VILLAGERS from Wickwar enjoyed a behind the scenes tour of the Houses of Parliament this month, courtesy of MP Luke Hall.

Forty-seven residents travelled up by coach on Monday, November 6, from the centre of the village, straight to Westminster, where they received a full guided tour of both the House of Lords and House of Commons. 

“It’s an opportunity to see how democracy works in London,” said Wickwar Parish Councillor, Colin Maidment.

“You see it on the news, see the MPs and Lords in chambers, talking. But it’s good to see them as real people, rather than as a faceless bureaucracy.”

Cllr Maidment said he was particularly looking forward to Mr Hall’s questions time, when he intended to ask the MP about the proposed housing development in Wickwar.

Wickwar resident Derek Fletcher said: “I’m pleased Mr Hall feels it’s worth getting constituents to see what he does and how he does it.”

Villager Linda Starflinger felt that the MP should have tried to attract younger people to come on the tour.

"There’s not many people below 50, that stands out for me," she said.

“But I like the fact that he is engaging people and reaching out to his constituents.”

The visit is part of Luke Hall’s village tours initiative, which has seen the MP invite constituents from the Yate and Thornbury area on coach trips to Westminster.

This was the sixth village trip organised by Mr Hall, with residents from Rangeworthy, Falfield, Hawkesbury, Coalpit Heath/Ram Hill and Wick taking part earlier in the year.

The group’s guided tour passed through the Central Lobby, St Stephen’s Hall, the Queen’s robing room and the chambers of both the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

Villager Jen Hayden said she was impressed by the décor throughout.

“I’ve only seen Parliament on TV before, and I didn’t realise how ornate and colourful it was,” she said.

This was perfectly summed up by tour guide Kathryn Moss, who described the Lords’ chamber as “eye wateringly gold”.

Several residents expressed their interest in the structure and artistry of the buildings.

Charles Symons said: “Apparently the Houses of Parliament was built from Derbyshire stone with scaffolding, before cranes, or any of that kind of technology – so I’m interested to see the craftsmanship of it.”

Roger Edwards, who used to work in the construction industry, said: “I like the architecture as much as anything. There’s such amazing craftsmanship. It’d be impossible to replicate that today.”

Property developer Robert Ranicar is a big fan of the work of Augustus Pugin, who designed the interior of the Palace of Westminster, and so was delighted to able to see his work close up.

He also noted: “It was amazing, just being there in the chamber.

“It’s not as big as it looks on TV, it’s human sized, and you can see how close the opposing sides are to each other.”

Following a trip to the gift shop and lunch in the Jubilee Café next to Westminster Hall, Mr Hall gave a short talk on his role and experiences as an MP, and then villagers were given the opportunity put their concerns to him in a mini ‘question time’ session.

Selina Starflinger, a 21-year-old student at Bath University, asked Mr Hall what he thought of the earnings of the university’s vice-chancellor - £451,000 last year - which have been widely criticised.

Ms Starflinger, who is in her final year, studying politics and German, said she might like to go into politics one day.

Mr Hall was restricted on what he could say about the matter, as he is bound by the Ministerial Code as he is de-facto part of the Government in his role as Parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to the Education Ministers, but he agreed to communicate with Ms Starflinger on the subject via email.

The second 90 unit housing development in Wickwar was also discussed.

Mr Hall said that he was not in favour of the development, as it is not included in the West of England Joint Spatial Plan, and also because the area lacks the necessary supporting infrastructure for it.

He also advised that when objecting to planning applications, lots of individual personal letters are stronger than a petition.

The tour ended with a stroll on the riverside terrace. Then it was back on the bus, and home by 5.30pm.

There are a further two upcoming tours: Frampton Cotterell this December, and Iron Acton in the new year.