Teresa Heritage, Harpenden North East Candidate in the forthcoming County Council elections was delighted to welcome the Conservative Party Chairman Nigel Huddlestone to Harpenden. Nigel is currently visiting Towns and villages all over the Country to listen to local people and find out what their real issues and concerns are. Teresa said "Most people's day to day lives are impacted by what is happening in their local communities and it is important that national politicians understand how important these local issues are and how much they matter to people."
Nigel campaigned with Teresa and reported "The biggest issue on the doorstep was the Liberal Democrats charging for parking on Harpenden High Street. Residents are extremely upset that their views are not being listened to. They are concerned about the vibrancy of their High Street and the survival of independent shops. They told me that despite 95% of people being against the plans, the Liberal Democrats went ahead anyway, having already bought the parking equipment before they even consulted.' Nigel, who used to live in Wheathampsted and who was a District Councillor representing the village said "My wife and I often shopped in Harpenden and love the High Street. It is one of the nicest in the country." He was delighted to meet with local Conservative activists joking "You must be committed, coming out on a wet Thursday."
Richard Roberts, Leader of Hertfordshire County Council also joined Teresa, saying "I also found the issue was Parking and the lack of listening to what people want." He went on "People are normally concerned about potholes during elections and I was prepared to tell them about the 74,000 potholes we filled in the County last year and the 1,000 roads we improved. However, this issue was not raised once. A future issue is likely to be water drainage off our roads, particularly if global warming leads to more rain. We intend to invest heavily in making our verges safer and improving water drainage."
