Jane East — Labour

@Jane_East4CV

Jane East, Labour prospective parliamentary candidate for the Colne Valley
Jane East, Labour prospective parliamentary candidate for the Colne Valley

Biography:

This is the first time I’ve stood in any election. I want to rebuild your trust in politics, by doing things differently – through honest debate and collaboration, listening, not shouting at my opponents.

I have worked for 30 years in the public and voluntary sectors. My dad was a kitchen-fitter, my mum a doctor’s receptionist. At the age of 23, I was the first in my family to go to university, where I gained a first class degree in Social Policy and a Masters Degree in Social Work.

I worked with young homeless people and as a family and childcare social worker for more than a decade before going to Africa as a Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) volunteer. I have spent the last 13 years in senior management roles with international charities, including Amnesty International and Christian Aid. These experiences have given me a good understanding of people from all backgrounds and in the most troubled situations.

Manifesto:

Though we are living in difficult times, the Labour Party’s plans will make a real difference in the lives of ordinary people.

We will protect the NHS and halt its privatisation. We will protect the education budget, strengthen local accountability of schools and cut tuition fees by a third.

We will build a prosperous Britain through long-term investment in infrastructure and support to small business. We will reform to the banking sector and devolve funding and power to local agencies.

Labour will eliminate the deficit in a fairer, more balanced way. We need an economy that works for us all, not just the few. Labour will restore the link between the wealth of the country as a whole and the finances of ordinary people. It is simply not fair that many people are working hard but still struggling to make ends meet. We will get rid of the unfair bedroom tax which has hit 1,200 local people.

In the Colne Valley Constituency, my priorities will be to protect services at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, while promoting more joined-up services between health and social care. I want to see our young people finding real job and training opportunities. I will work with local businesses, Kirklees Colleges and Kirklees Council to see the delivery of gold-standard apprenticeships. I will ensure our constituency gets a fair share of the funding that under a Labour Government will be devolved to the Combined Authority and Leeds City Local Enterprise Partnership to grow our economy. Labour plans to insulate five million homes and I will put fuel poverty, energy efficiency and cold homes high on my agenda.

I want to see every family have the chance of a decent life, with quality public services and a welfare system that treats us all with dignity.

Cahal Burke — Liberal Democrats

www.cahalburke.co.uk / www.facebook.com/CahalBurke / @CahalBurke / voteburke@gmail.com

Clr Cahal Burke

Biography:

Cahal has lived in the Colne Valley constituency for almost 20 years, most of the time in Lindley ward.

Having studied Computing at the University of Huddersfield, Cahal went on to complete teacher training before working at several local colleges.

Cahal was first elected as a Kirklees councillor for the Lindley ward in May 2010.

A regular attendee at Huddersfield Town and Huddersfield Giants matches, Cahal is also a keen runner and supports local charities by taking part in marathons and half marathons.

He is presently Chair of Lindley Community Group; the group of local volunteers runs the annual Lindley Carnival, Lindley 10k running event and supports other local organisations.

Dedicated to the representation of local people, Cahal has supported and led several high profile campaigns to improve road safety outside local schools; oppose unnecessary greenfield building across the Colne Valley; protect local A&E services at Huddersfield’s main hospital; support several to challenge decisions made by Kirklees Cabinet including the exclusion of indoor bowlers and bowling facilities at the newly constructed Huddersfield Sports Centre; and the displacement of 60 primary age children from their school of choice.

Manifesto:

  • Making certain NHS funding is increased by £8bn in real terms by 2020 which the Liberal Democrats are the only party committed to making happen.
  • Reducing the cost of living via the introduction of socially progressive policies such as income tax cuts for low and medium earners, affordable and free child care and free school meals.
  • Creating a better controlled immigration system with exit checks. The coalition has already helped cut immigration by a third and ensured that skilled migrants are able to live and work in the UK easily but more needs to be done.
  • Ensuring children have the support they need to succeed in later life by introducing and expanding socially progressive policies like the pupil premium and free and affordable child care.

Melodie Staniforth — Independent

Melodie Staniforth, general election candidate for Colne Valley

I had no intensions of standing in another General Election after resigning from the Official Monster Raving Loony Party in 2007, which was a fun party, as we all know.

When the coalition party came into power in 2010, I experienced first hand the unfolding scandal of the sanctions regime. I spent eighteen months sat in the Jobcentre Plus or doing research to try and get help for my autistic grandson, who at the time was 21 years old.

I found the staff at Jobcentre Plus was ill-equipped at dealing with young adults in the artistic spectrum, so most of them are dropping though the net, with some ending up on the streets homeless. There are 350,000 autistic adults of working age and with Iain Duncan Smith withdrawing funding for Remploy factories, there is little or any hope for them.

I saw some members of staff treating people like cattle. Men and women in their late 50’s, who had worked all their life’ who had lost their jobs or become to ill to work were sanctioned and referred to food banks, under the new DWP rulings.

The old system of the Jobcentre Plus referral form to food banks, included boxes to tick to indicate the reason for referral, example lose of benefits through sanctioning etc, have now been removed by the DWP, so that the statistics are fixed.

The whole system is in chaos, £150 million of taxpayers money was spent on court fees related to successful appeals against unfair WCA assessments and another £60million contract to a firm to carry out the works program, which is failing our youth.

I will be a voice for ordinary people, and the ones that cannot speak up for themselves. I also call for Iain Duncan Smith and Esther McVeys’ resignations.

Paul Salveson — Yorkshire First

@YfColne

Yorkshire First Colne Valley PPC Paul Salveson - Vanilla Bean, Slaithwaite.

Biography:

I’m standing on behalf of Yorkshire First for Colne Valley where I’ve lived for nearly 20 years. I was born and bred in Lancashire but have made Yorkshire my home. My parents were factory workers and I benefited from the post-war welfare state by getting a good education. I’ve worked in the railway industry most of my life. I set up the national Association of Community Rail Partnerships, which is still based in Huddersfield. I’m a visiting professor in transport at the University of Huddersfield and a trustee of the Campaign for Better Transport.

Manifesto:

Yorkshire First is a new party, formed only a year ago. Our main objective is to get a directly-elected assembly for Yorkshire, giving people the means to address growing inequality and help build a strong regional economy. Many people are disillusioned with mainstream politics. We’re different and here’s why:

Our candidates are not expected to toe a party ‘line’ – if elected they will act in accordance with their conscience and the wishes of the people they represent.

We will organise regular open meetings to hear people’s views - a quarterly ‘Colne Valley Parliament’

If elected I will take the average full-time salary for the Colne Valley and use the remainder to employ young people to gain experience of community campaigning

I want a Yorkshire assembly to be elected by proportional representation with strong powers (like Scotland), financed by taking power and resources away from Westminster and Whitehall. So there would be no extra cost and fewer MPs. Locally, I want Kirklees split into two (Huddersfield/Colne Valley and Dewsbury/Spen), with stronger parish councils.

A Yorkshire assembly is only a means to an end: it must promote social justice and a growing economy with good quality jobs that pay at least the living wage. A Yorkshire Development Agency, accountable to the assembly, would stimulate the economy and work with business, universities and local government to promote innovation and research. We need a vibrant local economy with a flourishing network of small businesses, including co-operatives, trading with each other and offering good quality local goods and services.

Colne Valley needs better public transport and I will continue my fight for a station serving Golcar and Milnsbridge, and for improved services on the Penistone Line, with buses integrated with the trains, not competing.

Jason McCartney — Conservative

@JasonMcCartney

Lindley Developments public meeting at Lindley Methodist Church. Jason McCartney MP (chmn of the meeting).

Biography:

I am a proud Yorkshireman who lives in Honley. I was elected as the MP for Colne Valley in 2010.

I will always stand up for the views of local people, voting against the rise in tuition fees, against military action in Syria and for a moratorium on fracking.

I serve on the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and the Transport Select Committee. I have real life experience, serving as an RAF Officer serving in Turkey, Las Vegas and Iraq reaching the rank of Flight Lieutenant.

On leaving the RAF I was a journalist with Calendar News at ITV Yorkshire.

I am President of the Huddersfield branch of the RAF Association, a Huddersfield Town season ticket holder and support Huddersfield Giants.

I have raised thousands for local charities including running the London Marathon for the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice. I spend a full week volunteering in our community each summer and am passionate about getting young people into training, education or work, working closely with local schools, college and businesses to boost local apprenticeships.

Manifesto: My Plan for Holme Valley, Colne Valley & Lindley

  1. DELIVERING MORE JOBS OPPORTUNITIES AND HELPING PEOPLE GET THE SKILLS THEY NEED - Unemployment has fallen by over 42% since 2010 with 4,130 people starting an apprenticeship. My Jobs Fairs helped provide real jobs for local people and I am looking forward to holding more in the future.
  2. PROTECTING OUR LOCAL NHS – The Maternity Unit at the HRI was downgraded under the last Labour Government. I am campaigning to bring back full maternity services and to protect our local A&E.
  3. SUPPORTING OUR LOCAL SCHOOLS AND ENCOURAGING THE HIGHEST STANDARDS – Labour failed to plan for more school places. I will continue to campaign for extensions and improvements to our schools.
  4. REDUCING CONGESTION AND IMPROVING OUR ROADS – Over £1 million extra a year for six years has been allocated to tackle pot holes. I will campaign for more investment in infrastructure in our area.
  5. LOCAL TRAINS AND BUSES – with my role on the Transport Select Committee I will continue to campaign for affordable, reliable and accessible local rail and bus services.
  6. SECURING SUPER FAST BROADBAND THAT IS AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE – I am working with broadband providers to bring the best possible internet services to our towns and villages, supporting local businesses and families stay connected.
  7. PROTECTING OUR GREEN FIELDS FROM OVER DEVELOPMENT – I am the leading then campaign to protect our green fields. I am putting pressure on Labour run Kirklees Council to prioritise brownfield sites first which have the schools, surgeries and transport links to cope.
  8. PROUD OF YORKSHIRE – as a proud Yorkshireman I am campaigning for English Votes for English Laws and for us to have our say in an EU Referendum.

Chas Ball — Green

@chas4CV

Chas Ball
Chas Ball

Biography:

Chas has lived in the Colne Valley since 2001 and joined the Green Party in 2007.

Chas has worked in sustainable transport – as founder of Britain’s largest independent car club operator and until recently as chief executive of national shared transport charity Carplus Trust. Last year he contributed to the government’s review of the shared economy.

Locally he is involved in environmental and planning issues. Chas and his wife Gill Clarke are active supporters of the Green Valley Grocers co-operative in Slaithwaite and the Marsden Jazz Festival.

Manifesto:

Large-scale cuts to our council services, which will undermine our quality of life, are imminent. Nationally over 700,000 people are on zero hours contracts. Too many people earn below the Living Wage and no longer have a secure job.

People in this constituency are paying a high price for the banking crash. Increasingly the rich get richer whilst the poor are expected to pay disproportionately for the effects of the banking crash.

We need a fresh approach to politics and to the economy - only the Green Party challenges the cuts being forced on our communities.

Labour, UKIP, Conservatives and Lib Dems all support the austerity agenda to reduce the deficit quickly, with most of us worse off.

The Green Party proposes investing in a more productive, energy efficient, low carbon economy that delivers jobs and real training opportunities without a long-term increase in the deficit.

We need to build more socially-owned, affordable to heat, rented homes as well as bringing back derelict and empty buildings into use.

Locally, we need carefully planned development on sites accessible to schools, transport and services close to our existing town and village centres.

If we are to retain an integrated health service with staff committed to the public good, we have to stop further privatisation of the NHS.

More generally, public services should be put back into public hands and run for the interests of the users, not for private profit.

The Green Party aims to leave a world better protected from the threat of climate change for the next generation. We have the means to do it – by investing in renewable energy, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and recognising that the planet sets limits to economic growth.

By voting Green you can help us build a society that works for the common good.

Melanie Roberts — UKIP

@melukip

Melanie Roberts, UKIP candidate for the Colne Valley general election seat 2015

Biography: Melanie is a mother-of-eight who ran a Slaithwaite bookshop for many years.

Manifesto: I will be supporting the UKIP 2015 manifesto in all ways where they will affect and enhance the future of the people of the Colne Valley constituency.

I will be putting a full copy of the manifesto on our Facebook pages, including my personal one, for all to see. I hope to make some available for those who do not use the internet.

Where there are specific policy areas that involve the future and well being of the people of the Colne Valley vonstituency, I will give the greatest attention to but not to discard those areas that may have a secondary relevance to people of the area.

Important issues such as the NHS and energy issues so that there is affordable energy for all households, income tax thresholds and inheritance tax levels, welfare /disability issues, care of our elderly issues, bedroom tax issues, education issues, employment issues, crime issues, transport issues, housing issues and local government and are some of the areas I would be working with.

I would seek to stop the attack on our least able to defend themselves people and look at ways of helping the unemployed back into work, not beleaguering those who are genuinely unable to work and seek to reduce the need for the food banks that some of the most vulnerable are having to resort to.

Bringing back the money into the UK to work on these areas so as to benefit the people living in the UK, especially the Colne Valley constituency community.