August 5, 2010
Last week I was selected as the Conservative Party Candidate to fight next years Welsh Assembly elections in Montgomeryshire.
Over 250 people attended a packed Welshpool town hall last Thursday evening to listen to questions put to myself and two other candidates. The meeting was open to members of the public, you didn’t need to be a party member to attend, and you just needed to be registered to vote in Montgomeryshire.
Interestingly, when former Labour MP John Marek was selected as the Conservative candidate to fight the seat in Wrexham the other day, also one of only three candidates, just 26 people turned up, I would have felt quite disappointed if this was the turnout in Welshpool. That said I of course wish John well and hope that he and I will be working as colleagues next May.
Turnout was high in Montgomershire because all three candidates where local, albeit from different parts of the constituency, and each having friends and family in the community coming out to support. All that said there was much interest, and many with an open mind.
I felt privileged and honored to have been selected. It was a difficult process, when the opposition are also friends who would have made excellent candidates for Montgomeryshire. I am hoping both will have the opportunity as assembly candidates in the other areas.
I had decided that if selected I was intending to fully commit my time to the job of candidate. It is my intention to win next May and to fly the flag for Montgomershire in the Assembly. I am keen to focus on finding solutions to the many problems we face and to listen to peoples concerns.
We need to retain and improve our local services and to find more efficient ways of delivering services. We need to provide support for local business to combat high unemployment levels. I shall be challenging the Welsh Assembly Government on Montgomeryshire’s poor transport infrastructure, and more importantly on making an announcement on the preferred route and start date for the Newtown Bypass which I believe is crucial to the regeneration of our local economy.
The Welsh Assembly Government has done little for Mid Wales and this needs to change.
4 Comments | 
conservatives, elections, independent candidates, montgomeryshire conservatives, newtown, transport, welsh assembly, welsh conservatives | Tagged: montgomeryshire, candidate, welsh, assembly, welshpool town hall | 
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Posted by russellgeorge
December 31, 2009
This year will be an exciting one for those interested in both local and national politics, like me. We will have a general election before July and as a Conservative myself I of course hope we will have a Tory government.
I will also be working hard to get our candidate for the Conservative Party in Montgomeryshire elected, Glyn Davies. I’ve just read Glyn’s new year message and I am particularly happy to see him mention how he will do his best to bring pride, integrity and respect to the position of an MP. No man woman or MP can be perfect, but each can strive to do there best.
Anyway, happy new year. Part of Glyn’s Message is below:
NEW YEAR MESSAGE from GLYN DAVIES, Parliamentary Candidate for the Conservative Party in Montgomeryshire.
As I type these words on my computer, our 2 year old granddaughter, Ffion is ‘helping’ me. In the next room, our week old grandson, Darragh is crying for his mother to feed him. All around me, is the hub-bub of family life. Inevitably, all this creates context for how I think about the New Year. If all of us are here to celebrate next Christmas together, healthy and content, 2010 will have turned out to be a good year, whatever else may happen.
A General Election will dominate my 2010. The result will be important for the UK, for Wales, and for Montgomeryshire. I hope it brings change. It will also be decisive for Ffion, Darragh and all the rest of us. If I were to be elected Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire in 2010, the responsibility would demand a huge commitment. And it would be given, because Montgomeryshire matters to me. It’s home, and always will be.
As a politician, my aim has always been to reach out across party loyalities. So often we agree about what’s right. My support for our soldiers in Afghanistan, my wish to help the elderly, and those suffering from dementia, from renal problems, from Parkinson’s Disease, my love of Rural Wales, the wildlife with which we share our world, and the Welsh Language, is shared across all parties - as is my determination to always win a fair deal for Montgomeryshire. Most of us want a nation that is fairer, safer, greener, and where every individual matters – even though we may not always agree on the best way to achieve all these things. But most of all, I would do my best to bring pride, integrity and respect to the position of MP for Montgomeryshire.
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Posted by russellgeorge
May 3, 2008
It is just now sinking in that I have been elected to represent the residents of Powys and in particular the people of Newtown Central on our local Council.
The count was not taking place until Friday morning. So although very tired after weeks of hard campaigning, I had little sleep on Thursday night.
I stood around the table where the votes where being counted, along with the other candidates, each candidate having friends and party members around them. I’ve never experienced so many emotions in such a short space of time as the votes where sorted into the five trays: nerves, excitement, pride, anxiety, humility and more.
Then the results were declared:
BANCROFT, Dougie – Welsh Liberal Democrats – 211
GEORGE, Russell Ian – Welsh Conservatives – 314
LLOYD, Robert Alan – Independent – 29
MCCALL, John Andrew, Independent – 26
TAYLOR, Reg, Independent – 110
The returning officer then announced: “And I do hereby declare that the said Russell Ian George is duly elected Councillor for the said Electoral Division”. I felt very excited to be given this vote of confidence by the people of Newtown Central which I intend to repay by bringing a fresh approach on their behalf.
I’ve had many emails, comments and texts congratulating me, which I haven’t yet had time to respond to, so if you are reading this, thank you – I appreciate your support greatly.
3 Comments | conservatives, elections, newtown, powys county council, welsh conservatives | Tagged: dougie bancroft, election night, independent candidates, john mccall, reg taylor, robert lloyd, victory, welsh liberal democrats | Permalink
Posted by russellgeorge
April 24, 2008
Our local authority has put off a decision to switch off a third of Powys’ 14,000 street lights for a year to save money and energy until next month.
In a few weeks I may be one of the councillors asked to consider this proposal. If councillors vote in favour of the project next month then 5,000 lights will be switched off in June.
The lighting bill is around £500,000 per year and is set to rise by £175,000 with rising costs and a tight budget.
After chatting to people in Trehafren last night, I could be mistaken for thinking the scheme was already underway, as a number of residents told me about lights around their homes not coming on.
Of course I knew that the scheme hadn’t really started, and wondered if it was it worth reporting the problem, given that they may be left turned off anyway in a few weeks!
I’m in favour of finding ways to save electricity, and I’m making this a priority in my shop. However, I’m also in favour of having good street lighting, particularly to increase public security and safety.
I’m not sure how much it costs to install one lamppost and light, but I expect the cost is fairly high. Surely, it doesn’t make any sense to spend money installing street lights, only to then introduce a policy not to turn them on?
3 Comments | councillors, elections, environment, issues, powys county council, public services, safety, street lighting | Tagged: electricity, energy, street lights, trehafren | Permalink
Posted by russellgeorge
April 21, 2008
I can’t understand how anyone can say that removing the 10p tax band will help anyone. Newtown is one of the lowest paid areas in the UK and those on lowest pay will certainly find themselves paying much more tax.
This is just another way through the back door of taking more money from the average hard working person. When Gordon Brown announced the reduction in the basic rate from 22% to 20% and then abolished the 10p tax band, it was obvious to that everyone would be worse off. But what’s frustrating is that on announcing this he presented it as good for the average hard-working person!
So many people I have spoken to this week have aired there dissatisfaction of Labour, and I’m finding great support with people telling me there going to vote Conservative for the first time.
Council tax is of course another hot issue. The Lib Dems in Powys want to scrap council tax and replace it with a tax-per-person system. If this comes about I fear that the average paid workers in Powys will be paying even more.
The Conservatives pledge to introduce a system that places the control of council tax into our hands. My party will call for a referendum if our council wants to put up council tax by any significant amount. This will effectively make our council have to put forward a strong case to justify any large increase if they want us, the people of Powys, to vote for it.
It’s a disgrace that people who earn next to nothing are going to subsidise the 2p tax cut for people who earn more than they do. We are paying too much tax for too little in return and from the conversations I’ve had with people in Newtown this week I believe the public are finally realising it.
Leave a Comment » | conservatives, council tax, elections, issues, newtown, powys county council, taxes | Tagged: 10p tax band, gordon brown, labour, lib dems, liberal democrats, referendum | Permalink
Posted by russellgeorge
April 9, 2008
I read with interest an article on the BBC website today about how research from BBC Wales shows that Welsh councillors are not getting any younger.
A few years ago the Welsh Assembly had a scheme to “pay off” long-standing councillors, in an initiative to get younger men and women into our local councils.
I’m 34 in a few week (27 April if anyone wants to send me birthday wishes!) and if I am elected I will be among the 3.3% who are under 35! The average age of councillors is still 61 in 10 local authorities surveyed some years ago.
I am absolutely in favour of encouraging younger people to get involved in local politics and public services. It does however frustrate me that £1.6 m of the taxpayers’ money (our money) was spent on a scheme that gave councillors a cash incentive if they stood down.
What makes it all the more frustrating is the BBC Wales survey that found four years on, the average age of councillors in those 10 areas remains 61.
I think I should point out that I’m not having dig at old counsellors. For every old and ineffective councillor there is another one thats bring great experience and wisdom. We need a mix of older and younger councillors – after all councillors should be a true reflection of the area they represent.
Encouragingly, the survey found that Powys had the most noticeable drop in the average age of councillors. If I’m elected on May 1st, the Powys figures will look even better!
3 Comments | councillors, elections, powys county council, taxes, welsh assembly | Tagged: ages, birthday, old, pay off, taxes, young, youth | Permalink
Posted by russellgeorge
April 6, 2008
A few people have asked me recently why on earth I want to put myself forward as a candidate in the County Council elections.
My poor friends have had to put up with me rant about the bureaucracy and time wasting of local government for a long time now. How much ‘consultation’ happens without anybody actually being listened to and action being taken? How many endless meetings take place in County Hall? I’m sure you too have questions that need answering and issues to be raised.
Well I suppose this is the very reason I’m standing. I believe I can’t just rant on, and just not do any thing about it. So over the past month I made a decision: stop raving or stand! And here I am.
I don’t believe for one moment that I’ll be able to stop all the time-wasting, but do hope that if elected I will be able to bring a fresh approach with pro-active consultation with the people of the county.
Leave a Comment » | consultation, elections | Tagged: bureaucracy, consultation, county hall, decision, elections, issues, meetings, questions, time wasting | Permalink
Posted by russellgeorge
March 29, 2008
Well I’ve decided to start a blog! As the official campaign will soon start, I hope this will be a forum where people will be able to let me know what matters to them, and for me to be able to express my views on relevant issues.
There will be a lot more content on my site next week, so please come back and check it out.
Leave a Comment » | elections, newtown | Tagged: blog, campaign | Permalink
Posted by russellgeorge
