Thornbury and Yate General Election result 2017

The results of the 2017 General Election in the Thornbury and Yate constituency are as follows:

• Luke Hall (Conservative) 28,008 ELECTED
• Claire Young (Liberal Democrats) 15,937
• Brian Mead (Labour) 6,112
• Iain Hamilton (Green) 633

Congratulations to Luke. Many thanks to everyone who supported us, and to all those who worked so hard on our campaign.

Claire Young to fight General Election battle for Lib Dems in Thornbury and Yate

Well known local councillor Claire Young says she is looking forward to the General Election. She will be the Lib Dem candidate for the Thornbury and Yate constituency, working to regain the seat that was held until two years ago by Steve Webb.

Claire is currently the South Glos councillor for Westerleigh ward, and deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats on South Gloucestershire Council. She has many years of experience of helping local people and campaigning with them to get things done. Recent campaigns have included working with bus users to press for improvements to the Southmead 82 bus service, speaking up on behalf of parents and pupils about the difficulties at The Ridings Federation schools and challenging the Conservatives' poorly thought through development plans for our towns and villages.

Claire said: “Theresa May repeatedly said she would not be holding a snap election. I am ready for the challenge ahead and will be looking forward to standing up for the people of the Thornbury and Yate constituency”

Changes to boundaries proposed

There is still time to comment on the Boundary Commission proposals to change the constituency boundaries for electing our MPs. These are a result of the Conservative Government's plans to reduce the number of MPs from 650 to 600 and make sure there are roughly the same number of voters in each constituency.

Under the proposals, most of the existing Thornbury and Yate constituency will join with part of Gloucestershire, taking in areas such as Berkeley, Can, Dursley and Wotton-under-Edge, to form a new constituency of Dursley, Thornbury and Yate. Westerleigh ward would remain in this new constituency but the wards of Frampton Cotterell and Boyd Valley (the area including Pucklechurch, Wick and Marshfield) would move into neighbouring constituencies.

While the Boundary Commission is independent, it has to work with the strict rules set by the current Conservative Government. The 2 million people who registered to vote prior to the EU referendum are not included in these plans and they are not allowed to take into consideration any proposed new housing developments. The new constituencies could be wildly different in size by 2020.

You can read the full proposals and submit a response online until 5th December.

Local councillor Claire Young to stand for Parliament

The Liberal Democrats in Thornbury and Yate have announced that their new Parliamentary Candidate is local councillor Claire Young. 

A well known local campaigner, she will lead the party's activity across the constituency, replacing Steve Webb who recently announced he would not be continuing in the role. Claire was elected following a ballot of members, in a strong field.

Claire said, "I am looking forward to continuing to fight for Westerleigh ward and the whole of the constituency. Over the summer I will be out and about with my 'Tell Claire' survey, finding out about people's concerns. If you have an issue to raise or would like to join my campaign, please get in touch."

You can read more on the South Glos Lib Dems' website.

Steve Webb decides not to stand again as MP

Flashback: Steve Webb and team celebrating the go-ahead for Yate cinema

Our popular former long-serving MP Steve Webb, who was narrowly defeated at the 2015 General Election, has announced he will not be seeking re-selection. Instead he will continue his local work as part of a new candidate’s team.

Thornbury and Yate Liberal Democrats have just announced that they will select Steve's successor as Parliamentary Candidate on 15th July. 

With speculation mounting about a possible snap election, Steve said “It has been a huge privilege to serve the people of this area for eighteen years.  In that time, I have met so many committed campaigners and selfless individuals who give so much to their local community.  I also owe a huge debt to my team in the constituency office and to our active local campaigners who have taught me so much.  Our strong team of local councillors and campaigners and our new candidate for Parliament will continue to have my wholehearted support”

South Glos Council leader, Ruth Davis, said "It is impossible to put into words our gratitude to Steve on behalf of our community and the countless people he and the team have helped. He has built a really strong team of people committed to the needs of our residents. That team is carrying on the work, with him as part of it. Since the Referendum we have been staggered by the large number of  people coming forward to join the party locally. We had a massive growth in membership just after the general election and that has happened again this year.  So we are in a stronger position than ever and ready for the challenges the country faces"

Steve Webb was MP for Northavon and then for Thornbury & Yate from 1997 to 2015 and Minister for Pensions from 2010 to 2015. As well as his highly-regarded work on pensions, Steve has been a passionate local campaigner, working alongside local people to deliver a cinema for Yate and improved bus services to Southmead Hospital, fighting cuts to local services and raising local issues in the House of Commons. He still lives with his family near Thornbury.

At the last General Election the Lib Dems were defeated in this constituency by just 1495 votes, making this seat the closest fought between Lib Dems and Conservatives in the whole South West.

Make sure you're registered to vote

If you want to be able to vote for the next Police and Crime Commissioner on 5th May but are not yet registered at your current address, you can do it online at www.avonpccelection2016.org.uk/register-to-vote before midnight on Monday 18 April.

If you can’t go to the polling station on Thursday 5 May, then if you have registered by 18 April you can apply to vote by post or you can appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf. The deadline for postal vote applications is on 5pm on Tuesday 19 April 2016, while the deadline for proxy vote applications is 5pm on Tuesday 26 April 2016.

Registering now for the elections in May will also mean you are registered in good time before the EU referendum on Thursday 23 June.

#RegAFriend today

If you're a young person who's registered to vote, why not encourage your friends to join you?

The Electoral Commission is working with the National Union of Students to encourage more young people to register, by sharing photos of their "voter cross" and using the hashtag #RegAFriend before 18th March.

To register to vote just visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote to fill in the online form via desktop, mobile or tablet.

Anyone aged 16 and above can register but you can only vote once you reach the age of 18. This is a vital year to be registered to vote, with the EU Referendum on 23rd June. The decision made that day could affect everyone for decades to come.

Also on 5th May we will be voting for the new Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner.

You can find out more about the campaign here.

Now the election campaign really begins

Parliament was dissolved on Monday and the election campaign is well under way. Steve Webb was unanimously adopted as the Liberal Democrat parlaimentary candidate for the Thornbury and Yate constituency at a meeting of Lib Dem members in Chipping Sodbury Town Hall this week. Steve will be very busy for the next few weeks because quite apart from campaigning he's still the Minister of State for Pensions - the government doesn't finish until the election result is known.

Meanwhile local Lib Dems have been out on the streets talking to as many voters as possible, though you may well have seen us at other times - we make a real effort to keep in contact between elections, either on the doorstep or via our regular Focus and other leaflets.

If you would like to help Steve's campaign in a practical way you can email Steve on steve@stevewebb.org.uk or click here if you would like to make a financial donation to our campaign.

Are you registered to vote?

On Thursday 7th May we will be electing an MP, South Glos councillors and Parish Councillors. To vote in these elections you must be registered by Monday 20 April. Find out more on the South Glos website.

Get involved in local services

Did you know that Frampton Cotterell Parish Council offers facilities including allotments and play areas, a park and pavillion? Or that Westerleigh Parish Council looks after everything from a village pound to a woodland and a fishing lake (where Parishioners can get a free fishing permit for one rod).

Parish Councils are the tier of local government closest to the community. They are funded by an annual precept - which you'll see on your council tax bill - and provide an increasing range of services. All the Parish Councils in South Gloucestershire will be up for election on the same day as the local and general elections (7th May) so if you fancy getting more involved in your community, now's your chance.

Information on how to stand for election is available on the South Glos website.

Don't lose your vote!

South Glos Council is writing to all households to clarify who is registered to vote. You should receive a letter in early February which will clarify if the electoral register information for your property is correct and if you need to take action to join the register.

To vote in the elections on 7 May 2015 you must be registered by Monday 20 April. If you’re not on the register, you won’t have a say in who represents you.

It is also necessary to register to vote if you wish to apply for credit. This is because credit reference agencies use the register to check where someone lives when they apply for credit in order to prevent fraud.

If you are a South Gloucestershire resident and your household hasn’t received a household information letter by the end of February then please contact the electoral services team by calling 01454 863030 or by emailing electoral.services@southglos.gov.uk

Don't lose your vote

By the end of this month, you should receive a letter from South Glos Council telling you if you need to take action to join the new Electoral Register.

Most people who are currently registered have been added to the new register automatically, and the letter will let you know if this applies to you. Some people have not been added to the new register automatically and these people will need to re-register. The letter will tell you if you are in this group, and what you need to do to re-register.

The letters are a result of a new registration system called Individual Electoral Registration (IER). The aim is to modernise the way people register to vote and help tackle electoral fraud. You may need to take action to join the new individual electoral register, even if you are currently registered to vote.

Under the new system:

• everyone is responsible for registering themselves (under the old system the ‘head of household’ could register everyone who lived at their address) 
• you can now register online 
• you need to provide a few more details to register (your national insurance number and date of birth). This is to make the electoral register more secure. These details are checked against government records to help make sure that registrations are genuine. 

If you're not on the electoral register, you won't be able to vote in next year's elections. You could also be at risk of an £80 fine if you don't respond to requests for information from the council and you need to be registered to apply for credit, as credit reference agencies use the register to prevent fraud.

If you are a South Gloucestershire resident and you haven’t received a registration letter by the end of August then please contact the electoral services team by calling 01454 863030 or by emailing electoral.services@southglos.gov.uk If you need to register or re-register please visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

National Voter Registration Day

Wednesday 5th February was the first ever National Voter Registration Day. The organisers, Bite the Ballot, are particularly encouraging young people to add their name to the electoral register. Although you must be 18 to vote, anyone aged 16 or above can register. Young people aged between 16 and 24 are currently the most under-represented age group on the electoral register.

As well as giving you a say in how you are governed, locally, nationally and at European level, being registered is important because it can help when applying for a student loan, opening a bank account, or buying a mobile phone – in fact anything to do with finance. Lenders use the electoral register to investigate potential borrowers, so once you are on the list credit reference agencies will be able to verify who you are.

Following a Lib Dem council motion, South Glos Council has been working with local schools on a special campaign to encourage young people to register for their vote. Since it started, the number of young people registered has increased. More information on how to register is available on the South Glos website.