UNTIL this week, we had begun to think Darlington’s Conservative prospective Parliamentary candidate Edward Legard was the invisible man.

He introduced himself to Spectator the best part of six months ago, but since then we have seen neither hide nor hair. Perhaps the Conservatives had a cunning plan, perhaps the Tories’ national poll lead made them complacent. Why has he been so absent?

In view of Mr Legard’s lack of local connections (birth in Scarborough, raised in Ripon, a spell in the Army at Catterick is a bit tenuous for a would-be Darlington MP) one might have expected him to put himself about the constituency a bit more, making his opinions known on a variety of local issues.

There have been plenty of them.

But no, the silence has been deafening until this week when he surfaced at a Rolling Mills question and answer session.

Surely Mr Legard and his local advisers understand that it will take more than an 11-point national poll lead to deliver the seat to the Tories for the first time in almost 20 years?

Debating point

We assume that a future round in the Darlington Debate we referred to last week will pit the Parliamentary candidates against each other. However, will the BNP candidate be invited to take part? Given the problems the BBC experienced with the episode of Question Time featuring Nick Griffin, that’s a debate that could be really interesting.

At your leisure

Spectator understands the momentum behind plans to place Hambleton Council’s leisure centres in the hands of a charitable leisure trust was building nicely last year.

Early officer views seemed to suggest it was something of a “no-brainer” because of the money saved in VAT and rates. However, it all came to a shuddering halt and now the view seems to be that is all less clear cut.

Spectator understands that the policy change may have something to do with the Hambleton-Richmondshire shared services agenda.

Richmondshire’s main leisure asset is the Richmond pool which loses lots of money (all council swimming pools do) whereas Hambleton’s mixeduse centres don’t.

The leisure trust idea may have been sidelined for now, but a swift return as a joint district trust is odd-on.