Now that the counting is over...

And so, what happened to me in Village ward?

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/Uploads/File_20983.pdf

I suppose that I should be disappointed to finish behind the Greens but, given that they live in the ward and I don't, I can't really complain. I'll have to give some serious thought as to what I do next time, especially given our success in East Dulwich. If I want to be elected, I'm going to have to make a decision as to how committed I can be and if the answer is "not enough", I'll need to decide how else I can serve in the next four years.

In the meantime, there is much to do. I need to get my work as Regional Secretary up to date (fast!), deal with the outstanding paperwork from the election and get the house in order, all in just twelve days (yes, I'm off again...).

I still need some sleep too...

All I want for Christmas is some sleep

I am so tired...

Long hours at the office, long hours on the campaign trail, the occasional hour of sleep, 4 May can't come soon enough...

It does seem to be going well though, although you won't drag a prediction of victory out of me, be it in East Dulwich or Village ward (remember, vote for me and I won't turn you into a frog, or Kim Humphries for that matter - and let's face it, the frog has greater integrity...), I am confident that we've fought the best campaign we can fight.

And now I'm off to get some sleep... it won't be enough but...

Down these mean streets...

Village ward is a pretty place for a stroll on a sunny afternoon, especially now with so many trees blossoming, and, after a rather miserable morning, the sun came out to shine on the Liberal Democrat campaign team in Village.

I admit that leafleting in Village is rather more than a gentle stroll, especially given the lengthy drives and garden paths on any walk you care to pick. A walk that would take 75 minutes to deliver in East Dulwich takes twice that in Village.

One feature of campaigning in Dulwich as that the locals are quite discreet about their political favours. Posters are rare, to the extent that even the two Labour candidates have yet to put up a poster in their own homes! Of course, being a Labour candidate in Village ward isn't easy, as Barbara Portwin has already discovered in her now suspended blog.

One curious fact that I recently uncovered was our performance in Village ward in the GLA elections. Yes, we came third, but it was a remarkably good third, the full result being:

• Conservatives 26.6%
• Labour 24.5%
• Liberal Democrats 23.5%
• Greens 15.3%
• Others 10.1%

Now if that result were to be repeated, I might be very close to getting elected...

But enough of that, it's time to kick my shoes off and have some dinner!

A manifesto for Village ward!

If there are any voters reading this (and you never know, do you?), they might be wondering why they should vote Liberal Democrat. So, for their benefit, and for any of my readers who might be curious, here are our 'Six to Fix' for the next four years...

1. Keep council tax down - our minority administration has taken Southwark from the seventh highest Band D charge in London to the eighth lowest (out of thirty-two). That's better value for those who suffer from low incomes, especially pensioners, whose income hasn't kept pace with utility bills.
2. More powers for wardens - Southwark now has the largest team of community wardens in the country - reclaiming the streets for everyone and cracking down on anti-social behaviour.
3. Three new secondary schools - now that control has passed back into the hands of local councillors - Labour's record was so bad that they had control taken away from them by a Labour government! And to show that we have the interests of the whole borough at heart, they'll be placed in the north, centre and south of the borough.
4. Double recycling - recycling trebled over the past four years. We'll aim to double that over the next four years. Less rubbish in landfills saves us all money and enhances our environment.
5. 3,000 affordable homes for local people - I know so many people in the twenties and thirties who can't afford to buy a home near their workplace - teachers, nurses, public servants. We need to enable people to remain in their own communities and not be driven out by high housing costs.
6. 21st century leisure centres - if we're serious about improving the health of the nation, we need to provide facilities that people want to use. That means updating those leisure centres we have so that they meet the standards we all expect.

I'm proud to stand for these core commitments, and I know that my fellow candidates are too. Local government can play a key role in improving the lives of our communities and Liberal Democrats have already demonstrated our commitment to Southwark residents over the past four years. So, if you're convinced, vote for us on 4 May. If not, but you have questions, get in touch!