Dragon Interview: Bob Hughes, Chairman of the Guildford Conservative Association

Published on: 5 Mar, 2018
Updated on: 8 Mar, 2018

Bob Hughes

Surprisingly perhaps, in an area considered part of the Tory heartland, only 48% of voters supported Conservative candidates at the last Guildford Borough Council election, which coincided with the general election in 2015. But the party has retained its dominance at Millmead where 34 of the 48 members are Conservative.

Bob Hughes is the chairman of the Guildford Conservative Association which handles the selection of candidates, an exercise currently underway for the local election in 2019. It’s an influential role and not without controversy (see: Senior Tories Successfully Appeal Against Deselection – Now They Must Apply Again).

Martin Giles of The Guildford Dragon NEWS caught up with the former government minister to pose a few questions…

How strong is the Conservative Party’s hold on the borough council after the adoption of the Local Plan which has been submitted for examination?

The Local Plan is a protection against uncontrolled development and Guildford Council deserves great credit for achieving a local plan.

Barring a political earthquake, the majority of those eventually selected to stand as Conservative candidates for the 2019 borough council election will be elected, shouldn’t the party candidate selection process be open?

We never take voters for granted. We will work to persuade every voter that the Conservatives are the best people to run Guildford council. Our candidate selection process is open for all our members to participate in.

You stood unsuccessfully as a candidate in the last county council election for the Guildford South-West division. Do you intend to stand in the borough council election in 2019? If so, in which ward would you like to stand?

I will be submitting my name to party members in appropriate wards.

Are you now living in Guildford Borough, as required if you are going to stand here?

I have lived and voted in the Guildford Borough for the last four years and will continue to do so.

Shouldn’t the Guildford Conservative Association be less secretive in general and publish, for instance, who are its officers and how many members there are?

Anyone who shares our values is welcome to join Guildford Conservatives. Membership numbers are scrutinised by the officers who are elected by our membership.

We meet, in full, the prescriptive obligations for transparency placed on us by the Electoral Commission. The names of our officers will be of little interest but we will put them on our website following our Annual General Meeting.

Are you expecting a backlash from voters who are unhappy with proposals in the Local Plan to build on the green belt and build higher rise in the town?

We will argue our case that the Local Plan protects Guildford. We will also expose the rather simplistic arguments of our opponents which are not as attractive as they may at first seem.

Unhappiness with the result of the Solum appeal decision seems almost universal in the town but the decision has been arrived at under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) introduced by the Conservatives. Surely your party is partly responsible?

The suggestion is ludicrous. Ever since there have been planning laws there has been an appeal system and planning inspectors. This one has got his decision wrong and it is being fought by the council.

Isn’t it the case that the proposed development in the Local Plan will make the borough, as a whole, far more suburban in character and put an unsustainable strain on our infrastructure and services?

The suggestion that the Local Plan constitutes a “far more suburban” character for the borough isn’t true. Infrastructure improvements are essential to improving our town. Anne Milton MP, working with Guildford council, has done very well in attracting government money for improvements to our infrastructure

You campaigned to remain in the EU. Are you content with your party’s Brexit policy? What will be the consequences, in your view, of Brexit on Guildford Borough?

There are many views in Guildford about Brexit. However, the overwhelming view on the doorsteps is that we can’t re-run the referendum and that we should just get on with it and negotiate the best deal possible.

Share This Post