Written by Peter Bingle, Chairman, Bell Pottinger Public Affairs
It may not be attracting national headlines (yet!) but a fascinating political battle is taking place in South-West London. In a rather lovely area called Thamesfield, a by-election has been called following the resignation of Edward Lister to become Boris’s Chief of Staff. Edward has represented the ward superbly since 1978. Thamesfield residents have been very fortunate to have such a dedicated and hardworking local councillor
I know this area well. I lived there for twenty-six years. I went to Our Lady of Victories primary school in Clarendon Drive and represented the ward from 1982-1990. My mum still lives in flat where I grew up. She has lived there for fifty six years …
Thamesfield is a collection of villages. It is all rather special. Walking along the embankment past all the boat houses there cannot be a more beautiful spot in the whole of London. Taking a picnic in the summer on Putney Common it is hard to fathom that you are technically in inner London. This is a lovely area.
Politically, Thamesfield is now a very safe Tory ward. There are parts of the ward (Erpingham and Deodar Roads comes to mind) where you can literally count the Tory votes. There are three council estates (The Platt, Felsham Road and Horne Way) but there is a substantial Tory vote on all three. The sales policy has transformed Lockyer House and The Platt. The Labour and Lib Dem votes come from the people who live in the largest houses (Lower Common South) or in the Fawe Park Road area where Peter Hain and his parents lived for many years.
There is a Catholic and Bengali community in the ward. Both are inclined to vote Tory. The result of the by-election is therefore a bygone conclusion …
It is worth remembering, however, that Thamesfield had Labour councillors from 1971 to 1978 and recorded the largest swing to Labour of any ward in Wandsworth in the 1997 general election. The Tory vote in this part of Putney is young, professional and affluent. It has changed a lot since the 1980s as has Putney itself. Aspirant working class families have made their money and moved elsewhere. The demographic mix of the children who now attend Our Lady of Victories RC Primary School could not be more different to my time when it was basically full of working class Anglo-Irish kids. We were also taught by a wonderful collection of nuns.
The Labour Party has also chosen a rather attractive young candidate (with a most unfortunate surname!) who is running a very professional campaign. I have yet to see any evidence of either the Tory candidate or his campaign. I am not sure that it matters, however, as Thamesfield has done well since 1978 when the Tories won control in Wandsworth. There are still some problems such as Putney High Street and the demise of the specialist shops in the Lower Richmond Road but you only have to walk around the area to see how it has been transformed. A good example is Wandsworth Riverside Quarter, a superb development just past Wandsworth Park on the river front. When I was a councillor it was an oil depot and not very pleasant …
No doubt there will be the usual scare stories about charging parents to use Leaders Gardens but they will have no impact. Ed Miliband has little if any support in this part of London, no matter how attractive the local candidate.
When I heard about the by-election a little part of me wished that I could return to my old fiefdom. Sanity prevailed. Never go back. Always go forward. Whoever wins the by-election will have the privilege of representing one of the nicest council wards anywhere in London. May the best man win …
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