Saturday 7th April

Yesterday's EDP published a story relating to the campaign in Newton Flotman ward where two candidates, Claire Turner, 23 [left] and Jenni Clutten, 19 are standing against each other.

The story revealed that Conservative Claire is a graduate who has lived locally all her life, works in the health service doing valuable work helping people with speech and language therapy and has written a regular EDP column on the environment, whilst on the other hand, her LibDem opponent is on a gap-year and will be going to University at Goldmiths College in London in the autumn.

The key questions for Ms Clutten

Local Conservatives want to know how Ms Clutten thinks she can fulfil her obligations to the people of Flordon, Wreningham, Swainsthorpe & Newton Flotman whilst being 117 miles away in New Cross, London at Goldsmiths College studying for a full-time degree should she be elected?

Most councillors work hard in their wards and in committees for at least 40 hours per month so how does Ms Clutten think she's going to attend about three parish council meetings a month in her ward whilst she's living in London? And what about another two or three meetings per week at Long Stratton as well?

And what about the casework from her villages like assisting local people with housing problems and making sure that planning applications are correctly scrutinised. How would Ms Clutten handle the sort of things that residents elect a councillor to do promptly and locally?

Local Conservatives want to know how Ms Clutton would abandon lectures at Goldsmiths and travel the the 234 mile round trip [at 40p per mile, local taxpayers would cough-up £93.60 per meeting] for two or three Council-related meetings per week?

Next year Councillors will be paid a basic allowance of about £4250 to assist them in their duties. Presumably Ms Clutten will still wish to draw the allowance [based on about 50 hours work per month] despite being based in London. How does this give value for the local tax-payer?

Local Conservatives want to know why Liberal Democrats have put a nice young lady from Hethersett up for council to represent Newton Flotman ward when she'd clearly be unable to fulfil her obligations in the event of her success at the polls.

It's not her fault that Ms Clutten has won a place at University and will be away in London for the next few years but it does look like it's the local LibDems who haven't done their homework.