Just as I was putting the finishing touches to tomorrow’s newsletter, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a General Election will be held on July 4, the first election to be held in July since 1945.
A lot of details remain to be ironed out in the coming days and weeks, but a few parliamentary candidates have already been announced for our constituency.
Below the list your normal (and early) Ashfield News service resumes as normal.
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Ashfield General Election candidates
Politics and politicians in Ashfield have not strayed too far away from the headlines in recent years.
Current MP Lee Anderson won his seat as a Conservative in the 2019 election and worked his way up to become Deputy Chairman of the Party.
But the MP, a former Labour councillor, defected to Reform UK in March, having been suspended by the Tories after declining to apologise for comments made about London mayor Sadiq Khan.
Mr Anderson, who also hosts a show on GB News, said at the time his move gave him an opportunity to “speak out” in Parliament on issues affecting millions of people in the UK.
He currently holds a 5,700 majority in the former Red Wall seat and seemingly signalled his intention to run to retain his position when he declined to call a by-election for his seat, stating there “could be an election in May”.
Among Mr Anderson’s critics has been Ashfield District Council leader Jason Zadrozny, who is the Ashfield Independents’ prospective parliamentary candidate.
Mr Zadrozny announced his decision to stand back in November.
His announcement came amidst an Ashfield District Council meeting, when he was due to apologise for comments he made towards Mr Anderson.
During the apology, he announced he would be campaigning to be Ashfield’s next MP, stating residents “deserved somebody who delivers results”.
Labour will no doubt be buoyed by Mr Sunak’s election announcement, as they currently enjoy a 20-point lead, a deficit no party has ever overturned to win an election.
The Conservative’s candidate is not yet known, but Labour’s Rhea Keehn, who described herself as a community campaigner, was named the party’s prospective parliamentary candidate in February this year.
Ms Keehn, from Sutton-in-Ashfield, has worked in the legal and compliance sector.
She said she never considered entering politics previously, saying she was ‘speaking up for her community”.
In a statement announcing her candidacy in February, she said: “Such a privilege to be selected as (Labour’s) Parliamentary Candidate for Ashfield. We need a full time MP who will stand up for our community. Change is coming. Let's deliver a brighter future for Ashfield.”
We will update the list of candidates as they are announced.
End in sight for primary school footpath closure
Work to fix a wall which led to the closure of a footpath next to a primary school may finally begin this summer.
Parents and children at Kirkby Woodhouse Primary School, in Main Road, have been forced to walk on the road for months.
A barrier was put in place and temporary traffic lights are in operation as one lane of the road is closed to traffic.
The issue has caused a great deal of frustration for parents and residents alike, with the path being closed for almost a year.
A spokesman for Ashfield District Council has now confirmed in a BBC story: “We are in the final stages of signing and sealing contracts for work to commence and hope this will begin in early June to finally make the wall safe and reopen the footpath."
Details announced for village’s former Post Office
New details have been released showing how a village post office will be turned into new homes.
Ashfield District Council gave the green light for plans to convert Annesley Woodhouse’s Post Office, Forest Road, into residential use.
Now, new plans have been submitted to the authority.
The proposal, produced for Horizon Living Limited, show the venue will be convert into three two-bed properties.
In addition to plans to convert the interior of the building, the plans also include a two-storey rear extension.
The plans state the properties will be terraced homes, each with a separate garden.
The proposal states: “The site will complement the existing local character of the area and offer a good quality design solution, utilising an existing building, to create a much-needed contribution towards the council’s housing supply.”
A decision on the proposal is due by July 9.
Police action after bench theft
Police can be called to any number of emergency situations or crimes across Nottinghamshire.
But officers from the Sutton Neighbourhood Policing team (NPT) were asked to respond to a slightly more obscure theft.
Thieves gained access to a patio area in Sutton and stole a bench.
The victim, police said, has mobility issues and needs a wheelchair to get around. The bench gives them a place to relax.
While officers were conducting other inquiries, a member of the victim’s family came across a similar-looking bench near a block of flats in Sutton town centre.
Members of the NPT attended the scene to find the bench had been re-painted, but it was uncovered the bench in question was the item of furniture that had been stolen on April 12 this year.
A spokesperson for the team said: “Theft has a lasting impact on victims, regardless of the value of the item.
“The offenders have entered the victim’s garden and removed an item that the victim relied upon daily, and this incident understandably feels very intrusive and horrifying to the victim.
“I appreciate that to some people, this may seem like a waste of police time and resources, but I would implore those that think this way to please bear in mind that the victims that come to us, see this in a very different light, and this is extremely important to them.”
Bank Holiday bin changes
Residents are being advised there will be a change to some bin collections over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Bins that would have been collected on Monday, May 27, will now be taken on Saturday, May 25.
There will be no other changes to collections.
New bus displays in villages
Work is under way on 20 real-time bus displays in Selston and the surrounding areas.
Brackets are being installed at bus stops, providing up-to-date information for residents in Jacksdale, Selston and Underwood.
Ashfield Independent County Councillor David Martin said: “For over five years, we have fought to get these installed.
“Other areas have them so why shouldn’t we?
“Many residents have stopped using our buses because of reliability issues.
“This is something that Trent Barton have taken onboard and improved.
“We hope that by having live information on when buses will arrive will encourage more residents to use our buses.”