It would seem that the season of goodwill to all men doesn't extend as far as Scunthorpe Labour who run North Lincs Council. There is a very nasty (we've come to expect that from Labour locally) attack on our hard working Burringham and Gunness Councillor, Rob Waltham, in the Scunthorpe Telegraph tonight penned by a Labour Councillor.

The only problem with this letter is that the Labour Councillor in question has got his facts slightly wrong, well actually very wrong. He has accused Rob of lying over a bus service which Rob is paying for to take pensioners into Scunthorpe from the Hilton Avenue area on a Friday. According to the Labour Councillor, this service is being paid for by North Lincs Council. Sadly, for the Labour Clowncillor in question, it isn't, Rob is paying for it out of his own pocket at the moment. Rob was alerted to the letter by some angry local residents who rang him to express their anger at the letter.

This isn't the first Labour lie we have seen locally. indeed, they have tried to take the public as fools on a number of issues this year, such as -

• The Labour MP's claim to be against Post Office closures was exposed to be nothing more than spin when it was revealed that he had voted for the Government's Post Office policies in Parliament and never even bothered to take part in a debate on the issue on November 29th 2007.
  
  
• Labour claimed to be in favour of improved public transport and then as soon as they got into power cut back the Isle and Wold Villager services.
  
  
• The Labour MP pretended to be against the imposition of parking charges in Brigg, but then it was revealed that the very Labour Councillors introducing the charges were the same ones he had personally written to residents urging them to vote for back in May.
  
  
• Gordon Brown's Labour MP then tried to claim that NHS dentistry was improving until I revelaed figures which showed that the number of people being treated on the NHS had actually fallen since Labour's new NHS contracts were introduced.

Whilst we have been out on the streets fighting to protect our local NHS services, successfully campaigning for improved opening hours at local police stations and working hard on numerous local problems, Labour's response locally has been to orchestrate nasty letters in the local media.

I am pleased to say that if my mailbag is anything to go by, their efforts are falling well and truly flat. I had a lovely letter from an old lady in Goole thanking me for exposing the Labour MP's hypocrisy on Post Office closures, she also enclosed a very kind donation to help with our local campaigning.

We end this year knowing that we have genuinely tried to help local people on many issues. As a result we also end the year in the strongest position we have ever been in. We have more identified support, more helpers and more equipment than at any time in the past. That means that next year we will be able to step up our positive campaigning for local people and continue to call Labour out on their cheap local spin.

Most of all, we wont be responding to Labour's highly personalised style of politics. We will remain positive and ensure that local people see there is a positive alternative to the old style nasty politics and clever spin of Labour.

Andrew Percy and local Councillors John Berry, Carl Sherwood and Nigel Sherwood, have slammed the decision to include Wrawby on the list of Post offices threatened with closure as part of the Government's closure programme.

Andrew explains, "We thought when Labour's closure list was announced in October, that Wrawby was safe. Then out of the blue it was added on to the list last week. That takes the total number of Post Offices scheduled for closure in this constituency to 6.

The local Councillors and I wasted no time getting on the doorstep in Wrawby to gather people's views. We have made sure that everyone in the village has the opprtunity to let the Post Office know their feelings on this important matter. If this closure is confirmed, local residents will have to go to Brigg to use the Post Office. They will also have to pay the new parking charges introduced by the Labour Council in November, so it's a double whammy for Wrawby residents."

Gordon Brown's Labour MP for Brigg and Goole has supported the Government's closure programme in Parliament and residents have not been fooled by his crocodile tears on this issue.

So Gordon Brown has gone and done it. He has signed another piece of Britain's sovereignty over to Brussels by signing the EU Constitution in Portugal.

I find it a total disgrace that we have a Prime Minister who is refusing to offer a referendum despite getting elected on a pledge to hold one. Here in Brigg and Goole, the Labour MP was elected on a pledge to offer a referendum and now refuses to support one.

Too many powers have been given to the EU already and it is about time we let the people have a say. That's why we should have a referendum on the Constitution and my poll clearly shows a majority in favour.

I have had quite a lot of letters from local people in recent months on this issue, including from a number of confessed Labour voters, or rather, former Labour voters. I take great pleasure in either writing back or going round to see them to assure them that, if I become our MP, I will fight to protect British interests rather than sell us out to the EU.

Figures revealed by the Government show that local cancer patients are receiving thousands of pounds less per patient in treatment than patients nationally.

Official figures show that patients in the East Riding receive just £6,198 in funding, as opposed to a national average of about £8,500. Patients in North Lincolnshire receive more but still receive thousands of pounds less in treatment than patients in other areas.

NHS Campaigner Andrew Percy says, "These figures are truly shocking and demonstrate how unfair funding arrangements are in the NHS. We need to ask serious questions about why our area is missing out when compared to other areas.

The current Labour MP has tried to attack me over these figures but has been embarrassed by the revelation that these are his own Government's figures. This is not the first case of hypocrisy we have seen from the local MP, who is perhaps too busy serving as Vice Chairman of the Labour Party in London to know what is really going on up here.

I won't name everyone in my family who has been touched by cancer as I find that sort of politics a little tasteless. Needless to say, like many families, I have lost close family members to this dreadful disease which is why I will continue to speak out on this appalling funding; despite the cheap attacks of my opponent."

The military top brass think that this Government doesn't value our troops enough and we agree! That's why myself and Cllr Caroline Fox (pictured left posting some more cards in Airmyn) thought it was important to show our support for our troops this Christmas by sending out presents and Christmas cards to our brave troops.

We have already sent a number of parcels out, including to a local soldier from the Goole area. The others are simply sent to random British soldiers who we hope will appreciate the gifts. The Troops are apparently desperate for simple things like lip salv and talc as well as more tasty delights.

Afghanistan is seeing some of the bloodiest fighting since World War 2 and there is certainly a feeling among the troops that their efforts are not appreciated back home. Cllr Caroline Fox and I hope that the parcels we have sent will show the troops that people in our area certainly appreciate their efforts.

I hope local people will also send cards and parcels out to our troops. There are a number of ways that gifts and cards can be sent out, and so if you would like more information please e-mail me on brigg.goole@gmail.com and I will send you the details.