Elwyn Watkins, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Oldham East and Saddleworth, near my home in Dobcross this morning.
The Liberal Democrat hoping to win the Oldham East and Saddleworth seat at the general election has said he wants to be “a campaigning MP… that does his best for local folk.” Elwyn Watkins added: “Iâm not going to be an MP who promises stuff they just canât deliver.”
In an interview today, he said overcrowding at Greenfield Station was “a major issue” and said that a “disgracefully low” number of carriages are currently used on the line. He pledged to continue to campaign for greater capacity, as well as reforms to rail regulations.
On housing, Mr Watkins said it was important to look at how other areas are tackling the problem of a lack of affordable homes in rural areas. He conceded there was “no magic wand” to solve the issue, but said “we should be making a start” on making a small number of properties available to local young people.
He criticised the proposed Tesco in Greenfield, saying he would do “whatever I can do” to prevent any other supermarkets being built in our area, adding: “If weâre not careful we should rename England, Tesco-land.” Mr Watkins said that making sure local shops stay open across Saddleworth was the best way of keeping the village centres going, and he also stressed the importance of maintaining village Post Offices even if theyâre relatively expensive to run.
A son of Rochdale, Mr Watkins said that his business career working around the world in the construction and chemicals industries gave him “practical experience” which he hopes to use to help bring jobs to the area if heâs elected. Responding to criticism from his Labour opponent Phil Woolas about his attendance record during his years as a Rochdale Councillor, Mr Watkins pointed to his increasing vote share in local elections saying, “I think Mr Woolas should look at the ballot box in terms of whether people thought I was any good as a councillor.”
I interviewed Mr Watkins at my home in Dobcross this morning. Our conversation also covered local planning policy, help for small businesses in Saddleworth, and his response to the MPsâ expenses scandal.
You can listen to the interview in full by downloading it from here.
The other candidates confirmed so far are Labourâs Phil Woolas, Conservative Kashif Ali, and the BNPâs Alwyn Stott. I intend to interview them later in the campaign.
Quote: saying he would do âwhatever I can doâ to prevent any other supermarkets being built in our area, adding: âIf weâre not careful we should rename England, Tesco-land.â
And does that apply to any potential Asda stores too Mr Watkins? Is that not just a tad hypocritical since you spent the best part of Wednesday afternoon with your big yellow bus on Asdaâs car park in Shaw. I wonder if you went there to tell them that theyâd taken business away from the vast aray of charity shops on market street or that it was of course Asdaâs fault that Shaw market is now a shadow of its former self rather than the constantly escalating costs of renting a stall on there.
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