“Don’t think I won’t be coming back!”
Former Conservative Cllr. Will Rowlands speaks out over recent defeat and expresses his hopes for a brighter future.
CO: So you were the former Conservative Councillor for Mottingham. How long have you been in that role for?
WR: So I was councillor for Mottingham for eight years in total, four years as Mottingham and Chislehurst North, four years as Mottingham.
CO: How did it feel to get voted out at this last election?
WR: Some people may say voted out. I’d like to think of it as the dice didn’t roll in my favour this time. The ward is always very, very close. The first time I got in, I won by 20. Second time by 44. This time, they lost by 38. So that just shows just how close it always is in Mottingham, and that every vote counts.
CO: Were you hoping to out manoeuvre Louise Sage of Reform?
WR: Well, you never really think along the lines of outmanoeuvring. At the end of the day, it’s democracy, and democracy is a wonderful thing when it works in your favour, and when it doesn’t work in your favour, it’s still a wonderful thing, but you are slightly frustrated by it.
The thing that you’ve got to bear in mind is that all the polls were suggesting that Bromley would go into no overall control. They were also suggesting that Bexley would go into Reform control. The Conservative Party were able to hold both Bexley and Bromley. And I think the fact that we got one councillor in Mottingham was a fantastic achievement. Giles is doing a wonderful job already. He will continue to do a wonderful job, and at the end of the day, it is what it is. People are quite within their rights to vote for who they think will do the best job. A lot of people also vote on national issues over local issues, which can be a little bit frustrating, but again, that is democracy.
CO: It was interesting to see that Reform literature went 100% on national issues. I don’t think they mentioned anything local. Alternatively, Labour went very, very local, which may have also been to their detriment. How does one decide what to focus on?
WR: The thing is that this is the first local election where we’ve had five-party politics. So it was a learning curve for every single party. And I think you saw the two newer players in the game, the Greens and Reform, they were playing on national issues. And then equally, you’ve got the three more established parties where you could play both local and national. Reform has now got councils like Kent. The Greens have got councils like Lewisham now, so next time they’ll have a bit more of a track record. I think that ultimately people vote based on what they see as the greatest priority. Some people see local issues as a bigger priority, and some people see national issues as a bigger priority.
CO: Interesting. Now, why are you Conservative?
WR: I’m Conservative because I believe in free market capitalist economics, low taxes, but equally I also believe in the welfare state.
CO: And who’s your favourite Conservative Prime Minister?
WR: I would have to say it’s probably Winston Churchill. Without Churchill, we would all be speaking German right now. Of the modern era, I think that Mrs Thatcher and John Major were both absolute beacons of the Conservative Party, and they allowed for the continuation of the Conservative Party in a more modern way.
CO: Now, you’ve now got more time on your hands. How will you use it?
WR: So, I’ve got my own business doing garden maintenance and landscaping. I basically start work about seven o’clock, doing the gardening. When I was on the council, you would then use your tea breaks and things like that to catch up on emails, speak to the officers, so on and so forth. And then that would continue into the evening. Now I’m renovating the house and having great fun doing it!
CO: And are you married? Do you have kids?
WR: Yeah, I’m married. No kids yet though.
CO: Were you educated locally?
WR: No, I’m originally from Derbyshire, a little town called Glossop. I went to the local bog-standard comp that was called Glossopdale. And I came down here when I was 18 and started up my own business and never looked back.
CO: Good on you. And what’s your hope for Mottingham and the surrounding areas?
WR: Well, my hope for Mottingham is that they get strong representation. I’m very proud of the record that myself and David Cartwright had. We left behind a crime rate which is lower than it was eight years ago. We’ve left behind a programme of investment into the local area. The library has been refurbished. The Mottingham Estate is getting a new youth centre. We’ve helped to get Friends of Foxes Field off the ground. We’ve helped them attract funding. I would like to see that continue, and I know that Giles will continue that. And in terms of Bromley as a whole. Don’t think I won’t be coming back!
CO: Will Rowlands will be back with avengeance (and his lawnmower)!?
WR: Absolutely. I would like to see Bromley continue to prosper. The position that the council’s finances are in, through no fault of the administration, both current and past, is well documented and tricky. It’s going to be very, very difficult. This said I have every confidence in our leader that he’s the right guy to steer the council through the choppy waters that may be heading our way. Bromley will ultimately, in the long term, prosper. And that’s what I want to see.
CO: Thank you so much for your time.
WR: No, it’s alright. You take care and I’ll speak to you soon.
CO: God bless!