Dear Ed,

I have just read your take on why we lost the election. I could be wrong but, I don't think David Cameron is the reason why we have lost the election. He is so supportive of the town and although he is PM speaking to world leaders etc one minute, he NEVER forgets his constituents. Yesterday he was in Chippy again going round the Hospital and Care home visiting patients residents and staff. Although he had another meeting at 4pm he did not rush things and gave his attention to everyone, listening intently. He is a great assett to Chipping Norton and has helped many residents. No one knew he was going until just before he arrived.

Guy Wall would have been a great Councillor. He already supports the town without being involved in politics. And, yes he works and lives in the town,as does James.

There are a couple of reasons we lost this time. Firstly Labour targeted Chipping Norton and drafted in help from across Oxfordshire. Secondly the Ace centre where Leticia gained many votes. I can assure you it was not a petition that saved the Ace centre - which I might add was not threatened - but a service within the centre. How do I know? I am on the working party looking at them. Not Leticia.

I know that Chipping Norton benefits from Conservative control of the Councils. I also know that we cannot keep everyone happy all of the time.
It will be interesting to see what the Labour Councillors will achieve for Chipping Norton especially as they fought the election on County issues which are not within their control. 40 Conservatives and 4 labour on the District - I don't think I need say more. However we live in a democracy and this is what the people of Chipping Norton voted for. But it wasn't a landslide victory, 91 vote majority for Labour. That said you only need 1 vote to win. Do I think Chippy has made a mistake - of course I do, I am Conservative and both Councils are Conservative controlled.

I put in a mountain of time and effort and I have to admit the HGV situation is my biggest headache however I am making progress but I know it will not be fast enough for some!

People say to me that Chipping Norton was always a Labour Co Op town, but time changes things and certainly Chippy has more now than it did pre 2005.
And, before you say it Ed it is not all about jobs and Parker Knoll. Actually the unemployment rate in Chipping Norton is really low. Again though I am supportive of more employment in Chippy. We need a thriving town.
Whichever Government is in power and whatever funding is given, it is YOUR taxes. It is down to the Local Authority to decide who gets that money. If they do not support a bid we will not be successful. My mantra is that I want every bit of funding to come to Chipping Norton. Lastly, I did not see any Labour Councillors round the table when I was negotiating the hospital with the PCT and although we had an excellent pressure group who attended Joint Health Scrutiny, who never gave up - and are still in the frame at the moment, even they were not at the table either.
Making decisions as to where to spend funding is hard. Weighing up do we spend more on the elderley or children, education, or transport to name a few is difficult and everyone has a differing opinion. We want all to get more funding don't we?

As for Glyme Hall,(not mentioned by you but the Labour party) The County were sending the funding back to Government as they could not afford to run it until I stepped in. I virtually project managed the build. I bought everything that is in that hall from the funds and chaired the Trustees for three years. I have just stood down and others will now take over the reigns. It has a healthy £60,000 in the pot now. Nothing to do with government.

So Ed, I had to respond and I also know this will provoke some, but I am a Conservative, proud of that and my heart is in Chippy. I made a committment to the people who elected me and until I stand down or get beaten I will work my tail off for the town. However I am human and there a some things I cannot change - but make no mistake, Chipping Norton is firmly in the spotlight at County Hall and the District. Whatever the issue, I fight to get the best for Chippy. Sometimes I suceed and sometimes I don't. But, I am adamant that Chipping Norton has benefitted from the Conservatives.

Goodness, I can't believe i have written so much. havn't spell checked either as I am in a rush.
Good wishes, Hilary

Dear Hilary,

If only you had used this as the election address instead of the predictable rubbish we usually get your candidates would have walked it, it was obviously written from the heart with more than just dedication.

You say David Cameron is dedicated to Chippy I'm sure glad to hear it, however these elections, before the next General Election is a message to the political parties as to how people feel, Yet he still does not understand how people feel particularly about the EU, UKIP took 287 & 300 possible Tory votes from you, as for promising a referendum on the EU, nobody believes him. Unfortunately the electorate takes it out on these candidates to show their displeasure.

I was speaking to Guy last week about the forthcoming election saying the Labour Party are very well organised, you have confirmed this yet you let them beat you particularly over things like the ACE Centre and Glyme Hall as we know they did little or nothing, the National Labour Party are shafting Dave in his own back yard. As for Guy, he is a very nice guy (pun intended) I'm sure if he sticks at it and you don't replace him at the next election he will succeed eventually,

My remarks about Parker Knoll wasn't about a few jobs though you say we have low employment, it was about having a mass employer that paid extremely good wages c£300 - £600 per week when it closed. Because of PK many young families managed to buy their own homes, something now denied to many non skilled workers, I estimated at the time this brought around £7 million pounds into the local economy each year, now gone! IF you can persuade a manufacturer to come here paying similar wages I'm sure many would be very grateful.

Your right you didn't use the spell check. Ed

The Town Council now have a new labour member to share the great responsibility of running the cemetery, the allotments and the Town Hall. Nice enough chap but once he has experienced council meetings he will probably lose the will to live!

WODC will barely notice the new member from Chipping Norton, if she makes it from London in time for the meetings that is. As Hilary says 40 to 4, not a hope.
However, if Chipping Norton Conservatives want to make a better showing in the future they need to get their act together.

Meanwhile the local Labour Party appears to be showing all the signs of being so far left that I suspect they would have us all be comrades and learn the words of the Red Flag.

Congratulations people of Chippy I don't know what you are hoping for, what you think will change or indeed needs changing? Local Government is just that with all the financial and regulatory constraints that goes with it. Good luck Leticia, you will need it, but please learn the difference between County and District responsibilities.

A lot of the blame for the failure of the Conservatives in Chipping Norton has to be laid at David Cameron's door.

First off let me say that I am not a Conservative or ULIP voter but it does not stop me seeing the glaring obvious facts that most UKIP voters are former Tory voters. They have genuine and sincerely held (although in my opinion wrong) views that have been ignored and belittled by their natural home in the Tory party. How did Dave describe them "swivel eyed loons", is it any wonder they deserted you!

Throw in our sense of isolation and second class citizen status from the Tory majority in Oxfordshire and we end up looking like a "Nick Clegg" in local politics given lip service and not much more. Lets hope that the new Labour councillor can be the fox in the Witney hen house and ruffle a few feathers.

I was a Conservative voter until this election but voted UKIP purely because I cant trust Cameron over anything. Dean pit was closed to satisfy him and Lord Chadlington and we were given no alternative but to travel miles to dump our rubbish and his promise for a vote on Europe cant be believed as he promised that before and went back on his word. I wont waste my vote and as Labour got us into a mess UKIP was my answer.

Your man might well have been a good candidate Hilary but he was standing for the wrong party as far as I was concerned.