The
Havant constituency has returned a Conservative MP since it
was formed in 1983 and likewise as the constituency of
Havant and Waterloo from 1974 -1983.
So,
with the opinion polls and pundits predicting the return of
a Labour government in 2024 what will happen locally?
The
local elections earlier this year saw a significant change
in the Borough with the Conservatives’ losing seats to the
other parties and consequently losing control of the
council. With three councillors to elect in each of the
twelve wards Emsworth ward returned three Green Councillors,
St Faiths three Labour Councillors and Hayling West three
Lib Dem councillors with the conservatives only holding on
to three councillors in three wards, Cowplain, Hart Plain
and Waterloo. The Reform UK party made only a small impact
winning just two seats. Full details of the local election
results can be found
HERE.
Locally the council election results show a swing away from
the Conservative Party to Labour and in particular to the
minor parties.
The position has been complicated following the 2023 Review
of Parliamentary Constituencies where the three strongest
Conservative Wards, Cowplain, Hart Plain and Waterloo, in
the Havant Constituency were transferred to the adjacent
constituency of Fareham and Waterlooville (former Fareham).
The
question as to who the voters of Havant will return to
represent them in parliament is less certain than in
previous General Elections when the Conservative candidate
was certain to win. At the time of writing
Electoral Calculus predict a Conservative win for Alan
Mak with a much reduced majority than in 2019. When it comes to July 4th the answer will
be whoever the voters think who best will represent their
interests.
Putting aside national issues he principal concerns of
Emsworth residents seem to focus on:
·
The
council’s lack of effective action to address the multiple
sewage discharge into the harbour
·
Concerns about the Havant Thicket Reservoir
·
Overdevelopment and lack of green spaces
·
Planning policies, especially lack of affordable homes and
the impact on the environment
·
Locally an absence of “proactive”
policies and actions to resolve
issues arising from climatic change.
To
assist the residents of Emsworth in choosing their preferred
candidate each candidate has been asked to produce a
statement about their candidacy and about what they can do
for the constituency.
Their statements can be viewed by following the links
below:
Workers Party of Britain -
Jennifer Nadia Alemanno
Labour
-
Stefanie Patricia Harvey
Conservative
-
Alan Mak
Reform UK
-
John
Perry
Liberal Democrat
-
Gayathri Sathyanath
Green -
Jeanette Shepherd
HUSTINGS
Now
that the nominations have closed, there are six candidates
standing for election to represent the parliamentary
constituency of Havant, all of whom have received an
invitation from Canon Tom Kennar to a hustings to be held at
St. Faith’s Church on Sunday, 16 June at 7,30pm:
Havant Civic Society
ELECTION HUSTINGS IN
EMSWORTH MONDAY 1ST JULY There will be election
hustings at St James Church next Monday July 1st starting at
7.30 pm. Five of the candidates have outlined their approach
to some issues of particular interest to Emsworth residents
in a newsletter that can be viewed:
HERE
Key dates for voters
Tuesday
18 June - register to vote by 11:59pm - Register
to vote - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Wednesday 19 June - 5:00pm deadline
to submit completed application to vote by post or postal
proxy
Wednesday 26 June - 5:00pm deadline
to submit completed application to vote by appointing a
proxy
Wednesday 26 June - 5:00pm deadline
to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate ~ if you vote in
a Polling Station and do not have one of the acceptable
forms of photographic identification
Thursday 04 July - Polling Day (Polling stations open from
7:00am until 10:00pm)
