Hayes & Harlington MP's

Hayes Trades Union Council

Hayes Trades Union Council 

circa 1960

Hayes Trades Union Council was an organisation that represented all the local branches of unions active locally in the Hayes area (including Heathrow)

centre 

Arthur Skeffington MP for Hayes & Harlington

Elsie "Maggie" Broughton

Arthur Skeffington - Hayes & Harlington 1970

Arthur Skeffington
Election Address 1970
Hayes & Harlington

Dear Friends and Electors,

Having had the privilege of being your M.P. for 17 years, I have got to know many of you personally, either at my fortnightly advice service or at innumerable other meetings or as a result of the many thousands of fetters I have written for you. Many of you will, therefore, know me and where I stand on the great issues which face our Britain.

I have devoted my life to public service and tried to make myself fit for it. I have never disguised my belief that the solutions to our problems cannot be found alone in material factors. Policy must be based on sound moral principles; on the ideals of justice, fair play, the worth of the individual and, indeed, the whole Christian ethic.

Thus I have never asked for support on easy promises of unlimited material benefits. In 1966 I said in my message, "The way ahead for Britain in this troubled world will be tough and challenging." And it has been! But we have — people and Government — triumphed. Britain is, for the first time since 1945, paying her way; is able to pay for the food and raw materials she has to import.

So the way ahead is better than ever before if we don't desert, on June 18th, the principles which have brought us world success. This is the basic issue in this election.

And remember, in cash terms, we have secured our strong position in the world with a £550 million surplus from the massive deficit of £800 million inherited in 1964 from the Conservative Government. No wonder it has been called the "economic miracle". Yet as I show on the page opposite, we have been steadily building Britain at home; more schools, homes, hospitals and roads; social benefits, and pensions; more opportunities than ever before and the cheapest food in Europe. If we have a fault, it may be we have tried to do too much.

Now having made Britain strong we can go forward on the basis of that strength to continue our social policies of making Britain a better and finer place for all our people.

I hope you will help on June 18th by voting for this policy.

Sincerely yours,

Arthur Skeffington

Election Agent R.J. Came

NOTES:
Arthur Skeffington

Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington since 1953 (By-election death of Walter Ayles).

M.P for West Lewisham 1945-50.

Joint Parliamentary Secretary,

Ministry of Land and National Resources since 1964.

Contested Streatham 1935.

West Lewisham by-election 1938, reduced Tory vote by 7,000. L.C.C. (Peckham).

Born 1909.

Educated Streatham Grammar .'School and London University,

B.Sc. Economics (Hons.).

Teacher, economist and barrister.

Joined Labour Party 1923.

P.P.S. to John Hynd, M.P., and to George Buchanan, M.P.,

when Minister of Pensions 1945-47.

Passed into Law Enforcement of Contracts Act.

Member of Executive Committee of Fabian Society,

Chairman 1956.

Socialist Societies representative since 1953 on the National Executive of the Labour Party:

Chairman of its Local Government Sub-Committee.

Joint President, British Section of the Council of European Municipalities. Member of Political Purposes Committee, R.A.C.S (Co-op).

Member of National union of Teachers and National Union of Municipal & General Workers Union General & Manciple Workers Union

Board of Trade 1941.

Worked on "concentration of industry" policy under Professor G. C. Alien.

Assistant Director of Medical Supplies, Ministry of Supply, 1943-45.'

Member of Parliamentary delegations to East Africa 1948 and 1957 and U.S.A.

1949 and 1958.

Won League of Nations Scholarship to Prague; visited U.S.S.R.

and many other European countries.

Sometime member of the Civil Service

Arbitration Tribunal, Chairman of the Expert Working Surveys on Land and

Building.

Specially interested in education, land, law, local government.

Married, two sons. Hobbies: cricket, bee-keeping, gardening.

Arthur Skeffington MP

SKEFFINGTON, Arthur Massey

Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington 1953 -1971

(By-election death of Walter Ayles). former M.P for West Lewisham 1945-50. Joint Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Land and National Resources since 1964. Contested Streatham 1935. West Lewisham by-election 1938, reduced Tory vote by 7,000.

Born 4th September 1908. the son of Arthur James Williams a pottery manfacturer's clerk and his wife Edith Massey. (In 1933 changed his name by depoll to Skeffington from Williams) Educated Streatham Grammar School In his youth he played for Surrey second eleven (life long member)and London University, B.Sc. Economics (Hons.). Teacher, economist and barrister (middle temple 1951).

Joined Labour Party 1923 and the Fabians in 1933

In 1937 Skeffington re-established the Battersea Parliament originally established by John Burns

In 1938 he visited the Soviet Union

Was not callled up because of "poor eyesight" and entered the Civil Service, initially at the Board of Trade, later Ministry of Supply, where he became assistant director in charge of the production of medical supplies.

Labour member of the London County Council 1951-1958 (Peckham)

P.P.S. to John Hynd, M.P., and to George Buchanan, M.P., when Minister of Pensions 1945-47. Passed into Law Enforcement of Contracts Act.

Member of Executive Committee of Fabian Society, Chairman 1956. Socialist Societies representative since 1953 on the National Executive of the Labour Party:

Chairman of its Local Government Sub-Committee. Joint President, British Section of the Council of European Municipalities. Member of Political Purposes Committee, R.A.C.S (Co-op).

Member of National Union of Teachers and National Union of Municipal & General Workers Union (GMB). and a Justice of the Peace

Board of Trade 1941. Worked on "concentration of industry" policy under Professor G. C. Allen. Assistant Director of Medical Supplies, Ministry of Supply, 1943-45.'

Member of Parliamentary delegations to East Africa 1948 and 1957 and U.S.A. 1949 and 1958. Won League of Nations Scholarship to Prague; visited U.S.S.R. and many other European countries. Sometime member of the Civil Service Arbitration Tribunal, Chairman of the Expert Working Surveys on Land and Building.

He fought hard against the Tories aboloition of the London County Council in 1963 but was always at odds with the Left wing within the Hayes Labour Party as well as the Communist Party

He was a short, stocky friendly man who generally wore a home grown flower in his button hole

Special mission to India for Labour Party 1961

Seven years Chairman of Labour Friends of Israel

Specially interested in education, land, law, local government.

For many years his home was Meopham, Kent
Married twice Sadie Isabel Belvin and later in 1952 to Sheila McKenzie, two sons. Hobbies: cricket (Surrey), bee-keeping, gardening (President of the Arboriculture Association), walking (Ramblers Association)

died 18th February 1971