Ahead of the North Jesmond by-election on August 28th, JesmondLocal is profiling each of the five candidates for councillor in North Jesmond. The fifth and final of our five days of profiles, the Labour and Co-Operative Party representative.

Peter Smith

Early career
My background is that I went to Durham university to study engineering and stayed in the area, working for five years as a production engineer.  I moved to Newcastle in 1978 (living for the first two weeks in Osborne Road) and have lived here ever since.  In 1982 during the Thatcher recession I was threatened with redundancy for the second time so started retraining as a teacher of Computing and Maths.  I have been a teacher, mainly of IT and Computing, since 1983.

Why Labour?

Since the age of 12 I have always known that social democracy is the best way of organising society and in this country the Labour Party is the best vehicle for achieving more equality.  Growing up in Liverpool I was acutely aware of inequality in various forms.  As a student I encountered the Co-operative Party and became aware of all the ways in which we achieve more working together in groups. I have been active in the co-operative movement and in European social democratic politics all my adult life.  As a teacher in a Newcastle school I was unable to stand for the council until recently when my current school became an academy.  I am enthusiastic about the co-operative council idea and keen to further it in the city.

What’s the biggest issue facing North Jesmond, and how would you try to tackle it?
I believe the biggest issue facing North Jesmond specifically is the appearance of some streets.  Measures to improve refuse collection and to get landlords to accept responsibility for the appearance of their properties are the only ways to improve this.

Transport is a key issue in Jesmond: what, if anything, needs to be done?
More traffic calming measures, particularly on Osborne Road, more and pedestrian crossings and improvements to cycling routes are the key to transport improvements in North Jesmond.

What is your stance on Acorn Road? Should all of Jesmond be asked about its future?
I would have preferred all of Jesmond to be consulted about Acorn Road, but that is not what the sitting (Lib Dem) councillors voted for.  The Sustrans proposal seems sensible but it would clearly have effects on the traffic in neighbouring streets, so the only course of action is to see what the response to the consultation is.

Many residents highlight issues with bin collections: what is your suggestion to deal with refuse?
In some areas where there are large proportions of HMOs communal bins seem to have worked well and they may be part of the solution.  There is a rumour put out by Labour’s opponents that they will be forced on people, but this is not the case – residents of each street will be able to say whether or not they want them.

Should the interaction between older residents and students be improved? How so?
Improving the interaction between students and other residents has been an issue for years.  The best way of doing it is to involve students in various initiatives by enlisting the help of their student union officers.  This has been done occasionally in the past.

Are letting boards a problem? If so, how can they be handled?
The council’s proposals for limiting the display of letting boards are, of course, subject to being vetoed by the national government.  Let us hope the result of the inspector’s visit in May is positive.

How could you support local businesses in Jesmond, if elected?
The best way of supporting local businesses is to improve the appearance of the area.  However, it would also help if there were a business forum like there is in South Jesmond.

How would you improve communication between residents and elected representatives?
I would call on the experience of the very successful (Labour) councillors in South Jesmond and mirror what they have done there.  In fact, one of my most important aims is to improve the co-operation between the councillors in North and South Jesmond.