Tag: Hayling Island

Posted on

SAVE HAYLING POLICE – Community Comes Together to Fight Cuts

I’m proud to have spearheaded the campaign to save our island from further police cuts.

In the face of threats to cut vital community policing the community really came together. A public petition was created and made available online and in local shops and businesses on Hayling. The response was overwhelming and in a little over 4 weeks the petition was signed by over 1,600 people.

The comments on the petition explain very clearly how and why the loss of our local Police  is such a important issue at the heart of our community.

They include: 

“With crime increasing on the island it’s not the best time to be cutting the police presence”

“Police presence is vital to keeping Hayling safe and secure, especially with the recent influx of break ins and thefts. Although Havant Police have done a great job apprehending the more violent suspects with crimes including violent knife attacks within the last month, I am 100% positive losing a local police officer would have a far reaching detrimental effect on our small Island.”

“With rising incidents on Hayling and more houses being built, it is essential that we have a dedicated police officer who is part of our community the whole time.”

You can read all the comments on the online petition which is available if you click here.

The petition has been sent to Havant MP, Alan Mak, for the attention of both Alan and all Hayling councillors, with the following letter:

Dear Alan,

Please find enclosed a petition from the people of Hayling Island who wish to protect police funding.

You will appreciate that the petition is intended for you and all Hayling councillors. You will equally appreciate that councillors have shown a reluctance to address this issue, preferring to suggest that police budget issues do not fall under their remit as councillors. The fact remains however that funding solutions require all elected officials to work together, particularly during a period in which the government is increasingly ‘out sourcing’ funding to local authorities and dedicated bodies. In light of this, I urge you to take a joined up approach to finding a solution. The public, ultimately, are not concerned about the bureaucracy underpinning funding, just that funding is provided.

Since launching the petition, communication has been ongoing between a number of locals and relevant representatives of both the police and the council. Whilst these communications have been helpful, they have often provided contradictory information. As it stands then, there is a widespread fear that policing on Hayling is likely to be squeezed even harder in 2018. Having been an island with a fully functioning police station just a few short years ago, it has already been confirmed that Hayling will now fall under the wider Havant and Emsworth unit and this will result in a thinner spread of officers with one much admired officer no longer beginning and ending her day focusing on our island. And whilst there was at one point a suggestion that the only changes which should be anticipated would purely be an issue of standard officer rotations, it has since been confirmed that rotation is not the issue here.

There is a clear and obvious correlation between the decrease in policing and the increase in crime. With the burgeoning costs associated with rising crime figures, it is difficult to argue that funding cuts represent anything other than short term savings but higher long term costs. Good management of the public purse then needs not only a joined up approach but a stronger focus on longer term fiscal management.
So allow me, for the sake of clarity, to reiterate the intention of this petition: to urge you to work with all local representatives and other relevant bodies to save Hayling from policing cuts.

The publicly ultimately judge the actions of any politicians on real life results, not on statements of intent or commitments to make representations. I urge you then to deliver on this.

Should you wish to speak to me directly about this matter, I would, of course, be happy to oblige.

Yours Sincerely,

Paul Gray

Posted on

Paul Gray – Your Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Havant

Vote Liberal Democrat

Having grown-up on Hayling, and having returned to the island some ten years ago, it is an honour and a privilege to offer my services to the people of my home town and the wider Havant area. I returned to our constituency after university in Manchester and a career in London.

My extensive management experience, gained in both the public and private sectors, would enable me to ensure Havant constituents are fiercely defended against any attempts to force yet more cuts to public services. Ultimately, I got involved in politics because I dearly love our neighbourhood, the people in it and care deeply about the issues which affect us all. I joined the Liberal Democrats as they echo my passionate vision for an open, tolerant, and united community.

Most recently I was involved with the successful relaunch of the Hayling Ferry service and the Save the Tip campaigns (which are happening all over our constituency). I also volunteer for the Queen Alexandra Hospital supporting our local nurses.

Primarily, I want our local area to be represented by someone who grew up here, knows the issues that are most important to local people, and calls this place home. This is in contrast to a career politician dropped into our constituency by Conservative HQ as if we were just a pin on their map.

Posted on

Hayling Island Group – Q and As for the Hampshire County Council Election

 

As as candidate for the Liberal Democrats in the Hampshire County Council Elections Paul was asked to answer some questions from a Hayling Island Group relating to some important local issues.

Here are the questions and Paul’s responses.

  1. Will you strive to ensure that Hayling Infrastructure is adequate and sustainable for all development planned until the year 2036 – especially the Havant Road arterial connection to the mainland and its bridge?

    Infrastructure investment lies at the heart of my plans for the island. If the island is to prosper, it is essential that our one and only arterial connection is fit for the 21st century. Beyond that, it is an absolute requirement that our health service and schools are fully funded and equipped to ensure our elderly are cared for and our children educated to the highest possible standards. I am convinced that any additional housing on the island can only be considered AFTER first class infrastructure is in place.

  2. What measures will you take to tackle fly tipping on Hayling Island?

    Fly tipping is an increasing problem on our island due to the insane decision by the Conservatives to charge us for dumping our waste. I, along with all my colleagues in Hampshire Liberal Democrats, have a clear promise to the people of Hayling: WE WILL SCRAP THE CHARGES. 

  3. Will you support the maintenance of the Household Waste Recycling Centre on Hayling Island?

    Hampshire Liberal Democrats are not only prepared to maintain the Household Recycling Centre, we are committed to RETURNING TO FULL OPENING HOURS. This, along with our commitment to SCRAP THE CHARGES, is our promise to you. In short, I and my colleagues in Hampshire Liberal Democrats will REVERSE THE CUTS. 

  4. Will you strive to get the funding for an upgrade to the Hayling Billy Trail, to make it very attractive to cycle commuters (getting cyclists off the Havant Road to improve traffic flow and cyclist safety)?

    Absolutely. The Billy Trail is our primary alternative route between north and south and offers commuters and the wider public alike an opportunity to travel vehicle free. The Billy Trail faces long term decline if it is not repaired and maintained. I can commit here and now to doing precisely that. 

  5. Will you actively support the maintenance of a viable Hayling Ferry service to Portsmouth, including the encouragement to bus companies to provide an integrated service from Hayling Island to Portsmouth, via the Ferry?

    The connectivity of the service is vital to long term sustainability. That is why I propose a fixed term period in which the ferry itself would be subsidised whilst fully operational bus links could be established on both our side of the water and over in Portsmouth. It is important however that the ferry does not become a burden on us as tax payers and therefore the public could not and should not expect to subsidise the service beyond the fixed term period. 

  6. Do you have any views about the possibility of providing an ambulance facility on Hayling Island?

    With an ageing population on the island it is time we addressed this very real need. There is an argument to say that the island doesn’t have sufficient demand for an ambulance facility. I would argue that a facility placed at the north end of the island, which would then be able to service both island residents and those on the mainland, would be a cost effective commit to care. 

  7. Do you have any preferred Hayling charities or deserving causes that you would like to support with your annual grant?

    There are a number of charities which I currently work with, all of which are hugely deserving. I would also however like to explore the possibility of a ‘Hayling Day,’ where money could be invested in a celebration of all the good causes and all the great businesses we have on the island. It is such a shame our carnival has gone and it is time we reinvented the idea to again bring the community together. 

  8. Will you be taking steps to ensure that the Library Service on Hayling is maintained into the future?

    Again, the position of Hampshire Liberal Democrats is very clear; we will improve and maintain all of our services. Libraries are an often under valued community resource. They are a shared community space, open to us all and provide a world of invaluable information. For too long our library has been treated as if it were an antiquated relic. It is not. It is a vital facility and I will ensure it goes from strength to strength. 

  9. Will you be supporting and encouraging the work of Cycle Hayling to provide an off-road North-South cycle route?

    I will be supporting and looking to work with Cycle Hayling and other cycling groups on the island to deliver a cycle ‘highway’ for the island. Whilst the Billy Trail requires renovation, which I have committed to championing, the east side of our island entirely lacks a cycling alternative. I believe this is a perfect example of where the best outcome can be achieved by working, and listening, to community groups and that is precisely what I intend to do. 

  10. Would you support the reinstatement of the bus subsidy for schools?

    Definitely. Education has to be of primary concern to all of us. Messing with education is messing with our futures. I believe that we have to ensure our children and parents are supported in every way possible in getting to and from school. Our promise to the parents of Hayling is very simple: WE WILL REVERSE THE CUTS

    The Hampshire County Could Election are taking place today and Paul (obviously) would really appreciate your vote, but if not I do urge you still to get out and vote.

Posted on

Hayling Island – A Lidl Bit of Diversity?

Hayling Island Lidl

Lidl wants to put a store on Hayling. The debate is raging on Facebook and the planning process is taking its course with public consultation. Whatever the outcome it is clear that Hayling residents, myself included, care passionately about their island. 

It has made me wonder though what is it that we are all fighting for? What is it about Hayling that makes it Hayling? Whether it is the tip, housing development or Lidl’s I keep hearing that Hayling is an island and has unique problems because of that. Whilst not denying that, is that all that makes Hayling worth fighting for? Portsea is an island but it is still heavily developed.

Planning decisions about a place are usually made by people who don’t live there but who believe they have a clear perception of what the place is like. So how does Havant Borough Council see Hayling? If recent experience is anything to go by, it is a piece of land they can fill with housing without thinking about infrastructure. It is an island where they can put retirement homes. It is an island they can see but not hear. I think we should change all that. I think it’s time we should make ourselves heard.

But what voice should we speak with? Is the island full of NIMBYs who will object to all development? Is the island full of the middle class and the retired that just wants everything like it was in their past? Is part of the island community blind to the plight of their poorer neighbours? What sort of island is Hayling?

My own view is that the voice of the island should reflect the diversity it holds, both in its people and in its environments.

The island is a place where the past and future can exist together, where a traditional family funfair, which was new itself once upon a time, is only just along the beach from wind and kite surfers, where nostalgia mixes with modern pastimes and each feeds off the other. Hayling surely has to be an island where traditional family businesses can co-exist with large corporations.

It should be an island that should focus on building inclusive communities and fighting for the needs of each community. It should be an island that see its natural beauty as a key resource for all. The island’s character should be more than its physical extent, it should reflect the future its inhabitants want to share.

Havant Borough Council has a plan for Hayling which it is clearly not executing. In this vacuum islanders have the chance to pour their own thoughts, hopes and wishes. Finding a voice for Hayling may not stop development, but speaking clearly may help islanders to take back some control over the nature and pace of development. Without a distinctive voice no-one will listen to us.

So what sort Hayling do you want?

Posted on

Alan Mak MP and his fondness for “Alternative Facts”

Local Conservative MP, Alan Mak, has once again been accused of lying to the public over the ‘Save the Tip’ campaign on Hayling Island.

Despite failing to attend a public meeting on the issue, a meeting at which all the major parties bar the Conservatives were represented, Mak now claims to have led the campaign. NOT TRUE.

Whilst local residents discussed the issue, local Conservatives, keen to create a false impression, wandered around Hayling Island pretending NOT to be the party responsible for the cuts, despite being the party in government AND the party running local council.

And Mak’s claims come in spite of him consistently claiming it was a local issue which he could have no real influence over and despite the fact that local cuts are directly linked to funding cuts made by HIS own government.

By April 2016, despite Mak having previously done all he could to dodge the issue, the man now openly mocked by local residents for “jumping in front of cameras” sniffed a publicity opportunity and leapt onto the bandwagon, attempting to rebrand himself as the voice of local disquiet. Now, almost one year on, he has produced a glossy publicity leaflet which infers he is some kind of local saviour. NOT TRUE.

In the end, the campaign was arguably unsuccessful. Efforts were made by many local residents but Hayling only received the same treatment as other areas of Hampshire facing the same cuts, i.e. in the end opening hours were still cut and the council faces a legal challenge over its intention to charge new disposal fees to the public.

Why does this matter? It matters because in an era of “fake news” and “alternative facts” it is essential that someone cuts through the spin and gives the public the truth. This kind of blatant duplicity can not be allowed to continue and therefore, if we are to stop it, it needs to be exposed.

In light of all of this, and in view of the fact that this is not the first time Mak’s honesty has been questioned, I’ll shortly be establishing ‘MAK WATCH,’ a facility whereby local residents can flag up such untruths.

Please then, one and all, do not hesitate to get involved. None of us has the right to complain if we don’t step up. Our community deserves far better than what we’ve currently got.