Hodge Hill feels like Bermondsey and Brent East says Simon Hughes (Birmingham Liberal Democrats)

Birmingham Liberal Democrats <info@birminghamlibdems.org.uk>

Hodge Hill feels like Bermondsey and Brent East says Simon Hughes

July 1, 2004 5:00 PM

Nicola Davies and Simon Hughes talking to a local resident

Commenting during a campaigning visit to Hodge Hill by-election Simon Hughes MP said: "Twenty one years ago I beat Labour in the Southwark and Bermondsey by-election and last year Sarah Teather won Brent East. This Hodge Hill election campaign is beginning to have the same feel about it as those victories."

Mr. Hughes said "It's clear Labour have let this area down badly - the lack of investment is stark. It's also clear that increasing numbers of local people are switching their support from Labour to Nicola Davies. This used to be a safe Labour seat but in the seven years Labour have been in Government they have taken it for granted and it's now very marginal between the Liberal Democrats and Labour."

Mr. Hughes further said "The Labour Party would be foolish to write off what Nicola and her local team are trying to do here - they are simply giving a voice to those people whom the Labour Party have ignored. There are entire estates here where people say they have rarely see a police officer and rarely get housing repairs done on time. What is often more rare is their Labour councillors turning up to help with the problems. The Liberal Democrats are wanting to empower people - to tackle local issues, to fight on behalf of local communities. This is real community politics. That is what we have done in Southwark, what Sarah Teather has done in Brent and what Nicola is doing here in Hodge Hill."