Duncan Hames for Chippenham

Local Liberal Democrat campaigner, Duncan Hames, is making three pledges to local people about how he will act if he is elected as our MP in the next General Election.

1. A full-time MP

If elected as your next MP, I will give up my business and will not be paid for any job or activities other than being a Member of Parliament. You deserve a dedicated, full-time MP.

2. No profit from expenses

I will not use taxpayers’ money to pay any part of the mortgage for a second home. I will only claim for expenses actually incurred to support my work on behalf of local people, and will publish all my expense claims for everyone to see.

3. No family favour

I will never employ any family or household members using tax-payers’ money. As your MP, I will conduct open recruitment for staff and advertise all permanent publicly-funded posts in local newspapers.

Speaking about his decision to make these pledges Duncan said: “Like so many of the local people I have spoken to over recent weeks, I was angry and disappointed by revelations about how selfish and irresponsible some MPs have been with our money.

“It doesn’t have to be this way. I am making these pledges now to give local people some confidence that they can expect a high standard of behaviour from their next Member of Parliament.

“You deserve a full-time MP who is open and about how they use your money, and who does not profit from it.

“We have heard too many excuses about what was ‘within the rules’, but put simply: your next MP should know right from wrong. Whatever measures emerge from Parliament later this year, be assured that these are the new standards you can expect from me as your next MP.”

Liberal Democrats in Wiltshire’s new Chippenham parliamentary constituency are celebrating victory in last Thursday’s elections. Of the 21 Council wards within the constituency, the Lib Dems won 11, beating the Conservatives who took 9 with one Independent. Labour failed to elect a single councillor. The Liberal Democrats elected a majority of the councillors within the two largest towns: Chippenham and Melksham, and all the councillors in Bradford on Avon.

The Liberal Democrats also won the popular vote across the Constituency (LD 43.5%, Con 39.1%, Ind 8.3%, Lab 5.6%). This means that, had these votes been cast in a General Election on Thursday, local Lib Dem campaigner Duncan Hames would have been elected as the Member of Parliament for Bradford on Avon, Chippenham, Corsham and Melksham.

Duncan Hames said: “This is an excellent result for the local Lib Dem team. Despite the Conservatives riding high in the national polls, local people have continued to prefer their local Liberal Democrats. I believe that these victories are a recognition of the hard work that local Lib Dem campaigners have put in for our area.

“They have elected a strong and experienced opposition to the Conservative ruling group at County Hall. We will ensure that the old Conservative administration behind the new Wiltshire Council is held to account for the decisions it makes and the way they spend local taxpayers’ money.

“People told me during this campaign, how angry they were about MPs expenses and that they were ready to give the Liberal Democrats a chance after Nick Clegg’s principled stand on cleaning-up Parliament and his plan to give them the power to sack errant MPs. Many former Labour supporters have come over to the Lib Dems in part because they understand that here in Chippenham, it’s a two horse race between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives.”

Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate Duncan Hames took part in a sponsored walk in aid of the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust, and officially opened a newly-cleared towpath at Reybridge, which extends the Trust’s restoration effort by several hundred metres.

The annual sponsored walk managed to swell its ranks by more than a third compared to the year before, with more than 140 people taking part in the fundraising event. Supporters enjoyed an eight-mile walk from Chippenham to Lacock and back again on Sunday morning, following the line of the former waterway through open countryside.

They were able to look at locks and dry-docks which had been buried for almost a century, as well as a bridge which has been completely rebuilt. Some parts of the canal have already been refilled with water.

Walkers included the Chippenham Sea Cadets, Chippenham Army Cadets, Pewsham Girl Guides and Melksham Air Training Corps, as well as supporters from Bristol, Somerset and Dorset. All money raised will support local projects working towards the full restoration of the Wilts & Berks Canal.

The charity’s ultimate aim is to link the Kennet & Avon Canal near Melksham to the River Thames near Abingdon and the Thames & Severn Canal near Cricklade, connecting Chippenham, Calne, Wootton Bassett and Swindon. Supporters hope it will provide a multi-million pound boost to the local economy through increased tourism and employment.

The sponsored walk was organised by Peter Williams of the Melksham, Chippenham & Calne branch of the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust. He said: “Around a hundred people joined us in 2008, so we were delighted to see more than 140 taking part in 2009. The warm and sunny weather certainly helped.

“We were particularly pleased to see so many youth groups wanting to get involved, many carrying their own lightweight craft. There was a really good atmosphere throughout the day. Walkers were laughing and chatting to each other all the way to Lacock and back, and they were obviously impressed with the pace of restoration.

“We hope the event will encourage many more people to support our campaign to breathe new life into the Wilts & Berks Canal, providing a valuable new amenity for the local community.”

For further information on the Melksham, Chippenham & Calne branch of the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust, visit www.melkshamwaterway.org.uk

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Duncan Hames, prospective Liberal Democrat MP for Chippenham and the surrounding area, has joined local volunteers in a community tree planting project in Bradford on Avon.

Volunteers sponsored and helped to plant hundreds of saplings during the event at Barton Farm Country Park which was coordinated by the Bradford on Avon Climate Friends, the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and Wiltshire Council’s conservation team.

Duncan said: “This was a fantastic event and everyone who came to help had a great time. It will be wonderful to see these young trees grow up over the years. I would like to congratulate everyone who helped to make this project happen. It’s good to know that at a time when some people seem hell-bent on building over our countryside, there are so many more committed to nurturing it”.

On Sunday 15th March, Duncan Hames, prospective Lib Dem MP for Chippenham, took part in the Bath Half Marathon, raising £2000 in aid of the Parkinson’s Disease Society.

He finished the race in 1h 54m 23sec and coming in 4729 place out of 10699 finishers.

Duncan explained his choice of charity:

“Late last year my grandfather was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, and as well as the invaluable support they give people with Parkinson’s and their families and carers, the Parkinson’s Disease Society also support research. I’m convinced that one day we can consign this terrible disease to the history books, as we did with childhood diseases in the last century.”

After the run, Duncan said:

“I’d like to say a big “thank you” to everyone who sponsored me and to all the volunteers who make the Bath Half such a success. Knowing I had the support of so many people really helped me to keep on going until I reached the finish-line.”

Duncan is still collecting sponsorship from his run for Parkinson’s using the JustGiving website: http://www.justgiving.com/duncanhames-bathhalf.

Duncan Hames, prospective MP for Chippenham, met with Governor Howard Dean, former US Presidential candidate and Chairman of the US Democratic Party, at the Liberal Democrat national Spring Conference on Saturday. Governor Dean, who was a key architect behind President Barack Obama’s election victory last November, spoke with Duncan about how best to promote their shared values and offered his encouragement and advice.

Duncan said: “I’m very grateful to Governor Dean for taking the time to speak with me about my campaign for our area. We discussed the importance of taking the time to meet with voters face to face; something that my team and I try to do as often as possible. He also stressed the importance of asking former Labour supporters to lend us their vote this time so that, together, we can choose a better future for our area.”

Last Saturday 28th February, Duncan Hames, the prospective Lib Dem MP the new Chippenham constituency, joined local people at the ArtHouse café in Melksham to support Fair Trade fortnight.

Duncan said: “Fair Trade events, like these, are a fun way to support an important cause. As consumers we have the power to make a great difference to the lives of producers across the world. I’d like to congratulate Marieke Guy and her colleagues in the Melksham Fair Trade group on securing Fair Trade Town status for Melksham for another year. It’s a terrific achievement and it should be a matter of pride for all Melksham people.”

On Friday 30th January at a lively public meeting hosted by the Bradford on Avon Senior Citizens’ Forum, Duncan Hames, the Liberal Democrat prospective MP for the area, spoke on the issue of Council Tax alongside representatives of the other parties. While the Labour and Conservatives representatives defended Council Tax in accordance with their parties’ policies, Duncan
Hames denounced the impact of Council Tax on people with low and fixed incomes as “wholly unfair” and called for the introduction of a system based on people’s ability to pay.

Duncan said:

“In these difficult times, many local people find themselves on a fixed or reduced income facing a rising Council Tax bill. The Council Tax is unfair, and costly to collect. The revaluation exercise, now postponed until after the General Election, would add millions to the cost of running this deservedly hated tax. Sadly, as we learnt tonight, the Conservative Party and their candidate for our area agree with the Labour Government and want to keep the Council Tax. Only the Liberal Democrats have a practical
alternative that would end the misery of a local tax that many people simply have no ability to pay.”

Speaking after the meeting, Duncan said:

“I’d like to thank the Bradford on Avon Senior Citizens’ Forum for hosting this debate. It was a great chance to hear local residents’ views on Council Tax, and for their parliamentary candidates to be put on the spot on their policies. It was pretty clear that, apart from the Conservative and Labour speakers, there were very few people in the room in favour of keeping things as they are.”

Prospective local MP, Duncan Hames, and Chippenham Lib Dem Councillor, Paul Darby, have joined with other local campaigners to call for Birds Marsh Wood, one of Chippenham’s few remaining green spaces, to be kept out of the hands of property developers.

Earlier this month, Duncan spoke at a packed public meeting co-organised by Paul Darby and the founder of the Save Birds Marsh campaign, Simon Main.

Duncan said:

“It was fantastic to see so many people come together on a cold winter’s night to defend the local countryside that we really treasure. I have written to the government minister, Hazel Blears MP, to object to her suggestion that Chippenham builds another 5,500 houses. We must make sure the new Wiltshire Council also has the courage to stand up to her, so that plans like this for one for Birds Marsh are stopped in their tracks.”

You can support the campaign to save Birds Marsh and keep informed of developments by joining the campaign’s Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=62854749008 or by checking the campaign website: http://www.friendsofbirdsmarsh.com/

Staverton Community Litter-pick January 2009Originally uploaded by Duncan Hames

Duncan Hames joined at least 25 community-spirited residents in Staverton for a new year litter-pick that had been ordganised by Cllr Trevor Carbin. There was no shortage of litter to collect, and by the end of the session over 20 large bin bags of rubbish, and a broken supermarket trolley were taken to the household waste recycling centre in nearby Canal Road.

There is an obvious shortage of public litter bins in this central area of Staverton by the marina, and at the bus stop - which has been made worse by the recent disappearance of two exisitng bins. However, at the core of the problem is the mess created by customers of the new shops and takeaway restaurants.
“Local people have rolled-up their sleeves and taken the initiative today, showing they aren’t interested in petty squabbles about whose responsibility this is. The district council and local businesses need to work together to get bins in place to help stop this area becoming a mess once again.” says Duncan Hames, former district councillor and Liberal Democrat prospective MP for Staverton.
“Thanks to everyone who helped out today!”.