Following last yesterday’s elections how do the newly elected Councillors appear to stand on cycling? We asked all candidates before the election to support our cycling manifesto, and many did. How many of these bike-friendly candidates got themselves elected?
Here’s our initial breakdown:
| Ward | Councillor | Party | PCF Support? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baffins | Steve Hastings | UK Independence Party | Yes |
| Central Southsea | Lee John Hunt | Liberal Democrat | Yes |
| Charles Dickens | Paul David Godier | UK Independence Party | Partially |
| Copnor | Alicia Ruth Denny | UK Independence Party | No |
| Cosham | Hannah Hockaday | Conservative | Yes |
| Drayton & Farlington | Simon John Bosher | Conservative | No |
| Eastney & Craneswater | Luke Edmund Stubbs | Conservative | No |
| Fratton | Julie Elizabeth Swan | UK Independence Party | No |
| Hilsea | Frank Edward Jonas | Conservative | Yes |
| Milton | Ben Dowling | Liberal Democrat | Yes |
| Nelson | Colin Galloway | UK Independence Party | No |
| Paulsgrove | Stuart Potter | UK Independence Party | No |
| St Jude | Linda Rae Symes | Conservative | No |
| St Thomas | Rob Wood | Liberal Democrat | No |
So, the initial analysis is that of 14 newly elected councillors, 5 supported our manifesto for cycling, 1 partially did and 8 did not respond. Bright spots are Hannah Hockaday (Con) in Cosham and Lee Hunt (Lib Dem) in Central Southsea who both gave us long and thoughtful responses. Cllr Jonas in Hilsea telephoned us and expressed some very encouraging views too. Of the new UKIP councillors Stephen Hastings was the most supportive, being himself a regular cyclist.