Who will get your vote in the 2017 Election?

This Constituency needs change, I think genuinely that voters were surprised when the Berwick Upon Tweed Constituency woke up to a new Tory MP.

Our constituency faces great challenges, from the government forcing huge developments on small towns to meet its targets without infrastructure provision, to the fact that hard working families are struggling and having to use food banks. Not to mention the huge cuts to Local Government and the impact that will have on Council services.

Our area is so beautiful it often hides the issues faced by our communities and the wrong type of representative does nothing to tackle these issues.

We need a strong Constituency MP, one that is able to represent the many within our communities, one that isn’t a distant MP that rarely is seen other than in press releases or at election time.

We need to consider all the issues that we have and the challenges we face, while important it isn’t all about the A1, there is so much more that needs attention and investment.

A strong MP that will stand up against the £16million pounds worth of CUTS to our local schools, one that will stand up for the pensioners who are set to lose out and the average working family who is set to lose yet more money from their pockets.

We need to unite to look at the issues we face, deal with the lack of good employment opportunities, ensure that the developments and investments are best targeted in areas that need them most.

We have a huge opportunity, nobody was expecting this election, nobody asked for it. We have all been doing our best with little resource and time, unlike the Tory machine that has the money and staff locally to bombard you to believe they are the only ones that care or have bothered.

I urge people to think at the ballot box, do we want more of the same or do we want change, do we want someone that will stand up for the ordinary person?

I urge everyone to be bold, vote Labour on June 8^th.

Listening to the views of Amble residents on the doorstep has been invaluable to really understand the concerns across Amble and the wider constituency.

Like many people I meet, I am worried about the future of local services like our NHS, under attack from Conservative cuts like the Rothbury ward closure.

The well-being of patients and staff of our NHS and ambulance service is at risk as the system struggles to cope. No-one I meet welcomes the prospect of an ‘American-style’ health service – but that’s what the government is doing as it dismantles our NHS piece by piece.

As it is, there is an increasing need for improvements in our NHS as populations increase, due to house-building and the elderly living longer. A common sense joining up of NHS and social care is needed, with a fair system of funding, not a ‘dementia tax’, is needed to secure the right care for those who need it.

Many care homes are shutting. I believe the ground-breaking Lib Dem commitment of a penny on tax to pay for a revamped health and social care system will make a real difference to people.

I am passionate about opportunity for all. Retraining to be a teacher, after a career in higher education, healthcare and charities, shows me exactly what’s at stake and our schools cannot afford the proposed cuts.

I believe every child should have equal access to high quality free education wherever they live. Free transport for post-16 students is an example of discrimination against those who live in rural counties.

The election is being portrayed as just being about Brexit. I believe the final decision on the final Brexit deal should rest with all of us. But this election is so much bigger than Brexit.

The rich are getting richer, the poor getting poorer. We can try and redress this and start to achieve equality, though only if we have a decent public sector with the basics of health and education.

It is time for a strong local voice to defend our rural communities.

I hope you will support me to be your strong local champion in Parliament and a responsive, accessible constituency MP fighting for the local services and opportunities we all need.

I have lived and worked in this constituency for the last 24 years, but have become active in politics only within the last three years – after finally realising how none of the three “established” Westminster parties can be relied upon to do what they say, or say what they do: we have to put in place a new way of doing things.

This election is an opportunity to take part in the future, to say what kind of Amble and what kind of Northumberland we want to live in now; what kind of society we want to build and to leave behind for the next several generations.

We are in a time of huge changes brought about by our climate, and by Brexit, and we have the choice either to accept choices imposed by others, or to take part and help set a direction for the change.

The vision that the Green Party have for the future is a caring and compassionate society with a fair economy based on innovation and skill; a country where young people are given the best possible education, the best possible opportunities, and are listened to and included in the process, not saddled with pressure and with debt; where health care and social care is provided LOCALLY to all who need it, paid for by general taxation; where we have affordable, well-built homes (not sprawling green-field developments) that are served by comprehensive public transport.

Of all the constituencies in England and Wales, ours is the most remote from London, and our voice is lost in the inter-party squabbling – in our current three-party system we will always be at the back of the queue. What is needed now for Northumberland is a new approach with a distinct voice.

Our climate, our environment and our communities are the most precious things we have – the Green Party puts these at the heart of our polices.

It has been a privilege to represent Berwick-upon-Tweed in Parliament over the past two years. As a Conservative MP with a Conservative Government I was able to ensure the needs of north Northumberland were heard and acted on by Ministers.

In just two years I secured £293 million for the dualling of the A1 (route to be announced this summer); £2 million for the new Berwick harbour jetty to secure the town’s long-term growth; £16.6 million for Northumberland’s roads and a new enterprise zone.

As the voice for north Northumberland in Parliament, I’ve ensured ministers know the challenges faced by our rural communities. I lobbied hard – successfully – to have broadband considered by law as the fourth utility.

The Digital Economy Bill just became law, and means customers are entitled to broadband speeds of 10 Mb/second. 83% of homes in the constituency now have access to superfast broadband, and I won’t rest until it’s 100%.

I have worked with Government to ensure the new mobile telecommunications network for the emergency services will also be available to consumers when it goes live in the coming years. That will revolutionise daily life for Northumbrians.

I’ve helped farmers battling EU red tape, backed our fishermen in their plans for the industry post-Brexit, supported communities in building neighbourhood plans, fought for better bus services and opposed plans for a new open-cast coal mine in Druridge Bay.

I have sent weekly email reports of what I do in Parliament and locally and quarterly newspapers to all households because it’s important residents know what I am doing for them.

There is still much to do, and I would be honoured to be re-elected once more to finish the job and to support Theresa May as she takes our nation forward to its global, post-Brexit future.