Aylen Election Leaflets

I always think that it is quite interesting, after the dust has settled on the election results, to look back at some of the material circulated by candidates. I know that regrettably it is increasingly usual for candidates to claim credit for things they have not done or to try to frighten voters with scare stories about policies which have no chance of being implemented, but some seem to have elevated this approach to a fine art.

In Southend Belfairs Independent Steve Aylen has proved particularly adept at this. We are all used to his sudden spate of items and letters in the local press in the months leading to his election which demonstrate a great skill for self publicity but this is nothing to some of the election material he distributes.

Having looked at his latest batch of election material, and ignoring the frankly insulting and unpleasant references to the Conservative candidate, he has truly excelled himself this year.

In one particular leaflet he identifies 19 things which he claims would not have been done without him, and 13 issues where he has stepped in to save Belfairs.

I am not sure what is more concerning – that he actually believes these claims to be true or that he realises that the majority are complete hogwash and is therefore setting out to mislead the electors as to his involvement.

The actions he takes personal credit for include improvements to Belfairs Golf Course, retention of weekly refuse collections, modern street lighting, the existence of the Woodland Centre (which at the outset he was strongly opposed to!), a reduction in “flooding issues”, grass verges being cut, street trees being protected etc etc. At best he can claim a part in some of these whilst a member of the Conservative Group by supporting the Leadership who had developed these policies with others. Following his election as an Independent he voted against a number of these policies and in any event they would have been delivered irrelevant of his position on the Council.

He then suggests that without him Fairway would have been widened with a 40mph speed limit, houses would have been built in the park, the golf course would have been closed, Prittlewell Brook would have been closed to pedestrians, dog walkers would have been banned from Belfairs Park at weekends, there would have been a travellers site on the corner of Eastwood Old Road and the Fairway, there would be no bus service to Belfairs, and so on.

I am surprised he stopped at that and did not claim to have saved the residents from the spread of plague and pestilence, an oil refinery in Woodside, the construction of Heathrow’s new runway in Belfairs Park and the introduction of the compulsory viewing of X Factor!

For those of us who know what rubbish this is then it is difficult to avoid a wry smile but it is the unacceptable face of local politics. Even more remarkable that this Independent Councillor was being championed by the Leigh Times.