3 November 2024

GENERAL ELECTION 2024: Your Beverley and Holderness candidates

Polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm. Remember your photo ID!

I am delighted to be standing for the SDP to offer the people of Beverley and Holderness an alternative.
We are proud to stand for “Family, Community and Nation” and our policies reflect those vital priorities.
The major parties are now painfully adrift from the values and aspirations of the British people. The Tory party has treated the country like a shop and Labour wants to treat it like a charity – we recognise that it is neither, it is our home.
We advocate for measures to support hard- pressed families and will drive forward a major housebuilding programme.
We believe in the nationalisation of our utilities and rail and we will deliver a major expansion of industry and of skills. We must enforce a secure border and bring an end to mass immigration.
The SDP will not compromise on taking the bold steps needed to reverse our country’s decline.

Denis Healy has been an East Riding councillor in Beverley since 2016, and is leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition on East Riding Council. He retired last year from his day job with a leading engineering institution to concentrate on serving his residents as their councillor. Every day, Denis fights for his Beverley residents, and if elected to Parliament, Denis would continue be a strong local champion fighting for a fair deal for the people of Beverley and Holderness. A fair deal where everyone can afford a decent home somewhere safe and clean – with a comfortable retirement when the time comes. A fair deal where every child can go to a good school and have real opportunities to fulfil their potential. A fair deal where everyone can get the high-quality healthcare they need, when they need it and where they need it. This is the fair deal the Liberal Democrats are fighting for, and Denis, with his record of service to the community, is the ideal person to deliver it.

Westminster isn’t working! It’s time for change! The main political parties have let Yorkshire down. We need real devolution. Real devolution would see Yorkshire with its own elected parliament, similar to Scotland and Wales, with its own budget. Put simply, real devolution means decisions being taken at the most appropriate level. Politicians in London shouldn’t be making decisions about housing developments, planning, health priorities and transport plans for Yorkshire from their offices in Westminster. Inward investment and growth will only come when we invest in infrastructure. I will support the reopening of the Beverley to York railway, and oppose new solar farm proposals for Leven and Skirlaugh and massive housing projects in Beverley. I live in Long Riston but I’m originally from Scotland. I’ve seen the benefits of real devolution. But change will only happen if you vote for it. Please vote Yorkshire Party on July 4.

John Ottaway has lived in Beverley for the past 25 years and is married to Karen, with one grown-up daughter, Sophie. The Alliance for Democracy and Freedom candidates are all independents working under the umbrella of ADF because we all share the same fundamental beliefs. However, we have no party whip so we are completely free to work for you, our constituents, and not some party bully boy who instructs members how to vote on any given issue. Unlike many Western governments, we know that wind farms and solar energy are not going to keep the lights on in the depths of winter when we hit a depression and the wind doesn’t blow and the solar panels are covered in frost. Most of the world is moving back towards nuclear and small nuclear reactors – they are green, safe and will keep the lights on in any weather, and ADF will help facilitate moves in this direction in the UK.

Margaret Pinder is a well-known figure in Beverley, having served as town mayor in 2012- 13, and is vice-chairman of Molescroft parish council.
Margaret grew up in the East Riding and went to Wolfreton school from where she gained a place at Cambridge to study modern languages. She later qualified as a solicitor in London, worked for a major international firm in New York and taught at Harvard before establishing her own public sector construction consultancy back in the UK.
During Covid she helped set up the local mutual aid group and worked for the NHS Covid vaccination programme. She also serves on the boards of several charities in the North.
She says: “It’s clear people here are ready for change. Only Labour can beat the Conservatives in Beverley and Holderness. This region has tremendous potential that I pledge to unlock.
“We are ideally placed for green energy, for trade and transport links. I live here, I know the people here. For too long this part of the country has been overlooked in government policy and funding decisions. I promise to change that as a new Labour MP in a Labour government.”

From a farming background in West Yorkshire, I am married, have two grown-up children and have lived in East Yorkshire for the past six years. I left school at 16 and spent five years in heavy engineering before becoming self-employed in construction, and then in many other sectors such as a bulk haulage contractor, publican and professional tree surgeon. Currently I manage a state-of-the-art, renewable energy plant in East Yorkshire. In recent years I’ve become appalled with the direction the country has taken and have sought to counter this by becoming involved in politics. I take a plain, no-nonsense approach that I believe is necessary to help rectify the many problems the UK currently has, especially illegal immigration. This needs to be stopped immediately – no ifs, no buts, just stopped. I have a zero-tolerance attitude towards crime and antisocial behaviour. Make the punishment fit the crime, no exceptions. I have a keen interest in agriculture and rural affairs.

I was born and raised in Manchester, where I met my wife, a Yorkshire lass born on Yorkshire Day. Last year, we made the move to Beverley, embarking on an exciting new chapter in our lives. Growing up, politics was a distant thought. It wasn’t until the Brexit referendum’s real-world impact hit that I realised the profound significance of politics. I’m running in this election for the Green Party because I believe they offer what our country desperately needs, a vision of real hope and real change. I’m convinced that politics must serve the people – it must be a force that unites and strengthens our communities and our nation. We must reverse the decline of the past 14 years and pave the way for a brighter, fairer future. I firmly believe that “a society grows great when people plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit.”

On July 4, you have a choice between a hard- working local champion or a Labour MP who will do what her London bosses tell her. When George Osborne wanted to put VAT on static caravans and I saw the thousands of local jobs that might be lost, I launched a national campaign to stop it – and won. You’ve joined me in fighting for local health services, better diagnostics in Withernsea, more rock armour, safer roads and the improved bus services I’ve recently secured. I always put the community first and politics second. I’ll never be afraid to speak up for this area, whoever is in power. Under the last Labour government, cities were prioritised and rural interests ignored. Only 60 per cent of our schools were good or outstanding. Now, in the East Riding, it’s 87 per cent. I’ve been a powerful voice for you in Westminster for almost 20 years and making sure the people of Beverley and Holderness are never forgotten. Whatever happens, we deserve a local champion who has a plan for this region and will work hard to make it happen. Vote for me on July 4.