Category: Winchester

Enquiries by Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate, Martin Tod, have finally solved the mystery of the broken clock outside the old Guildhall (now Lloyds TSB bank) on Winchester High Street.

The clock is one of the most recognisable sights on Winchester’s High Street. Over the summer, the glass on one side of the clock shattered and was originally thought to have been damaged by vandalism, but clock specialists, Smiths of Derby, brought in by the City Council’s insurers have concluded that the damage is the result of deterioration of the clock face.

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate, Martin Tod, uncovered the story when he wrote to the council asking when they intended to repair it and whether they could cover the broken side with bird-proof netting to prevent further damage:

“The Old Guildhall clock is a very recognisable and visible part of Winchester’s High Street. It’s important that it’s fixed sooner rather than later. Leaving something so visible unrepaired makes an unnecessarily poor impression and risks making people think we don’t care about our town.

I contacted the council to find out how quickly it could be fixed and what they were doing to stop further damage from birds and the weather while it remained open to the elements.

I’ve had tourists stop me in the street and ask why the town wasn’t getting the clock fixed. The last straw was when it looked like pigeons might be moving into it as well through the opening created when they removed the broken glass. It’s essential we look after our heritage. I’m glad it’s being fixed, but wish it could have been done sooner.”

More than 950 students backed the Lib Dem campaign against tuition fees at the University of Winchester’s Fresher’s Fayre on Saturday.

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate, Martin Tod, commented:

“This year was even better than last year. Every year, more students back our campaigns, sign petitions and sign up to the Liberal Democrats – and this year was no exception. We ran out of badges and nearly ran out of stickers. There is still enormous support for our campaign to scrap tuition fees and more students joined Winchester Liberal Democrats than ever before.”

Ray Love, local ward Councillor for St Paul’s added:

“I’ve helped run our stall at the Freshers’ Fair for many years now and this was our best year ever. We had queues of people wanting to sign our petitions.”