He was not best pleased. He started to lobby everyone who would lose out with the scheme, mainly businessmen with businesses that fronted onto the river, and yachtsmen who would be charged a mooring tax to help pay for the scheme.
He inspired three others along with himself to stand for election to the council, solely in an effort to scupper the scheme at source, and use their votes to bring down the scheme.
His opponents were clearly a bit worried by this: the ballot papers were mysteriously all spoiled and the election – in which they had been successful – was declared void. The culprit, Mr Simpson was sure, was the town clerk, Mr Hockin. In 1881 the problems really began. The scheme seemed to be gaining popularity and to have sound financial footings as well, with the signs good that loans and the means to repay them could be found. Mr Simpson formed an Anti-Embankment group, along with a man who wanted to use the money earmarked for the Embankment to dredge the river allowing bigger ships to enter and make more money bunkering coal. They again stood for election, which was again
So when a number of notable and serious men of the town, not least Samuel Lake......, suggested enclosing the whole frontage of the town with an ‘Esplanade’ some people began to worry
administered by Mr Hockin, and again all the ballot papers were spoiled and the election declared void. Mr Simpson was getting angry, but also seemed prepared to accept he might lose this fight, and moved his works to Sandquay to avoid being blocked in by the river. But his anger at being beaten by Mr Hockin was clearly not something he would let go of. He challenged the election result in court and got it run again in the following April. Whilst these wrangles were going on, Mr Hockin, the council and the Harbour Commission prepared the plans, got them passed by council and put them before Parliament for approval.
Mr Simpson and his ‘group of four’ DID get elected in 1882, but were too small a group to stop the bill going before Parliament. They tried to stop it progressing through the House of Lords – a desperate, last ditch attempt which failed, but not entirely.
The bill was changed to say that any vote in council on the expenditure had to be won by a two third majority. The race was on: Mr Simpson had friends who were to stand in the next election and. if they were eleted, the Anti Embankment group could probably defeat any vote for the Embankment.
Mayor’s Avenue just after the South Embankment’s completion
Mr Hockin quickly put through a motion for £10,000 to £13,000 to be approved for the North End of the Embankment, which won, eight votes to six. The Harbour commission approved £24,000 expenditure on the South Embankment. But the tale was not to end there. In the November election, Mr Simpson’s band of friends did get voted onto the council. Mr Hockin was immediately dismissed, with his letter of dismissal apparently only taking up four lines of writing. He had been clerk for 21 years. The next year Mr Simpson became Mayor Simpson, and tried to hamper and hurt the
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