STEPHEN HOLLAND WELCOMES APPROVAL OF PLANS FOR NEW HEALTH FACILITIES IN SHAW HEATH

Prospective Conservative MP Stephen Holland has welcomed the approval of plans for a new £30M health centre in Shaw Heath. The new building will help to regenerate the Shaw Heath area and will house a cafe, chemist and rooms for 15 GPs.

Over the summer Stephen Holland and Stockport Conservatives campaigned for better healthcare for the people of Stockport by writing to the Health Secretary with calls for immediate action after an independent report from Stockport’s Director of Public Health had identified that health inequalities in Stockport Borough were the worst across the whole of Greater Manchester. In the Brinnington and Central ward, which includes parts of Shaw Heath, the average life expectancy of a man and a woman were the lowest in Stockport.

To see Stephen’s letter to the Health Secretary, please click here:

http://www.stephenholland.org.uk/2009/08/campaigning-for-better-health-care-for-the-people-of-stockport-%e2%80%93-my-letter-to-the-health-secretary/

Stephen said, “I welcome this investment in healthcare for the people of Shaw Heath and nearby neighbourhoods such as Edgeley after I campaigned for better healthcare over the summer. It must be done in a way that provides better healthcare whilst taking into account the traffic concerns of local residents.

“There is a massive discrepancy between the life expectancy of someone living in this area compared to other parts of Stockport Borough. This is completely unacceptable and that is why I wrote to the Health Secretary over the summer with my concerns and called for action.”

Conservative Group Leader Councillor Les Jones added, “Whilst strongly supporting this new NHS health facility, the Conservative Group on the Council also highlighted residents’ traffic fears in the surrounding streets. There must be a win-win position: better healthcare for Stockport’s residents and a completely minimal impact on the quality of life of nearby local residents living in Shaw Heath.”

STOCKPORT CONSERVATIVES STANDING UP FOR STOCKPORT ALL YEAR ROUND

DAVID CAMERON’S NEW YEAR MESSAGE

“2010 will be election year.  After all the false starts and speculation, now we know for sure that the country will have a chance to vote for change this year.  Within days, the gloves will be off and the arguments will begin.  But as we enter this year of intense political activity, I think it’s important for all politicians to remember something.  While those in the Westminster village might eagerly be limbering up for a frantic few months of speeches and launches and strategies and tactics – and all the hoopla of today’s politics – most people in the country will be contemplating the prospect of months of electioneering with emotions somewhere on a scale between indifference and dread: and that is something we need to change.  But we’ll only do that if we recognise the reasons why politics is broken.

First and foremost it’s because the expenses scandal is not a chapter that comes to a close as we move into a new year.  It is an ongoing reminder of a deeper breakdown in trust between politicians and the public.  And this has many causes. Politicians who think they have the answer to everything and just can’t bear to leave people alone to get on with their lives. Politicians who can’t bring themselves to recognise any good in their opponents and refuse to work together to get things done. Politicians who never admit they’re wrong and never acknowledge that they’ve made a mistake.  A sense that Westminster has become so much about point-scoring, positioning and political dividing-lines that people and their real-life problems are completely left out.  These are some of the reasons that politics is broken.

I’m sure I’ve been guilty of these offences on occasions, and no doubt will commit them again.  But we shouldn’t stop trying to get it right just because we don’t always succeed.  Over the past few years, we’ve tried in the Conservative Party to do things differently.  We voted for Tony Blair’s school reforms because we agreed with them even though we could have inflicted a damaging defeat on the Government.  We’ve encouraged our parliamentary candidates to set up social action projects in their communities.  We’ve opened up politics through open primaries to select potential MPs and held open Cameron Direct meetings all over the country where people from all parties and none can come and ask me questions.  We took swift action on expenses and were the first to pay money back where that was the right thing to do.  And we’ve consistently pushed for TV election debates, whether we’ve been behind in the polls or ahead in the polls.  But there’s a huge amount more to do if we want to rebuild trust.  So let’s try and make this election year the moment to start fixing our broken politics.  Let’s bring real change to Westminster and the whole political system.  A big part of that is about policy: policies to reform expenses and the way Parliament works; policies to redistribute power from the political elite to the man and woman in the street; policies to make government more transparent and accountable.

But it’s not all about policy.  It’s also about character, attitude and approach.  It’s about how political leaders actually behave, the example they set and the lead they give.  It’s about doing as well as talking – real social action in our communities, not just pontificating from an ivory tower.  And my resolution this new year is to work harder for a new politics in this country.  I don’t want to mislead people: there’s an election campaign coming, and I think it’s reasonable for political parties to point out the consequences of their opponents’ policies, records and judgments as well as the benefits of their own.  The House of Commons – particularly on set-piece occasions like Prime Minister’s Questions – is an adversarial place.  But let’s make sure the election is a proper argument about the future of the country, not some exercise in fake dividing lines.  Let’s at least recognise the good intentions of our opponents. Let’s be honest that whether you’re Labour, Conservative or Liberal Democrat, you’re motivated by pretty much the same progressive aims: a country that is safer, fairer, greener and where opportunity is more equal.  It’s how to achieve these aims that we disagree about – and indeed between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats there is a lot less disagreement than there used to be.

Of course the area where there is greatest and most sincere agreement between political parties is our shared support for our mission in Afghanistan.  I know that we will never take for granted the bravery of our armed forces, and as we prepare to fight the political battles at home, we will keep in mind constantly the humbling courage of those who fight the real battles for us overseas.

So let’s make 2010 the year for a new politics.  Let’s be positive about our own policies as well as pointing out the consequences of our opponents’ policies.  But above all, let’s be honest about the problems facing the country and how we can solve them.  Yes, there will be an election this year: that much is certain.  And we can be certain too that the arguments will be fierce.  But let’s make it a good clean fight.  And once the battle is over, we will need to rise above our differences and come together because that is the only way – strong, united leadership is the only way – we will sort out Britain’s problems, halt our decline, and give this country the success that I know we can achieve.”

STEPHEN HOLLAND SIGNS UP TO CANCER RESEARCH UK’S CANCER COMMITMENT

Prospective Conservative MP Stephen Holland has signed up to Cancer Research UK’s Cancer Commitment to join local residents and Cancer Research UK in helping to beat cancer.

Recent years have seen huge advances in treatment, prevention and research into cancer. But one in three people will still get cancer in their lifetime and the UK’s cancer outcomes lag behind those of the best performing countries in Europe.

Cancer Research UK’s Cancer Commitment asks that, if elected, parliamentary candidates will seek to help make the UK’s cancer outcomes among the best in Europe in the next ten years and will support measures to:

1. Detect cancer earlier

2. Provide world-class cancer treatments

3. Prevent more cancers

4. Tackle cancer inequalities

5. Protect the UK’s research base

As at 16th December 2009 Stephen Holland is the only parliamentary candidate in Stockport to sign up to this commitment per Cancer Research UK’s website. 

Stephen said, “I am pleased to sign up to this important cause and give my support for making the UK’s cancer outcomes among the best in Europe in the next ten years. I urge the other parliamentary candidates in Stockport to sign up to this commitment.”

To find out more about Cancer Research UK’s Cancer Commitment, please click here:

http://www.cancercampaigns.org.uk/ourcampaigns/Commit/index.htm

To see who has signed up to the commitment, please click here:

http://www.cancercampaigns.org.uk/ourcampaigns/Commit/CommittedCandidates/index.htm

STEPHEN HOLLAND ATTENDS OPENING GALA NIGHT OF THE STOCKPORT PLAZA

Prospective MP for Stockport Stephen Holland joined local Conservative councillors and many others at the opening gala night of the newly restored Stockport Plaza.

After a £3 million transformation and 10-month restoration of the theatre to its 1930s heyday, the Stockport Plaza is now the only restored super-cinema and variety theatre in the country still used for its original purpose. The illuminated theatre will be seen from Stockport viaduct on the train and by people flying into Manchester Airport.

Guests took a step back in time to the original opening night with a glittering 1930s-style variety performance featuring orchestra, organ, variety and film including the Gold Diggers of 1933 from the Great Depression.

Stephen said, “I was delighted to attend the opening gala night of the restored Stockport Plaza. This iconic Art Deco gem first opened its doors to the public in Stockport in October 1932. All those involved in the restoration work, including the Friends of the Plaza, have done a terrific job.”

Local Conservative Councillor Anthony O’Neill added, “The performances tonight were fantastic, whilst the theme of the Great Depression was a pertinent reminder of this week’s economic situation in our country.”

PRE-BUDGET REPORT: STOCKPORT’S RESIDENTS LEFT WITH £23,000 OF DEBT THANKS TO ALISTAIR DARLING AND HIS TEAM

Stephen Holland, prospective MP for Stockport, has responded to the Government’s new tax and spending proposals – the so-called Pre-Budget Report – by warning of Labour plans for higher taxes and record levels of national debt included in the small print.

The Government’s proposals include:

•  - National Insurance hikes on workers meaning a smaller pay packet for anyone earning £20,000 or more.
•  - Higher income tax, pushing more middle income earners into the 40 per cent higher rate.
•  - Plans for a real cut in NHS spending through the 1% National Insurance increase paid by the NHS.
•  - Forcing councils to make more cuts to rubbish collections.

This comes as the country’s debt is forecast to reach £1,500,000,000,000 – equivalent to £23,000 for every man, woman and child in Stockport. The Government will spend £64 billion a year on debt interest. This debt will also push up interest rates over time, meaning more expensive mortgages and credit card bills.

Stephen said, “Every family in Stockport is going to be forced to pay out for years thanks to the mistakes of Alistair Darling and his team.  Our country faces the biggest overdraft in our peacetime history, and Labour have already started to hike taxes on Stockport’s residents to pay for it. It’s time for change in Stockport.”

Stockport’s Labour MP is the Parliamentary Private Secretary of Alistair Darling and works closely with him. Why doesn’t she resign her position?

MORE CONSULTATION FOR STOCKPORT – MY LETTER TO THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS

When I speak to Stockport’s residents, they tell me they do not feel they are being heard by the Government, the Lib Dem Council or other organisations.

There must be more consultation with residents about building a car park in Woodbank Park, about rolling out a wheelie bin scheme for residents living in terraces in areas like Heaton Mersey and Cale Green, and about tree-felling by Network Rail in Heaton Moor.

STEPHEN HOLLAND

PROSPECTIVE CONSERVATIVE MP FOR STOCKPORT

SPEAKING UP FOR STOCKPORT – MY LETTER TO THE CHANCELLOR AHEAD OF HIS PRE-BUDGET REPORT 2009

Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

Dear Mr Darling

PRE-BUDGET REPORT 2009

Britain’s budget deficit is the worst of any developed economy. The national debt is predicted to more than double from £609.1 billion last year to nearly £1.4 trillion in 2013/2014. This works out at over £22,000 per person.

I am deeply concerned about the impact of this debt on the people of my constituency of Stockport – on Stockport’s young people who are trying to make their way in the world; on services provided to Stockport’s residents and families; and on Stockport’s pensioners after your Government raided pension funds by some £5 billion a year since 1997.

In this week’s Pre-Budget Report I urge your Government to put in place a credible plan to deal with this debt mountain in a fair and honest manner. In particular I want an assurance for the people of Stockport that you will:

1. Safeguard the NHS

I urge you to commit to real terms year on year increases in the NHS budget. The people of Stockport deserve investment in better healthcare on the frontline. That is why I wrote to your colleague the Health Secretary on 19 August 2009 with my concerns about dirty ambulances in Stockport and health inequalities across Stockport. http://www.stephenholland.org.uk/2009/08/campaigning-for-better-health-care-for-the-people-of-stockport-%e2%80%93-my-letter-to-the-health-secretary/

2. Scrap Labour’s Bin Taxes

I urge you to abandon the Labour Party’s plans to introduce bin taxes as set out in a recent Labour Party local government manifesto. The proposed bin taxes will threaten the local environment through a surge in fly-tipping and will hit hard struggling ordinary families and residents in Stockport by increasing their tax bills.

As well as a credible plan to deal with the increasing debt mountain created by your Government, I look forward to seeing a commitment to the NHS and a commitment to scrap plans for bin taxes in this week’s Pre-Budget Report.

Yours sincerely

Stephen Holland

Prospective Conservative MP for Stockport