On the election campaign trail

PARKING problems were high on the agenda when Labour Party candidate Funda Pepperall joined borough councillors Paul Harvey, Laura James and Andrew McCormick on the hustings in the South View area of Basingstoke. As she asked residents to sign a petition calling for answers to parking problems in the area, resident Arthur Williams told Mrs Pepperall his biggest concern was the high number of commuters parking along the street. He suffers from emphysema and last year an ambulance was called to his house, but it was unable to reach his front door because of the number of commuter cars in the way. He said: “It had to reverse and come another way. It could have been life and death. I could have been dead.” Mrs Pepperall told residents that Labour has struggled to achieve results in the town because of the Conservative-led council. She told Mr Williams: “Labour councillors have been fighting to change this, but because we have a Tory council, they won’t listen. But we need more pressure to make them listen.” Mrs Pepperall lives in Southampton, but she pledged she would move to the town if she won the Basingstoke seat.

JOHN Shaw is looking to land a double victory on May 6. Not only is he campaigning as the Liberal Democrat candidate for the Basingstoke constituency, but he is also bidding to retain his borough council seat in the Brookvale and Kings Furlong ward. Last weekend, Mr Shaw and party colleagues spoke to shoppers in Basingstoke town centre and gave out leaflets about the Lib Dem campaign. It was a slow start for the group, who began canvassing at the Top of The Town on Saturday. Many passers-by rejected the offer of more information, or the chance to meet their local candidate. But eventually two first-time voters showed an interest in the campaign and stopped to talk to Mr Shaw. They told him their views of the Lib Dems, after watching leader of the party Nick Clegg on television, and said they were impressed with the party's support for students. Poppy Hill, 18, from Hackwood Road said: "So many students are put off going to university because of the fees, and the increase in fees has put even more people off." Mr Shaw explained the Liberal Democrats would get rid of tuition fees altogether, adding: "We have said that if we win this election, we will abolish tuition fees because they create obstacles for going to university." Poppy's sister, Lauren, 20 said: "We are a family of six kids and we live with our dad who has looked after us for six years and we have had to do a lot of growing up. We want to know there are people who are going to help us."

CONSERVATIVE candidate Maria Miller, who has been the town's MP for five years and is defending the seat, this week visited the Sure Start Children's Centre at Chiltern Primary School to talk to local mums. Mrs Miller, who is a mother-of-three and the Shadow Minister for Families, listened to one parent's concerns about how little support she thought she had received from the Labour Government. Sue Lussenden, from Rooksdown, Basingstoke, who has four boys, told Mrs Miller: "We are struggling as a family. My husband works and I work at weekends but we still aren't bringing in enough money. The thing that annoys me most is we don't get any help but the people out of work do." Mrs Miller said she wanted to create a system where everyone eligible for tax credits could benefit, as this would help families who are struggling. She added: "The tax credits system is so complex and many people who are eligible for them don't use them. One of the things I want to see happen is a simplification of the system." Mother-of-five, Astrid Kelly, from Kempshott, Basingstoke, praised the Sure Start centres and said she hoped more would open up across the town to help other mothers. She added: "I'm an older mum so I get tired, and these centres are great because I can pop in when I want."