Aron Thornley: Liberal Democrat candidate for Marple South and High Lane 2019

[Steve Gribbon]

Aron, I recall seeing your Lib Dem colleague (definitely Colin, maybe Steve as well), in campaign videos last year looking angry by speed humps.  If a consultation is genuinely needed for the humps to be removed, why has this not already been done?

Hello @Carolyn Leather

The speed bumps issue I haven’t had any direct involvement with as it is predominately a Marple South item so I don’t want to interfere. I’ve done a video on Compstall Road for resurfacing (completed) and Eastwood Drive for line painting (also completed).

Colin was responsible for the bumps footage although I haven’t seen any of him being angry, I’m going for ‘determined’!

Best wishes for this coming Thursday.

Kind regards

Steve

[Newbie1]

Aron, I recall seeing your Lib Dem colleague (definitely Colin, maybe Steve as well), in campaign videos last year looking angry by speed humps.  If a consultation is genuinely needed for the humps to be removed, why has this not already been done?

[jimblob]

We must consult the people first. That is what we have been asked to do before there can be consideration made for changes. The liberal democrat view is clear - we want to remove some of the speed bumps. As soon as possible.

And therein lies the problem .... who are "The people" If you ask a few dozen folks if they'd like speed measures outside their house (that will probably deter motorists from using that route),chances are they'll be up for it. Ask the several thousand motorists who might genuinely need to use that route several times a week but who live half a mile away, and you'll get a different answer!

[CllrGeoffAbell]

Roads have been a particular issue this election, especially in High Lane with increased traffic on the A6, pollution and the threat of more houses.  This is a video Aron and Becky made recently on this issue.

[Aron Thornley]

We must consult the people first. That is what we have been asked to do before there can be consideration made for changes. The liberal democrat view is clear - we want to remove some of the speed bumps. As soon as possible.

[jimblob]

After the election we would run a full consultation with our constituents asking them about their ideas in regard to speeding, traffic congestion and speed bumps.

Hi Aron.
My concern is that it was a consultation that got all these measures there in the first place. I have little faith in the consultation process itself.

[Aron Thornley]

Hi jimblob. Yes we do have a realistic proposal. And, once again,  it's a big IF in regard to whether I would be elected. Our local ward has elected two conservatives in the past 4 years.

After the election we would run a full consultation with our constituents asking them about their ideas in regard to speeding, traffic congestion and speed bumps. Then we would take the information from the consultation and start speaking to the appropriate people to find the resources to start doing what the people want us to do.

I have spoken to so many people on the doorstep who are very unhappy with the number of speed bumps that currently exist in our ward.

[jimblob]

Myself and Colin McAlister are determined to cut out a good number of the speed bumps in Marple South and High Lane. We realise that sometimes they  have been reducing speeding on some roads but, on balance,  local people are more unhappy with the extra pollution that they create, slow traffic between Marple and High Lane,  and damages to vehicles. We would work towards leaving just a few of them to support local people with unnecessary speeding on local roads.

Hear Hear, I'll second that. Do you have a realistic proposal in order to be able to do this?

[Aron Thornley]

Sorry I haven't responded earlier. Over the past 6 months our team in Stockport have written a document that lays out our ideas going forward. Our 6 key policies for Stockport are as follows - invest in our district centres and our local economy,  tackle traffic, parking and pollution, fight for our schools and families, protect people and our communities, make the coy council work for you, putting real power in the hands of local people.

If I am elected, and that is a BIG if , because elections in Marple South and High Lane are always close, I am determined to work with our Stockport team to work towards these objectives. I'll tell you what that looks like locally in Marple South and High Lane.

Our 21 councillors in Stockport Council will not support the current proposal for 500 houses in High Lane. Nor will I.

Myself and Colin McAlister are determined to cut out a good number of the speed bumps in Marple South and High Lane. We realise that sometimes they  have been reducing speeding on some roads but, on balance,  local people are more unhappy with the extra pollution that they create, slow traffic between Marple and High Lane,  and damages to vehicles. We would work towards leaving juat a few of them to support local people with unnecessary speeding on local roads.

Marple pool is an interesting and agonising issue. There are several options on the table but 2 more obvious solutions. We build a new facility or we repair the current facility.  With a Labour-led council in Stockport and in times of austerity I doubt that they will find the funds to build a new pool anytime soon, so I lean towards repairing the current facility. Whether we decide as a Lib Dem group to go for either option or possibly both,  this would be easier for us if we were leading the council, a possibility in the next couple of years.

We are unhappy with cuts to our local council budget, education and Stepping Hill hospital; we do believe in essence that bringing budgets to a local level can give local people more say in regard to what money is spent and where.

We are very concerned about air quality in our local area. We want to ensure that measurements are made, and that people in our regional and national bodies are aware of our local situation and accountable to these measurements.

I'm a pragmatist in my politics and so my answer to your list of questions regarding brexit may not be ideal. At a local level Brexit is not a direct issue in our election in the same way it would  be in a general election.

I voted remain because I thought it would be the right thing for our economy. If the politicians can't get to grips with brexit then a 2nd referendum might be the only way we can move forward. I think most people understand that if we did have a 2nd referendum the vote would be majority remain. This is a complicated issue in regard to our democracy,  and what happens after that is not something that I can speculate on.

I'm not sure if a 2nd referendum/people's vote will ever happen ? I feel quite sure that Labour and the Conservatives don't want it.

[wheels]

Oh Geoff and I used to hold you in such high regard. 😃

Seriously I want to know that the candidate I vote for will join the group on the council from of that party and will support the leadership of that group and obey the whip of that group. That tells me that Stockport MBC will be taken in x direction rather than y direction if another group is in control.  I suggest most people are more concerned with the policy and direction of the Council rather than individual ward based issues. Indeed 90% of ward issues can be traced back to the policy direction and philosophy of the controlling group in any event.

What I would like to know from this year's candidate as well as the usual questions is

How did you vote in the referendum?
Do you support the Revocation of Article 50?
Do you support a People's Vote?
How would you vote in a second referendum?
Do you support a public enquiry into the conduction of the 2016 Referendum?

As we are in Arons page that would be a good place to start

[CllrGeoffAbell]

Actually I agree with @Condate ... Whilst it tells you their broad political philosophy, what areas are they interested in?  E.g. I had a keen interest in transport, so helped to keep the 394 bus and helped build cycle paths (though sadly not in Marple centre). 

[wheels]

Well obviously Condate we will just have to respectfully disagree on that. All I want is an assurance from a candidate that they will follow their party whip whatever it might be that tells me more than enough about the philosophy they will follow.

[Condate]

Hopefully he would following Lib Dem whip. What more do we need to know.

Which would make him unelectable, as would any candidate be who followed a party whip. What we need to know about candidates is their personal ideas and what they personally would do if elected. If all councillors are going to do is follow a party position, we don't really need to know anything about them at all. We might as well elect a cat or dog, as long as it could vote the way the party wanted. Yes, I know councillors to other work apart from voting in the council, but it really is pointless voting for a candidate who is simply a party politician; regardless of which party they vote for.

Obviously, we don't know that's what this, or the other candidates want to do. That's what this forum is for : for each candidate to give us their personal (not party) views on the issues affecting Marple.

[wheels]

Hopefully he would following Lib Dem whip. What more do we need to know.

[jimblob]

Hi. My name is Aron Thornley. I am standing in the local council elections as the Liberal Democrat Candidate for Marple South and High Lane.  I thought it would be good to let you know a little more about me as you go out to vote in May.

A long intro Aron and we now know lots about you but nothing about what you'd propose to actually do if elected?