WELCOME
Welcome to my latest newsletter. Please forward it to anyone else who you think would like to receive it, and they can sign up at my website (www.peterheatonjones.org.uk).
Conference
This week I've been representing North Devon at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.
The coverage you see on television - the keynote speeches from the main hall - is only a small part of the whole event. Most of the real business goes on behind the scenes, at hundreds of fringe meetings and chance encounters with decision-makers.
Because we're in government, it meant every meeting I had with a cabinet minister had the potential to make a real difference. That's why I used every opportunity to bang the drum for North Devon.
Nicky Morgan
The photo shows my meeting with the Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan. I met Nicky to discuss the funding for Chulmleigh Community College, which I've written about in previous weeks. You'll remember the school has undergone a transformation and received substantial investment, but its bid for funds to complete the job has been delayed.
Earlier this month I invited another cabinet minister - Sajid Javid - to visit Chulmleigh and he promised to take up our case. Then when I found myself in the same meeting as the Education Secretary in Birmingham, I couldn't resist raising it directly with her.
Nicky Morgan has promised to have close look at this case. I'm now very hopeful of a positive outcome.
Other meetings
Also at Conference I had meetings about North Devon issues with the Transport Secretary Patrick McLaughlin, Local Government Minister Penny Mordaunt, Minister for the Disabled Mark Harper, and the Party's Deputy Chairman (and southwest MP) Sarah Newton.
I'll write about those in more detail in future, but it won't be a surprise to hear that my meeting with the Transport Secretary was about the much-needed improvements to the North Devon Link Road. As you know I am campaigning for a proper dual carriageway between Tiverton and Barnstaple. In the last few weeks we've sent out thousands of surveys to selected homes asking for residents' views.
Thank you to everyone who has returned them so far - if we can prove that the community is behind this campaign, we will have more chance of success. If you haven't received a survey you can let me know what you think through my website or by contacting me directly.
The Prime Minister
David Cameron's speech to the Conservative Party Conference on Wednesday contained excellent news for hardworking people across North Devon.
I especially welcome the pledge that nobody will pay income tax on the first £12,500 of their income. This means someone working 30 hours a week on the minimum wage will pay no income tax at all.
David Cameron also said the Conservatives will raise the threshold at which people pay the 40% tax rate to £50,000. This helps hardworking, middle income families.
And the NHS budget has been ring-fenced, which is a commitment I fully support.
Of course there is more to do to secure the economic progress we've made, but David Cameron has set out a clear path which we must stick to.
My campaigning in North Devon will be moving up a gear this autumn, and David Cameron's speech today is the perfect springboard.
Polls
You may have seen a report in one of our local papers headlined 'LibDems set to keep North Devon seat at general election, new research finds'.
It was, I'm afraid, inaccurate. I was at the Conservative Party Conference where Lord Ashcroft announced the results of this opinion poll.
His research covered 22 constituencies, but North Devon was not one of them. Therefore when he listed possible Conservative gains in the southwest, he did not include North Devon. That doesn't mean he thinks it will be a LibDem hold; it simply means he hasn't done the research here yet.
Interestingly, two days later the BBC's Newsnight asked a respected elections analyst to predict the outcome in a number of seats in the southwest. He was asked to mark them on a map in appropriate colours.
North Devon was coloured blue.
However there is only one poll that matters, on May 7 next year. Very soon there'll be just six months to go, and I'll be issuing my 'manifesto' with my pledges for North Devon.
Meanwhile, the positive campaigning continues. If you want to let me know what you think on any issue, please do get in touch.
Keep in touch
I am active on social media, which is a good way to keep up with what I am doing so please:
Follow me on Twitter:http://www.twitter.com/PeterNorthDevon
Like me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PeterNorthDevon
Many thanks.
Until next week......
Peter
Peter Heaton-Jones
Conservative Parliamentary Candidate
email:[email protected]
http://www.peterheatonjones.org.uk
Welcome to my latest newsletter. Please forward it to anyone else who you think would like to receive it, and they can sign up at my website (www.peterheatonjones.org.uk).
Conference
This week I've been representing North Devon at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.
The coverage you see on television - the keynote speeches from the main hall - is only a small part of the whole event. Most of the real business goes on behind the scenes, at hundreds of fringe meetings and chance encounters with decision-makers.
Because we're in government, it meant every meeting I had with a cabinet minister had the potential to make a real difference. That's why I used every opportunity to bang the drum for North Devon.
Nicky Morgan
The photo shows my meeting with the Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan. I met Nicky to discuss the funding for Chulmleigh Community College, which I've written about in previous weeks. You'll remember the school has undergone a transformation and received substantial investment, but its bid for funds to complete the job has been delayed.
Earlier this month I invited another cabinet minister - Sajid Javid - to visit Chulmleigh and he promised to take up our case. Then when I found myself in the same meeting as the Education Secretary in Birmingham, I couldn't resist raising it directly with her.
Nicky Morgan has promised to have close look at this case. I'm now very hopeful of a positive outcome.
Other meetings
Also at Conference I had meetings about North Devon issues with the Transport Secretary Patrick McLaughlin, Local Government Minister Penny Mordaunt, Minister for the Disabled Mark Harper, and the Party's Deputy Chairman (and southwest MP) Sarah Newton.
I'll write about those in more detail in future, but it won't be a surprise to hear that my meeting with the Transport Secretary was about the much-needed improvements to the North Devon Link Road. As you know I am campaigning for a proper dual carriageway between Tiverton and Barnstaple. In the last few weeks we've sent out thousands of surveys to selected homes asking for residents' views.
Thank you to everyone who has returned them so far - if we can prove that the community is behind this campaign, we will have more chance of success. If you haven't received a survey you can let me know what you think through my website or by contacting me directly.
The Prime Minister
David Cameron's speech to the Conservative Party Conference on Wednesday contained excellent news for hardworking people across North Devon.
I especially welcome the pledge that nobody will pay income tax on the first £12,500 of their income. This means someone working 30 hours a week on the minimum wage will pay no income tax at all.
David Cameron also said the Conservatives will raise the threshold at which people pay the 40% tax rate to £50,000. This helps hardworking, middle income families.
And the NHS budget has been ring-fenced, which is a commitment I fully support.
Of course there is more to do to secure the economic progress we've made, but David Cameron has set out a clear path which we must stick to.
My campaigning in North Devon will be moving up a gear this autumn, and David Cameron's speech today is the perfect springboard.
Polls
You may have seen a report in one of our local papers headlined 'LibDems set to keep North Devon seat at general election, new research finds'.
It was, I'm afraid, inaccurate. I was at the Conservative Party Conference where Lord Ashcroft announced the results of this opinion poll.
His research covered 22 constituencies, but North Devon was not one of them. Therefore when he listed possible Conservative gains in the southwest, he did not include North Devon. That doesn't mean he thinks it will be a LibDem hold; it simply means he hasn't done the research here yet.
Interestingly, two days later the BBC's Newsnight asked a respected elections analyst to predict the outcome in a number of seats in the southwest. He was asked to mark them on a map in appropriate colours.
North Devon was coloured blue.
However there is only one poll that matters, on May 7 next year. Very soon there'll be just six months to go, and I'll be issuing my 'manifesto' with my pledges for North Devon.
Meanwhile, the positive campaigning continues. If you want to let me know what you think on any issue, please do get in touch.
Keep in touch
I am active on social media, which is a good way to keep up with what I am doing so please:
Follow me on Twitter:http://www.twitter.com/PeterNorthDevon
Like me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PeterNorthDevon
Many thanks.
Until next week......
Peter
Peter Heaton-Jones
Conservative Parliamentary Candidate
email:[email protected]
http://www.peterheatonjones.org.uk