There's been lots of focus in the past week on Tooting buildings and building in Tooting. So below I've got an update on two of my campaigns to conserve Tooting's historic buildings - the Granada Cinema and Selkirk Pub - as well as a summary of the Conservative's new housing policy for the forthcoming election.
Building a brighter future
The Conservatives have a long tradition of being the party of house building and house ownership, with our Governments of the 1950s and 1980s famously building the largest numbers of homes and helping families with modest incomes onto the property ladder.
Fast forward to 2010 and we inherited an awful situation from Labour, with house building at its lowest level since the 1920s. We have seen house building increase since then, including the construction of more affordable housing in 5 years than Labour achieved in 13 years.
But with the growing economy we have created, we can now afford new policies that ensure the Conservatives will build a much larger number of homes in the next Parliament. These include 200,000 starter homes for first-time buyers, funded by the sale of high value council properties, as well as £1 billion of new funding for 400,000 new homes on brownfield land.
This action will moderate house prices and rents and turn the dream of home ownership into a reality for huge numbers of people. No wonder the construction industry itself is backing the Conservative housing plan by a ratio of 2 to 1 over Labour’s.
For more detailed information on local home ownership options, whatever your income, please see the article on my website here.
Our Most Decorated Building
Did you know that the Granada Cinema on Mitcham Road – now owned by Gala Bingo – is Tooting constituency’s only Grade I listed building? Many of you will have noted its striking external design, but if you haven’t been inside, do pop your head in, as it really is a treasure to behold.
However, bingo hall membership is in decline across the UK and other similar buildings have been sold by their owners and had their doors closed to the general public. That’s why I’ve been working with the national Cinema Theatre Association to ensure we keep this beautiful building open to the community, in the event that Gala were to sell it.
Full details of this campaign are available on my website here.
If you would like to add your name to the petition I’m running to list the Granada as an Asset of Community Value, please reply to this email stating so, with your address.
Protecting the Selkirk Pub
It was a pleasure to support the re-launch event for the Selkirk pub earlier this month, meeting the new manager Kerry and her team.
But the Selkrik is one of several historic pubs in our area which is vulnerable to development, so I’m pleased to tell you that I've handed in to Town Hall the application to have Selkirk listed as an Asset of Community Value.
Fingers crossed it will be successful and another of our historic pubs will be given the extra protection needed to preserve it as a valuable community hub.
You can read more on my website here.
Finally, if you'd like to help with any of my campaigns to improve Tooting, please do email me and I'll be in touch.
With best wishes,
Dan Watkins
Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Tooting
[email protected] @danwatkins
www.facebook.com/dan4tooting