VOTE LOCAL, VOTE LARGAN
5 years ago, I stood for election because I felt politicians were letting people down.
Like many of you, I’ve been frustrated by the political squabbling from both sides down in Westminster. But we have made lots of progress locally. I've set this out in more detail below, with 12 positive reasons to vote for me.
What happens next comes down to your vote.
I live locally in High Peak. I love this area and I want to continue working with you all to change our failing national politics. I’ve shown that I know how to get things done.
For those with a postal vote, you should receive it in the next few days and have to make a choice about who is best to represent you.
We’ve all seen the polls which say that Keir Starmer is going to win a huge majority. Your vote won’t change the national result. But it will decide who represents you as your local MP.
The choice is between Labour’s London Lawyer candidate, who specialises in ‘outsourcing’ and ‘large-scale restructurings and redundancies’ or me, High Peak’s local champion.
The wrong choice could have serious consequences. A Labour win in High Peak could risk seeing the Mottram Bypass cancelled yet again, just before construction is about to start. It could mean the return of the plans for a High Peak asylum centre, without a local champion to oppose it.
I appreciate you might not vote Conservative nationally. But lots of local people, including lifelong Labour voters, are voting for me because of my strong local record and because they want to build the bypass and stop the High Peak asylum centre.
Please think very carefully about what will be best for our area and lend me your vote here in the High Peak!
12 positive reasons to vote for me
1. A hands on local MP who listens
I live locally in Glossop. I've worked hard to be the most accessible High Peak MP ever, with my constituency office in Whaley Bridge.
I hold weekly help & advice surgeries open to all and knock on doors to listen to the views of local people all year round and act on people’s concerns. Over the last 5 years, I have taken up over 60,000 individual cases on behalf of residents and replied to over 112,000 emails.
If re-elected, I will keep going the extra mile for local people.
2. Improving access to local healthcare
The NHS has saved my life twice. I will always defend it and fight for local services. That's why I led the successful campaign to reinstate the breast cancer screening unit. I also helped open two new specialist mental health units locally, including the first ever local women’s unit.
But we’re going further, with construction nearly complete on urgent care centres at both Stepping Hill Hospital and Tameside Hospital. I am also working with the local NHS on plans for a major health centre for Buxton and to open a new NHS dental practice too.
3. Supporting schools & families
I’ve secured extra funding for local schools to recruit and retain top teachers, by making Derbyshire an Education Investment Area.
We’ve also expanded Glossopdale School, creating an extra 240 local school places, secured funding to expand Harpur Hill Primary and won capital funding for Hope Valley College.
The plan is working. 89% of High Peak’s schools are now ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’, compared to just 56% under the last Labour Government.
I also successfully pushed to expand childcare, delivering 30 free hours a week for children from 9 months to 4 years old.
4. Upgrading our local railway lines
Following the campaign that I led, the £145million upgrade of the Hope Valley line has just been completed, improving capacity and reliability for passengers.
The Prime Minister has also announced plans to electrify the line, which would cut journey times by nearly 20%. Taken both upgrades together, this will double capacity on the line and increase fast trains from 2 to 3 trains per hour.
Along with a £50m investment at the Dove Holes quarry railhead, this will help take HGVs off our local roads.
I also successfully campaigned to get CCTV installed at Dinting Station and secured funding for step-free access at Chinley.
I'm also working on plans to upgrade the Buxton line and deliver improvements for Dove Holes station. And I'm working with Network Rail on plans to build a station for Gamesley and to upgrade the Glossop-Manchester line, enabling 4 trains per hour.
5. More police to tackle crime & antisocial behaviour
I helped secure an extra 351 police officers locally, as part of the promise we delivered on recruiting an extra 20,000 police officers, with plans for 8,000 more.
Derbyshire Police have been given extra resources and powers, which has led to major drug arrests in Buxton and Chapel-en-le-Frith. A car theft ring has also been smashed locally.
But there’s more to do. I am campaigning for holding cells to be reopened locally, to save police time and allow for more police to be on the beat.
6. Upgrading broadband & mobile phone coverage
Due to our unique geography, we have some of the worst coverage anywhere in the county, which affects rural areas worst, especially those who run small businesses or work from home.
That’s why I carried out an extensive residents’ survey to identify the worst coverage areas and build the case for investment locally.
I got High Peak included in the FullFibre project. 15 local engineers have been recruited to speed up roll-out and over 13,000 more local homes now have access to ultra-fast broadband, following my campaign.
But there’s more to be done. 4,400 more local homes are to be connected soon!
7. Stopping the boats
Enough is enough. We must fix the broken system, take back control of our borders and stop the boats.
There is nothing compassionate about tolerating illegal entry into the UK and allowing criminal gangs to act with impunity.
That’s why I have supported tough new laws to smash the criminal gangs and to establish a proper deterrent for illegal migrants. And I led the successful campaign to stop the High Peak asylum centre.
Keir Starmer has said that all immigration controls are “racist” and has pledged to scrap laws that protect our borders. We can't risk the asylum centre plans coming back under Labour.
8. High Peak Jobs & Apprenticeships Fair
I delivered on my promise at the last election to found and organise the first ever High Peak Jobs & Apprenticeships Fair programme, bringing together schools and employers to increase opportunities, skills and training.
1,000 more local people are in work since I started the Jobs & Apprenticeships Fair programme.
I want to keep going with the next one planned to be even bigger!
9. Protecting our beautiful countryside
By working together, we’ve created the High Peak Nature Recovery Project to restore our local moors and protect wildlife habitats, saved 77 acres of local green belt, passed a tough new law to protect our rivers and planted thousands of trees locally.
I am also working to stand up for local farmers, working with local farming co-operatives like Peakland Environmental Farmers to make sure that our farmers have their voice heard and get their fair share.
10. Helping our high streets & local business
I am a proud champion for local business and our high street. By working with local people, I secured £11million to regenerate Buxton town centre and £7million to restore Glossop Town Hall & Glossop Market Hall.
I have also secured major Levelling Up funding for High Peak and want to ensure places like New Mills, Whaley Bridge and Chapel-en-le-Frith aren’t overlooked.
11. Investing in local roads & buses
Following my efforts, construction on the Mottram Bypass will finally begin in August (unless Labour cancel it).
I am still campaigning for a second phase of the bypass around Tintwistle too. And I'm continuing to push for traffic solutions for Buxton and the A6 corridor.
I helped secured £176million to fix local roads and £47million to improve local bus services, including getting the 341 and 272 buses extended to run later in the evening, getting the 199 reinstated to Manchester Airport and reinstating the 185 bus up to Harpur Hill and Buxton Hospital.
12. A different kind of conservative
I lives locally in Glossop. I grew up in Manchester and went to my local comprehensive. My dad used to work as a postman and a trade union rep.
My first job was working as a fishmonger to help pay my way through Manchester University.
I am proud to be High Peak’s independent-minded champion and will always put the High Peak ahead of party politics.
