This article first appeared in the Bicester Advertiser, 18/1/24
More than four billion people worldwide are expected to vote in general elections in 2024 - it’s been dubbed democracy’s biggest ever year.
Among them, 70,000 will be casting their votes here in Bicester and Woodstock, where the redrawing of the electoral map is an historic opportunity for the area to at last be represented by a progressive MP who will stand up for ordinary people.
The new boundaries break the old link with Banbury, shifting the constituency’s centre of gravity south to join up with Woodstock and Kidlington and surrounding villages.
A Labour government is more important for Bicester than ever. The town’s extraordinary expansion over recent years is pushing public services to breaking point at exactly the time that the Conservative government’s mishandling of the economy is leading to cuts, record waiting lists and disruption across the board.
For those wanting to see a new, competent and progressive government in place to repair the UK’s economy and reduce the gulf between the haves and the have-nots, the good news is that these boundary changes mean your vote in 2024 in Bicester will count more than ever.
The independent polling site ElectoralCalculus is one of the most respected political forecasters in the UK, taking data from multiple polls and applying advanced analysis to make predictions that are often uncannily accurate.
Their latest number crunching shows that Labour is less than 1,000 votes away from winning Bicester and Woodstock if there was a general election tomorrow. By contrast, the Lib Dems are trailing by more than twice that number, showing that Labour is clearly the only party that can prevent the new constituency’s first MP being a Conservative. Residents of Bicester deserve better and change is within reach.
The coming of the East West Rail link, a long overdue town centre rejuvenation, and vibrant, green businesses taking root in the area need to be supported by a comprehensive plan to invest in public services, from education, to health, to leisure and transport. Labour has the ideas, energy and focus to deliver this. Whether your family has been in Bicester for generations or is new to the town, we all want to live in a place we are proud to call home - one that fosters a sense of welcome and community. Labour gets that, and a new Labour MP will work tirelessly to give Bicester the voice it has for so long been denied - both in Oxfordshire and in Westminster.
Labour Party volunteers have been working round the clock to form a new constituency group and as the new Vice Chair Campaigns, it’s my job to lead our campaign planning for the local and general elections. It’s been an amazing few months, characterised by incredible hard work by members and a real sense of anticipation from people we’re meeting on the doorstep. If you’re one of the many residents who has taken the time to share your views with us, thank you. I look forward to many more of those conversations on the doorstep, in the community, and via this column over the coming year. Together, in 2024, we can put Bicester at the heart of a better Britain.
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