Democracy
Stuart Drummond Interview - April 2005


Stuart was Hartlepool's first directly-elected Mayor and will stand for re-election on May 5th. We took this opportunity to ask the Mayor a few questions;

Why would you like to run for Mayor again?
It is a great honour to be elected by the public of Hartlepool to be their Mayor and I've thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Three years have flown by and I feel as if I'm just getting started and there is much more I want to do. I believe I am the best candidate especially as I have the experience.

You once said in an interview that your ambition was to do such a good job that you get re-elected. Do you think you have done a good enough job to get re-elected?
I think I have done a very good job but it is up to the public to decide. My track record speaks for itself.

What achievements are you most proud of during your past term as Mayor of Hartlepool?
I have a lot to be proud of. I Chair the Crime Reduction Partnership and am responsible for crime reduction. Overall crime has been reduced by over 21% over the last year, which also includes a 35% reduction in house burglary and a 65% reduction in vehicle crime. Under my leadership, the Council has continued to improve year after year and we are now the 3rd best performing Council in the country.
I introduced Operation Cleansweep which has made a massive difference to many areas. It is now recognised as best practice nationally.

Under my leadership, our schools have just recorded their best ever exam results. I have put Hartlepool on the International map, more and more companies are
looking to invest in our town and unemployment is at it's lowest ever level. Tourism is booming. I've put lifeguards back on our beaches and they are now among the best in the country. I've raised the profile of sport locally, securing over £4M to invest in our facilities.

And what would you like to achieve if re-elected?
Quite simply, more of the same! I want to continue to make Hartlepool a safer place to live by giving community wardens more powers to tackle anti-social behaviour, expanding my safer driving campaign. A cleaner place
to live by expanding Operation Cleansweep, introducing Street Ambassadors, cracking down on littering, fly tipping and dog fouling. A greener place to live by giving every household facilities to recycle plastic, cardboard and
garden waste as well as the paper, tins and bottles, by abolishing the charge and limit for bulky waste collection, making it a free service.

I also want to reduce the number of Councillors by one third to make the Council more efficient. with the savings, I want to give each member a small budget for their own ward, making them more accountable to the public.

You had a lot of gimmicks when running for Mayor last time, including free bananas for school children! Are you planning something similar this time round?
I have actually came through on my promise for free bananas for school children. Not only that, I have improved and expanded on that promise.

Every primary school in Hartlepool now gets free fruit every day for all of it's pupils. We no longer have junk food on any of our school menus and spend more per head on school meals than nearly anywhere else in the country. By the end of the year, every single school will have a salad bar.

It may have started out as a gimmick but the free bananas thing highlighted the importance of healthy eating in schools and I made sure this became a priority. It is ironic that Jamie Oliver has now highlighted this with his
recent campaign to the Government. We are already well ahead of the game here.

As for gimmicks this time round, you will have to wait and see.

It has been said many times that the people of Hartlepool voted in the monkey mascot, not the person inside. This time around they are. Do you think this will affect your chances in anyway?
As far as I know, this has only been said by those who don't know any better, tabloid newspapers and bitter politicians. I haven't spoken to anyone who didn't know they were voting for Stuart Drummond. People aren't
stupid! The public gave me a chance, now they will judge me on my results.

When you first got elected, Labour were calling it a disaster and that the system would have to be re-thought. Its also fairly well known that you were not on Peter Mandelson’s Christmas card list. Now he’s gone is Labour still against you or are you finding it easier to work with them now?
Of course Labour called it a disaster because it didn't work out how they wanted, not only here but in other places around the country. They went cold on the idea of elected Mayors however each Mayor, to my knowledge,
has been successful in their respective area and the Government are now looking at bringing in more Mayors throughout the country. I actually got a Christmas card off Peter Mandelson every year. It's true that I get on better with the current MP but I have known him since college
and he spent two years on my Cabinet prior to his election.

Where would you like to see Hartlepool in the next 5 years? The idea for a ‘Wet & Wild’ style swimming pool, the plan for an interconnected bus, rail and taxi station along with a train link to London and the exciting plans for the development of Victoria Harbour are all very impressive and would be a massive boost for the town. Are you hoping to see these plans become reality and what other ideas do you have for the future of the town? It is indeed a very exciting time to live in Hartlepool and there are some big projects on the horizon. I will drive the development of Victoria Harbour and look to get around £0.5 Billion worth of investment. Part of this will be the H2O project, a state of the art swimming complex. My big
vision is for Hartlepool to become a port of call for cruise ships and I am currently pursuing that. I want Hartlepool to be bustling with tourists.

I am also currently involved with trying to get the town as part of the Coast to Coast cycle route.
I will drive the development of Queen's Meadow industrial estate and attract more and more business. I'm already in talks with interested parties which will be a huge boost to the local economy. Of course, to guarantee the success of these developments, it is essential that we have much improved transport links. I'm confident of getting a
direct rail link to London, as well as better rail links within the region. We will be starting work soon on a transport interchange at Church Square, which will give us a bus terminal once again.


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