By News Reporters
Next month’s local elections will see a tough battle between the Conservatives, Greens and Labour in Camden’s Bloomsbury ward as candidates fight for three council seats.
Fitzrovia is divided into parts of three electoral wards. Bloomsbury in Camden, and Marylebone High Street and West End in Westminster. There will be hustings taking place in Fitzrovia for Camden Council candidates and Westminster City Council candidates.
Control of the Westminster wards is dominated by the Conservatives. Labour are not even bothering to stand in Marylebone High Street.
Bloomsbury ward, however, is far more marginal and is being targeted by the Conservatives, Labour and the Greens. In the 2006 local election only two votes separated Conservative candidate Rebecca Hossack from Labour’s Peter Brayshaw. Only after a recount did Rebecca Hossack take the seat.
Rebecca Hossack is the only current Bloomsbury councillor standing for re-election. The very popular Labour councillor Penny Abraham is retiring from local government at this election along with her fellow Labour councillor Fazlul Chowdhury. Labour are now fielding three new candidates.
The Green Party for the first time are campaigning hard in Bloomsbury and have selected it as a target ward. They are putting forward the writer and broadcaster Beatrix Campbell. Fitzrovia’s political pundits are predicting a three-way split in the Bloomsbury ward with the possibility of the Conservatives, Labour and the Greens each taking one of the three seats up for grabs.
There will be a public hustings for Bloomsbury ward held at the Drill Hall, Chenies Street, WC1E 7EX, at 7pm on Tuesday 20 April. The hustings is arranged by the Charlotte Street Association and Fitzrovia Neighbourhood Association.
On the Westminster side of Fitzrovia, Marylebone High Street ward is dominated by the Conservatives who have a huge majority. Labour are not fielding any candidates, the Liberal Democrats are only putting forward two, and the Green Party is putting up one candidate.
Westminster’s West End ward is also a Conservative stronghold but candidates from five political parties are standing here.
There will be an informal hustings and social evening where Marylebone High Street Ward and West End Ward candidates can meet Fitzrovia’s Westminster voters, at the Fitzrovia Neighbourhood Centre, 39 Tottenham Street, W1T 4RX. 7pm to 9pm Tuesday, 27 April 2010.
Full list of ward candidates
Bloomsbury (Camden)
Conservative Party: Timothy Barnes, Rebecca Hossack. Gotz Mohindra.
Green Party: Samuel De Mesquita, Beatrix Campbell, Justin Hoffman.
Labour Party: Adam Harrison, Milena Nuti, Abdul Quadir.
Liberal Democrats: Aimery De Malet, Elizabeth Jones, Abdul Tarofdar.
Marylebone High Street (Westminster)
Conservative Party: Edward Baxter, Harvey Marshall, Ian Rowley.
Green Party: Dr Derek Chase
Liberal Democrats: Alistair Barr, Sonia Dunlop
West End (Westminster)
Conservative Party: Jonathan Glanz, Glenys Roberts, Frixos Tombolis
English Democrats: Frank Roseman
Green Party: Cassandra Scott-Planer
Labour Party: David Bieda, Damian Dewhirst, Ann Pettifor
Liberal Democrats: Paul Morris, Ian Steers, Stephanie Taylor
Results of 2006 elections
Marylebone High Street & West End
What no Independents?