald reported a similar situation in South Oxfordshire under the headline “Inquiry into election ‘shambles’ ” . A lot of people are now getting polling cards belatedly as batches come through from the Swindon depot. Hope not too many people missed out as a result.
There was a bit of a commotion in the Kings Head and Bell yesterday.
The leader of the Lib-Dems, Nick Clegg, visited.
BBC reporter Nick Robinson was also there to report on the goings on.
It was broadcast this evening on the BBC News as part of a three part series on the local election trail. Yesterday was the Labour leader, Ed Millaband in Leicester, today was Lib-Dem leader, Nick Clegg in Abingdon, and tomorrow will be the Conservative leader, David Cameron.
The Deputy Prime-minister, Nick Clegg, was in Abingdon for the first of a number of question and answer sessions he will be doing.
The Abbey Hall (the modern annex of the ancient Guildhall) was full to overflowing – even though the event had only been announced a couple of days ago.
There were questions on: the NHS (getting rid of admin layers, and nurses loosing lunctime break), Academies, Banks, Cuts, Benefit Cheats, Taxi charges locally, a bridge /weir near Witney, building planning regulations, should he sack a colleague who had an affair, and one about a recent Daily Mail cartoon where Obama says to the Prime Minister on parting “”Goodbye, Dave. and give your partner Clegg my best wishes for the birth.””
Nick Clegg said this was something politicians have to expect – when they are trying something new and different. Now he is in power I was very much aware of security people round him, especially coming out between building and car. Not something you expect round a Lib-Dem leader. He engaged well with the audience – like during the leaders TV debates he would remember previous questioners and acknowledge them again when re-raising a previous point.
Nicola Blackwood, the new Conservative MP for this area, was in the front row. Dr Evan Harris, her Lib-Dem predecessor was at the side. Nick Clegg came representing the coalition at this Q&A session, but at the same time, the choice of Abingdon – a very marginal Conservative seat – shows that the contest for votes in future elections is still very much on between the coalition partners.
This stretch of road is between Drayton and Steventon, two miles south of Abingdon.
Over to the left is the site of the proposed reservoir – currently the subject of a public enquiry which will judge whether Thames Water have justified the need. The enquiry room is surrounded by towering shelves of documents both for and against the reservoir. Every now and then the clerk will go to a particular folder, find a specific piece of evidence, and present it to the hearing.
The large poster attached to the electricity pylon on the edge of the flat farmland says, “Dam Wall. Pylon High! 25 Metres“.
The reservoir would be constructed by hollowing out a basin and building up surrounding walls.