Brighouse Election 2010
For the 2010 General election we emailed the candidates from the main 3 parties and asked them why they are the best candidate for Brighouse. Here are their responses. All candidates were emailed on the 9th of April 2010.
Stephanie Booth – Labour
Britain is slowly coming out of recession but here in Brighouse the recovery remains fragile. That’s why we cannot afford a Tory Government that would make deep cuts immediately and take thousands of jobs out of the local economy to pay
for a tax break that benefits the wealthiest minority in Britain.
I want to be a powerful advocate for Calder Valley and especially a town like Brighouse, championing local people, protecting jobs, bringing in new investment and getting regeneration plans moving.
It’s time we put an end to the Sugden’s Mill saga and made sure its redevelopment is an immediate priority. I will also work to use new Government legislation to help fill empty shops and lobby the council to cap the number of charity shops on
our high street.
Labour investment helped secure the new bus station for Brighouse and get the railway station reopened. I want to build on this and fight to secure affordable housing, improve local skills and bring new jobs to the area.
I have previously worked for an international charity and as a teacher and journalist. As someone born in the north, and a mother of four, I understand local people’s concerns at a time when money is tight. I know I can make a
difference as part of a Labour Government.
Hilary Myers – Liberal Democrats
“We have a rotten system of government built up by Labour and the Conservatives. It needs to be swept away. If elected as the new MP for Calder Valley, which includes Brighouse and the surrounding communities, my aim will be to bring in the change our area and our country so desperately needs.
“I will fight for a fair deal for ordinary people who have paid the price for the boom and bust of the Lab-servative years.
“That’s why I am pleased that the Liberal Democrats under Nick Clegg and Vince Cable have put fairness and change at the heart of the party’s manifesto.
“As MP for our area, I will fight hard to ensure the tax system is reformed so that people on low and middle incomes get a fair deal. We will make sure no one pays tax on their first £10,000 of income. And we will pay for it by closing the tax loopholes used by the super rich, who did so well out of the booms and busts of the Lab-servative years.
“And I will also be battling to sweep away the old way of government that Lab-servatives have enjoyed for decades. We will bring in fair votes, replace the House of Lords with a new body elected by the people and we will ensure people have far more say over what happens in their own communities.
“Labour have lost support in Calder Valley – they don’t have a single Council seat. But it doesn’t have to be the Tories’ turn. People need an MP they can trust.”
Craig Whittaker
No response to email as yet.