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| The Refurbished St George's Hall, Calshot |
Ten years ago, co-founder of Southampton Independents Andrew Pope led a campaign to protect the right to vote of residents of Calshot, when Tory councillors and officers at New Forest District Council had resolved to close a remote polling station.
Once again, ten years later, there is another review of polling stations by the local Council and again, the local Conservative councillors are failing to protect the right to vote for local people.
Calshot is a remote community at the end of the A326, which runs from Southampton and along the Waterfront at Southampton Water. Closing that polling station would have meant a long journey for voters to Fawley. Bus services there were rare. And the walk would be long and hazardous along an unlit main road.
Despite this, the Conservative-run Council's General Purposes Committee had resolved to close St George's Hall as a polling station. So when Labour's 2015 Parliamentary Candidate for New Forest East, Pope started a petition of people who lived in the area and presented it to the Council.
Chris Yandell of the Daily Echo covered the story.
The campaign was victorious in causing a u-turn, despite local Tory councillor Alexis McEvoy claiming that we were "scaremongering". As reported by the Echo, the Council had resolved and minuted via the General Purposes Committee to close the polling station.
St George's Hall was being run down, and being talked down by officers of the Council and councillors.
Now, it has been refurbished and control will be passed to Fawley Parish Council. More photos are below. Perhaps this was a sign of a new commitment to the facility from local councillors and the Council?
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| The refurbished Main Hall |
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| The refurbished kitchen |
Andrew contacted both local New Forest District councillors, who are both Conservatives, to ask them to pledge to protect St George's Hall as a polling station.
Despite chasing, no such reassurance has been received from Councillor Alan Alvey or Councillor Matthew Hartmann.
What happened to Alexis McEvoy, you may ask?
She is no longer a district councillor, following her 'racist' attack via Twitter on much-loved footballer and pundit Ian Wright.
McEvoy was placed under investigation and had the Conservative whip removed from her. She was also removed from the New Forest National Park Authority.
McEvoy remains as a County Councillor until the elections in May 2025. Some call her "independent" but really she is just a disgraced Conservative.
So have the current local councillors turned over a new leaf? No.
Below is the far-from-delightful and far-from-helpful response from Conservative councillor Alan Alvey, who was given two opportunities to state his commitment to St George's Hall.
"Dear Mr Pope
Your original message did not require a response as I am not responsible to you for how I act. You are not one of my constituents and, so far as I am aware, have no connection to the Calshot Ward.
Regards
Alan Alvey
Fawley, Blackfield & Langley,
New Forest District Council"
It seems that the standard of Conservative councillor has not improved despite the removal of Alexis McEvoy!
And the people of Calshot need to know that the Tories have not learned any lesson.
Independent councillors of New Forest District Council did reply via their Group Leader Peter Armstrong. And their reply was very helpful in describing the plight of Calshot residents, including more cuts to the buses.
Let us hope that all Conservative councillors for the area will be removed by the people of the area in any future and upcoming elections, and that the polling station is retained.
