STEPHEN HOLLAND MEETS ROBINSONS FAMILY BREWERS IN STOCKPORT

Prospective Conservative MP Stephen Holland has met with one of Stockport’s oldest businesses, Robinsons Family Brewers. Robinsons was established in 1838 in Stockport.

Stephen (pictured left with Director Peter Robinson) met with the Board of Directors to find out how their business has been faring under the current economic situation and talked about the brewer’s tie, the duty on beer, and the effect of red tape with banks and utility companies on new businesses.

Stephen said, “I am grateful to the Board of Directors for being able to meet with me. Robinsons is an example of a long-standing family business in Stockport that I have been to see over the last eighteen months. My parents were publicans, and so I was particularly keen to speak to Robinsons as one of Stockport’s key businesses.

“Thousands of pubs have closed under this Labour Government whilst irresponsible drinking has been fuelled in town centres. It is vital that the Government speaks directly to and works with businesses involved in the brewing and publican trades to see what can be done to reverse both these trends.”

JACQUELINE FOSTER MEP BACKS STEPHEN HOLLAND FOR STOCKPORT

North West MEP Jacqueline Foster is backing Stephen Holland to become Stockport’s MP.

Over the last eighteen months Stephen Holland has helped to raise Stockport’s profile by bringing senior Conservatives to Stockport, including the Shadow Transport Secretary to fight Labour’s Congestion Charge and senior Shadow Cabinet Member Oliver Letwin MP to fight Labour’s post office closures and speak up for residents affected by Network Rail’s tree-felling.

Stephen (pictured right with Conservative Council Group Leader and Heatons North Councillor Les Jones and Jacqueline Foster MEP) said, “It was a privilege to welcome Jacqui to Stockport. Jacqui is a hard-working representative who fights for Stockport’s interests.

“I will work closely with our representatives at all levels so we constantly get the best deal for Stockport and Stockport’s taxpayers across the board.”

BUDGET 2010: MORE STEALTH TAXES ON STOCKPORT FROM LABOUR

Stephen Holland has voiced his concern at the big tax rises concealed in the small print of Labour’s 2010 Budget and the lack of a credible plan to deal with the massive level of public debt.

 - Income tax will increase by stealth for 30 million people, since both the basic and higher rate thresholds have been frozen. This will mean £96 a year more for a Stockport couple who both work. A single pensioner on an average income will be more than £110 worse off in Stockport as a result of Labour’s tax grabs.

 - National Insurance will be hiked for workers and for firms. This jobs tax will discourage businesses from hiring staff, cut people’s pay packets, and mean anyone earning £20,000 a year or more will be worse off, hurting Stockport’s workers.

 - Council tax bills in Stockport will hit £1,561 from April – a rise of 86% since 1997. Across the country, council tax will rise by £1 billion.

 - Business rates will rise by £1 billion for local businesses across the country; a business rates revaluation will mean soaring bills for many struggling firms in Stockport from this April.

 - The Government’s total debt is forecast to hit £1,406,000,000,000, equivalent to every person in Stockport owing £23,000 in debt. This will result in higher interest rates to pay for the higher state borrowing, meaning more expensive mortgages.

Stephen Holland said: “Our economy is still in trouble. In Stockport people worry about their jobs, families see their incomes squeezed and many small firms cannot get the support they need from the banks, even though the Government bailed those banks out. Most people across Stockport feel worse off than they did five years ago. Gordon Brown is carrying on the same old policies of waste, stealth taxes and debt. We need change.

“A Conservative Government will set about balancing the books, whilst protecting those on modest incomes. That is why we will re-link the state pension to earnings, protect things like the winter fuel allowance and free bus passes, protect the lowest paid in our public services, and protect tax credits for low and middle income families in Stockport.”

Stockport’s Labour MP is the Parliamentary Private Secretary of Gordon Brown’s Chancellor and works closely with him. Why doesn’t she resign from this position and back the people of Stockport?

STEPHEN HOLLAND SUPPORTS STOCKPORT’S PENSIONERS

Conservatives have pledged to increase the state pension for all as part of a series of measures to support pensioners.

Under Labour, two and a half million pensioners are living in poverty. We can’t go on like this.

A Conservative Government will:

 - Re-link the value of the state pension to average earnings so it grows in value.

 - Freeze council tax for two years (after the massive increases in Stockport under the Lib Dems and Labour).

 - Protect the Winter Fuel Allowance and free TV licences for the over-75s.

 - Stop Labour’s Post Office closures.

Prospective MP Stephen Holland said, “Conservatives are committed to giving Stockport’s pensioners dignity and security in their old age. As well as freezing council tax for two years and fighting Labour’s post office closures, our plans to increase the value of the state pension will do just that.”

Last year Stephen Holland wrote to the Chancellor (who Stockport’s Labour MP works for) and called for an increase in personal allowances for pensioners. Neither of them bothered to respond. Is this what they think of Stockport’s pensioners?

To see Stephen’s letter, please click here: http://www.stephenholland.org.uk/2009/04/speaking-up-for-stockport-my-letter-to-the-chancellor-before-the-2009-budget/

STEPHEN HOLLAND SLAMS THE UNACCEPTABLE PENSION BURDEN ON STOCKPORT’S COUNCIL TAXPAYERS

Prospective Conservative MP Stephen Holland has highlighted the unacceptable pension burden on Stockport’s council taxpayers when councillors join the Council’s pension scheme.

If councillors choose to join the Council’s pension scheme, it imposes a further financial burden on Stockport’s hard-pressed council taxpayers. Why are Labour and Lib Dem councillors in Stockport constituency, including the Lib Dem parliamentary spokesman, members of the Council’s pension scheme costing taxpayers thousands of pounds a year in contributions? Is this why the council tax keeps going up in Stockport?

Prospective MP Stephen Holland has called on them to repay these contributions.

Stephen said, “After Gordon Brown raided the pension funds of ordinary workers, it is a bit rich of Labour and the Lib Dems to expect taxpayers to fund 13% contributions when most employers pay substantially lower contributions for the ordinary taxpayer. It shows how out of touch they are with ordinary people in Stockport who are trying to earn a living and make provision for their own retirement.”

In Stockport constituency NO Conservative councillors are members of the Council’s expensive pension scheme. Labour and the Lib Dems are. It’s time for change!

FIGHTING FOR STOCKPORT’S POST OFFICES

Prospective MP Stephen Holland has reaffirmed his position to stand up for Stockport’s residents and protect Stockport’s post offices. Stephen is an avid campaigner against post office closures because he believes post offices are the lifeblood of any community and provide vital services to the elderly.

Stephen said, “The post office is the hub of the local community. Thousands of post offices have been closed under this Labour Government including post offices in Shaw Heath, Heaviley and the Heatons during 2008.

“We will stop the closure of any profitable post office. Instead of closing post offices, Conservatives want to find a sustainable way of keeping our network open for business.”

Last year Stephen brought Conservative MP Oliver Letwin to Stockport to back Stockport’s post offices.

Why did Stockport’s Labour MP vote against the Conservatives’ motion to stop the compulsory closure of local post offices in Stockport?

VOTE FOR CHANGE IN STOCKPORT

This weekend David Cameron set out the choice facing Britain at the General Election – a choice between five more years of Gordon Brown and his tired Government or change with the Conservatives.

Only the Conservatives have the energy, leadership and values to get our country moving.

A Conservative Government will:

1. Act now on debt to get the economy moving. Deal with the deficit more quickly than Labour so that mortgage rates stay lower for longer with the Conservatives.

2. Get Britain working by boosting enterprise. Cut corporation tax rates, abolish taxes on the first ten jobs created by new businesses, promote green jobs, and get people off welfare and into work.

3. Make Britain the most family-friendly country in Europe. Freeze council tax and raise the basic state pension, recognise marriage in the tax system and back couples in the benefits system, support young families with extra health visitors, and fight back against crime.

4. Back the NHS. Increase spending on health every year, and make the NHS work for patients not managers.

5. Raise standards in schools. Give teachers the power to restore discipline and create new smaller schools.

6. Change politics. Reduce the number of MPs, cut Whitehall and quangos by a third, and let taxpayers see where their money is being spent.