The end is nigh
Assessing the election campaigns in Medway, plus a look at the new Splashes, important Greggs data, news in brief, and more
As we approach the final two weeks of the General Election campaign, most of the parties have stepped up their campaigning across the three constituencies. But with the Conservatives now facing extinction level polling, can they do enough to hang on here? We look at each of the campaigns. Further down, we have a look at the new Splashe.. Cozenton Park Sports Centre, some important data involving Greggs, our news in brief, and more.
The end is nigh
With just two weeks until the General Election, the campaigns are now at full speed in Medway. As Medway becomes more of a battleground than it has been in a while, national journalists have been taking more of an interest. This week, Sky News visited a social club in Strood to get a sense of how things are going, and if it’s any indication, Reform is going to walk it. The BBC, on the other hand, visited Chatham and Rainham and found a more nuanced picture. Make of that what you will.
As the Conservatives look nervously at the national opinion polls, activity has been ramping up. In Rochester and Strood, Kelly Tolhurst has regularly been out with teams, getting posters and boards up across the constituency. Unfortunately, not all of those posters fared so well, with some being ripped down and defaced. While this is, of course, unacceptable, it was interesting that Tolhurst took to social media to blame her ‘opponents’ when word on the street suggested some of the local youth were behind it.
Elsewhere, Tolhurst’s campaign was supported this week by Mims Davies, one of the few ministers who have made the journey to Medway to campaign. She also came out hard on social media against emergency gas works after Station Road in Strood was once again closed. The biggest moment of the week for Tolhurst clearly came over the weekend, though, when she was interviewed by an award-winning independent local news outlet.
Across the other constituencies, Nathan Gamester has been out in Chatham and Aylesford, often with Tracey Crouch, taking selfies in front of as many England flags as possible. Over in Gillingham and Rainham, Rehman Chishti continues to post somewhat baffling videos and has had some impressively large teams out. One place he wasn’t was at our Gillingham and Rainham hustings last week, instead pointedly posting on social media about being out in Twydall exactly halfway through, as 200 people sat in a church in Rainham wanting to hear from him. It’s a bold tactic for someone that, according to a poll published today, is 32% behind.
Following recent editions of this dispatch, Labour activists have contacted us to complain about being called their campaign boring. As such, it is only fair that we report the more exciting sides of their campaign. This week, Rochester and Strood candidate Lauren Edwards went to a farmers market, Chatham and Aylesford candidate Tris Osborne posted some pothole gifs, and Gillingham and Rainham candidate Naushabah Khan visited a cash and carry.
In all seriousness, we’ve been calling their campaign primarily because it’s been largely gaffe-free, which, let’s be honest, is our bread and butter with these dispatches. Getting out there, delivering leaflets, and meeting voters isn’t the most thrilling content for us to cover, but here we are.
The Greens claimed to have been joined on the campaign trail by over 20 people delivering leaflets across Medway and Maidstone, though the photo just shows people at a local mosque enjoying a Mr Whippy. For those still following their crowdfunding adventure, they are now just £10 short of their target to cover their deposit in Gillingham and Rainham.
Reform seems to be ramping up its campaign, with activists in Nigel Farage masks taking to the streets of Hoo. Elsewhere, they accused Labour of putting up posters on the house of a supporter in Rochester, even though they could offer no evidence that they were behind it. Helpfully, though, candidate Daniel Dabin went round and installed CCTV cameras on the house personally, just in case someone decides to have another go. Over in Chatham and Aylesford, candidate Thomas Mallon held a meeting in a room with some opulent chandeliers, while there is little sign of activity from Gillingham and Rainham candidate Rizvi Rawoof, even when he’s speaking in the room.
The Lib Dems in Medway have been out on St. Mary’s Island and some other locations this week, though they sadly haven’t started engaging in the kind of stunts that party leader Ed Davey has been to get some attention.
Elsewhere, the SDP had some flyers delivered, and independent Peter Cook launched his manifesto. Finally, it was good to see some activity from the Workers Party for the first time during the campaign as they delivered their Chatham and Aylesford campaign leaflet across the village of Halling. Unfortunately for them, Halling is within the Rochester and Strood constituency. Maybe next time…
Final hustings tomorrow!
We held our Rochester and Strood hustings tonight with a packed crowd at the Rochester Baptist Church. It was a.. lively affair, with all but one candidate participating. Our final hustings is for Chatham and Aylesford tomorrow night in Lordswood. It’s fully booked, but there is a chance some returns might be available tomorrow, so please keep an eye on the event page if you’re interested in attending.
We’ve been astounded by the interest in these debates. Over 550 residents have booked tickets, submitted questions, and come along to listen to candidates across Medway. We’ve had press interest from local, national, and international (!) news outlets, and we’re so grateful for everyone who has taken part or chosen to engage with these events. Thank you!
Last chance to register to vote!
Today (Tue 18 Jun) is the last day that you can register to vote for this General Election. You can do so here in a few minutes if you are not already registered.
Cozenton Park makes a splash(es)
The new Cozenton Park Sports Centre in Rainham is set to open soon, and we got to have a look around it yesterday. The team here at Local Authority Towers isn’t the most athletic, but the facilities do seem fairly impressive.
The centre features two pools, one for standard lane swimming and a leisure one, which does seem to be slightly smaller than the former Splashes one, but that’s the price for cramming in two. Upstairs features a gym with excellent views of the park on one side and the car park on the other, and a flexible studio space. The building is largely powered by an array of solar panels on the roof, making it surprisingly energy-efficient.
Of course, the building of this new centre has been controversial, with costs running to £24m after being pushed through by the previous Conservative administration, with Labour having to grit their teeth and finish the job once they took over. There have also been issues raised over the prices of using the centre, with access to the leisure pool in particular costing significantly more than similar centres in neighbouring towns.
Cozenton Park Sports Centre will open fully to the public on July 17, but Premier members of Medway sports centres can access the facilities at limited times now, and anyone can book a tour using the link above.
The sausage roll wall
We often highlight how great our readers are. They send us big stories we might have missed or highlight smaller, quirkier things that might have passed us by completely. Sometimes, a reader gets us exactly and flags something that is right up our street. In that spirit, we say thank you to Charlie, who sent us some phenomenal research based on Greggs.
Greggs have grown to become a British institution, with an outlet (or sometimes several) on every High Street and shopping centre. Data analyst Alasdair Rae recently shared findings on Twitter that set out just how prevalent the chain has become and, in a shameless bid to appear to dorks like us, mapped it against parliamentary constituencies.
As a result, we now know that the overwhelming majority of constituencies in the UK have at least one Greggs, with some having more than 20. In total, 604 of the 650 constituencies have at least one Greggs, and of the handful that don’t, one of them is in Medway.
Chatham and Aylesford has no Greggs within its boundaries. Now, some of you might be shouting at the screen right now that Chatham has two Greggs in the town centre, and you’d be right. But due to the ridiculous boundary lines that exist, Chatham town centre isn’t in the Chatham and Aylesford constituency, and instead sits within Rochester and Strood. Ironically, Rochester and Strood would be the constituency without any Greggs if the boundaries made more sense.
Still, one thing is clear from the research. There is a distinct lack of Greggs in Medway, and we would implore any incoming MPs for our towns to take this up as a matter of urgency.
In brief
⚽ Kevin Hake, the manager of Chatham Town Football Club, has been named Isthmian League Premier Division Manager of the Year. Hake led the team ever so close to a promotion this season, only losing out in the play-off final.
💉 Whooping cough is on the rise in Kent and Medway. Pregnant women are being encouraged to get vaccinated as it can be life-threatening for newborn babies.
⛴️ A floating restaurant is being blamed for damaging Gillingham Pier. It has been moored there for two years and regularly slams into the structure during high tides.
🏦 Natwest in Rainham is set to close on July 24. As a result, the only Natwest remaining in Medway will be the Chatham branch.
📚 Every library in Medway is closed today for staff training. They will all be open again as normal from tomorrow.
🏳️🌈 The Medway LGBT+ Awards, held by Rainbows Over Medway, took place last week. The ceremony highlighted those in and around the community across a variety of categories.
More Authority
Over the weekend, we spoke with Kelly Tolhurst, who has been the Conservative MP for Rochester and Strood since 2015. We discussed her path into politics, the coming General Election, her idea to knock down the Pentagon, the state of the River Medway, and lots more.
“I'm only involved in politics because I care about my area”
Kelly Tolhurst has been the Conservative MP for the Rochester and Strood constituency since 2015 and is again standing in the upcoming General Election. Steven met with Kelly in her campaign office in Rochester to discuss how she got into politics, the General Election, why she suggested knocking down the Pentagon shopping centre, the state of the River Medway, and lots more.
Footnotes
Music that soundtracked the creation of this edition: This House is Too Big, This House is Too Small by Brutalligators, Nevermind by Nirvana, and Walkman by Bad Bad Hats.
I like Peter Cooks's manifesto - shame he is not standing in Rochester & Strood...
Proof reader’s day off?