TODAY BLACKPOOL Aloud speaks with Jonathan Bamborough.
Hello Jon, many thanks for taking the time to talk to the readers of Blackpool Aloud.
For those that don’t know, you are the Prospective Liberal Democrat candidate for the Ward of Anchorsholme in next years Blackpool council elections. What made you get into politics?
Unusually, I was more involved in National Politics before getting too involved in local politics. I was secretary of the local Save the Children Fund. It was a fantastic charity and most of the money raised, which was a lot, went to the good causes. However, I could see even then that charitable works was not enough to make a big difference. Political change was necessary. I had been interested in Politics but thought that it was for people far more clever or experienced than myself. Then I watched one of the rolling SDP (Social Democratic Party) conferences, I think it was around about 1982 and speaker after speaker were people just like me! Ordinary people from ordinary backgrounds but who had a passion for putting something back and making a difference. I signed up right away
For anyone from the Anchorsholme constituency who isn’t sure who to vote for next May, why should they vote for you?
My primary role as an Anchorsholme representative is to stand up and represent ALL of the residents of Anchorsholme. Whether or not they voted for me, whether or not I agree with them, I will give everyone a voice. A cast iron guarantee of mine is that I will not be told how to vote on any issue affecting anyone in my area. I am not afraid to tackle controversial issues but I certainly do not seek out such issues just so I have a platform. As a Councillor, I promise to hold regular surgeries and am contactable 24/7 should emergencies arise. Along with my co-candidate, Steven Bate, I promise to do my utmost to best represent the people of Anchorsholme. We promise to put Anchorsholme first, then Blackpool, and the Party interests last.
You were previously the councillor for the Anchorsholme constituency until 2007, why do you think you lost the seat then?
Being brutally honest, we may have just taken our eye off the ball. I don’t think that we judged the strength of the “anti-establishment” feeling out there and because of our high profile I think that we were seen as part of the establishment. We concentrated our efforts on fighting the Conservative threat where really, we should have jumped on the bandwagon and attacked Labour more. It wasn’t that we didn’t work hard in the election campaign but we did get our strategy wrong and for that we paid a heavy price. There were many lessons to be learned from our defeat and I hope and believe that we have learned them.
Since 2007, what do you think the main successes and failings of the Conservative council have been?
To be honest, there are very few differences between this Conservative Council and the old Labour one. If anything, I feel the Labour run Council was a bit more inclusive than this one. Traditionally the Conservatives have been the party of smaller government, so I have been surprised at the level of involvement of the Council on spending related to to non-essential Council activities, such as the money draining Ghost Train. The Conservatives didn’t make many promises before their election win but they did promise a return to weekly bin collections. We are still waiting for that. They also promised to clean-up the town. Although they have made a start on this, they haven’t moved anything like fast enough and have not used the many tools at their disposal such as closure orders effectively if at all.
Although early days, what would you like to see a Liberal Democrat Council do for Blackpool?
The primary aim of a Liberal Democrat led Council will be honesty and openness. We will wrest power back from the officers and give it back to the people, via their elected representatives. The manifesto we intend to present to the people will not just be of individual policies but it will be more about how we intend to run the Town. Decisions will be opened up for scrutiny before they are made. It is also our intention to get our Council back to basics and we will be more than happy to work with Councillors from all parties in order to achieve this. We also recognise that Blackpool has always done best when it has looked to the future, hence the motto of Progress. At the same time, we acknowledge the beloved assets that make Blackpool unique and will fight to save and improve them. The new coalition Government have made a start on opening up local Government by making Councils publish all spending above £500. This is a great step forward towards a more transparent regime and we welcome it.
In an interview that Blackpool Aloud did two weeks ago with Labour Group leader Simon Blackburn, Simon didn’t come over as too impressed with the Talbot Gateway project. What are your views on it and what would you like to see as regards regeneration in Blackpool?
The Gateway project is a complete joke that has already cost too much both in terms of money and the loss of facilities such as the bowling which could still be taking place! Very little thought seems to have been given to the many business owners in the area such as Ron Blundell from the Tache who have been left in limbo, facing a very uncertain future for years. Blackpool does need regenerating but the Talbot Gateway does very little to address our problems and provides even fewer answers.
What would you like to see happen with the disused Fleetwood railway line and would you support building a tram extension along Talbot Road to Blackpool North railway station, thus giving the people of Cleveleys and Fleetwood a direct rail link to a National Railway station?
I have always been a strong supporter of re-connecting the Fleetwood line and also of linking the trams to Blackpool North. I would have like to have seen a link from Blackpool South Line into the tramway system too. In Fleetwood, I would like to see the trams connect with the newly opened rail link too.
Finally Jon, what are your thoughts about the national coalition government, as a Liberal Democrat are you happy with what they have done so far?
I am quite pleased with the Coalition so far. Cameron and Clegg have an opportunity to do something here that will go down in history. It is so refreshing to see politicians from all parties who are usually fundamentally opposed in views working together, in the spirit of compromise for the better good. I also believe that compromise has actually led to the improvement of many of these policies. They have been tempered and that is sometimes a very good thing for Government. The Liberal Democrats may be criticised by the left but I firmly believe it better to be in Government, making a difference then just outside carping on about the good old days!
Thank you Jon for taking the time to talk to the readers of Blackpool Aloud, for anyone that wants to read more about the Liberal Democrats in Blackpool you can visit http://blackpool-libdems.org.uk or email Jon directly on jonbamboro@blackpool-libdems.org.uk
A great insight into how the Lib Dems are fighting on behalf of the residents of Anchorsholme, and Blackpool itself. It’s great to know they (and Jon) are putting the area first before the matters of the party itself.
Fantastic interview, I feel Mr Bamborough will make an excellent councillor once again. I may be right-leaning so not a traditional Lib Dem supporter but on a local level I try to look at the people not the parties. I strongly admire Mr Bamborough and Mr Bate for openly opposing the casino which I have always been dead against. I agree with Mr Bamborough about TG also. Originally I had very high hopes that this project would radically redevelop what is currently a very rundown area with some awful outdated eyesores like the bus station and Prudential House. In Manchester or Liverpool they would have the bulldozers in flatten virtually the whole area and build some exciting radical developments. But because Blackpool always gets second best TG is now nothing more than a ‘tidying up exercise’. The bus station, Prudential House and Wilkos are all being saved and the majority of the new buildings are civic buildings like council offices and a new police station, virtually no private commercial development space which is something Blackpool desperately needs. If I lived in Anchorsholme you would have my support, best of luck next May.