WELCOME
from
our new
CHAIRMAN
Daphne Bagshawe JP
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I am delighted to have been elected as the new Chairman of the Association.
It is certainly an exciting time in the affairs of the party and there is a huge amount going on nationally with members contacting me with their views, which as you can imagine are very varied.
Many members are planning to attend a live husting to hear the two final candidates hoping to become party leader and thereby, of course, PM. An important part of my role in the year ahead will be to encourage us all to get behind the new leader, whoever that is, and to continue to work for the Conservative values of individual responsibility, equal opportunity and sound money putting those values to work locally.
WORK AHEAD
I am lucky that there is such a great team of capable and enthusiastic volunteers in Wealden. We will be working to support our excellent District Council as they seek to influence the national Government to have more realistic targets for housing in our area, an area of AONB which we all want to keep beautiful.
We wish too to support our excellent County Council as the councillors fight to keep costs down in a time of rising prices and to maintain services as demand increases.
Our wonderful MP works tirelessly for ALL in Wealden, whether or not they vote Conservative. I shall try to support her as much as I can, and I have already joined her as she visits successful community developments she has facilitated such as the re opening of the midwife led birthing unit at Crowborough.
I hope that as the national position clarifies we can attract more people to join us, as members, so that we can work together to deliver the kind of free prosperous and ethical society we all want.
Very best wishes,
Daphne Bagshawe
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SAVE THE DATE --- SAVE THE DATE --- SAVE THE DATE ---
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LEADERSHIP ELECTION
All eligible members of the Conservative Party will shortly be receiving a ballot paper allowing you to vote for our next leader and Prime Minister.
It may be that the two choices are not those which you personally would have preferred but it is important that you vote for whichever candidate you consider would best lead our Party and win the next General Election.
Many questions are answered on the Party website here: https://www.conservatives.com/leadership-faqs
One a decision is made, and whether the person chosen is the one you voted for or not, we must all unite behind the new leader and stop fighting ourselves. As a wiser person than I said a divided party is a losing Party!
We have a lot of work to do to ensure the return of our council candidates in the WDC elections next May and at the Maresfield by Election in September.
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TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE for the Sussex Area Dinner at Hickstead Showground on Friday 16th September.
Evening hosted by the legendary Gyles Brandreth and featuring a prominent Cabinet Minister.
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BOOK ONLINE now Click HERE
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Boundary change proposals
I don’t know how many of you are aware of the important changes proposed to Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries by the Boundary Commission.
The current proposals, which are unlikely to change substantially, are that the number of Parliamentary Constituencies will remain at 650 but their identity and, in many cases, names will change. This is so as to ensure, so far as possible that all constituencies contain a similar number of electors and that those numbers fall within maximum and minimum parameters.
The need to keep constituencies within these parameters in the future will result in more frequent changes if, as a result of development, the number of electors starts to exceed the maximum.
The result of all this will be a reduction in the number of constituencies in less populated areas of the United Kingdom and an increase in areas of higher population. In the South East this means an increase in the number of constituencies.
NEW-LOOK WEALDEN
The current proposals will mean that the Wealden Constituency ceases to exist in anything like its current form as it currently contains too many electors, with part, together with a small part of the current Bexhill and Battle Constituency becoming what is provisionally called the Hailsham and Crowborough Constituency.
This will include the following wards, all those in Crowborough, all those in Hailsham, Frant and Wadhurst, Mayfield and Five Ashes, Hadlow Down and Rotherfield, Withyham, Framfield and Cross in Hand, Buxted, Horam and Punnets Town, Hellingly, Chiddingly East Hoathly and Waldron together with Heathfield North and South. As you may be aware Nus is campaigning and has made submissions to the Boundary Commission to the effect that Hartfield should also be within this constituency. She has also argued that the name of this constituency should be Sussex Weald.
ALL THINGS NEW ...
The remainder of the Wealden Constituency being the Danehill and Fletching, Maresfield, Forest Row, Hartfield, and all the Uckfield Wards would join with other wards, some from Lewes, such as Newick and Chailey, Westmeston, Ditchling and Plumpton and parts of Mid-Sussex such as East Grinstead, Ashurst Wood, Crawley Down, Turners Hill and parts of what are now in Horsham Constituency such as Balcombe and Ardingly to form a new East Grinstead and Uckfield Constituency.
Again there have been campaigns to change these proposals such as to include Balcombe and Ardingly into the changed Mid Sussex seat and at present we do not know what the final result will look like although it is unlikely to change much from the above.
The boundary commission will produce its next proposals in October taking into account all the submissions it has received on its initial proposals and there will then be a short period of about three weeks for final submissions.
TIMESCALE
The final report will be laid before parliament in June or July next year and will not need a vote; it will pass straight into law.
The result being that unless there is a snap election before the end of next Summer the next General Election will be fought on new boundaries. These changes will not affect local authority boundaries so those of us who live within the Wealden District Council Area will continue to do so and to vote in the same wards and at the same places in local elections.
If you have any questions we would be happy to answer them if we can. Just reply to this email and we will be in touch.
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