Prospective MP Andrew Percy has condemned the decision by Councillors on the Humberside Fire Authority to downgrade Goole Fire Station from 2 full-time to 1 full-time and 1 retained pump.

Andrew Percy says, "Despite the best efforts of an alliance of Conservative and Labour Councillors from North and North East Lincolnshire, Councillors from the East Riding decided to vote en bloc to support the downgrading of Goole.

We have been stabbed in the back by the very Councillors who should have been looking out for our interests. Although these proposals were driven by Labour Government change, there was no reason for the Fire Authority to let this downgrading go through. I condemn the Councillors of varying parties from the East Riding who have supported these cuts and I hope the electorate will hold them accountable for their decision in due course.

Brigg and Goole Conservative Councillor John Briggs opposed the downgrading of Goole and successfully moved a motion to save Kirton Lindsey Fire Station from closure. Whilst I am delighted that Kirton has been saved we must continue the battle for Goole.

The cuts to Goole can only go ahead if the Fire Brigade can recruit enough retained firefighters to crew the retained pump. Let us hope that that does not happen and that the Fire Authority is forced to look again at Goole.

I will be continuing to work with the FBU and politicians of all parties locally to carry on the fight for Goole."

Photo: Andrew addressing the 'No Fire Cuts' rally earlier this year

It's been a very very busy week across the constituency. I seem to be getting invited to more and more events and meetings. Many people seem to be of the view that there is definitely going to be a change at the next election and as such are keen to meet with the Conservatives.

Today I met with a group of GPs in the constituency who have a number of concerns, not least about polyclinics which, whatever spin is used locally, we know the Government will force on our area regardless of local opinion. Then I went on to meet some residents in Crowle who are concerned about the future of a care facility there.

The weekend was no less busy with petition signings in Brigg Saturday morning, a stop in Worlaby Saturday afternoon and then a fundraiser in Haxey on Sunday followed by some leafletting!

Friday I organised for two qualified nurses to undertake blood pressure testing in the Red Lion in Epworth. We were highlighting the need for people to get regular blood pressure tests as high blood pressure can be a warning sign for more serious illnesses such as heart disease or stroke. Stroke funding in North Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire is well below the national average and so we wanted to make people aware.

Cllr Liz Redfern and I drummed up custom out on the streets and we had scores of people through in the two hours we were doing it. In addition we chatted to lots of other people who all seemed to have the same message 'I'm never voting Labour again' or 'Hurry up and get this lot out'.

I am pleased we were able to do our bit to highlight this important health issue, we will be offering the service to other areas shortly.

I recently highlighted the proposal by BT to remove 14 red phone boxes from our constituency. It turns out that BT are removing thousands of them across the country which is causing concern to many communities. The red phone box is as British as a cup of tea and given the fact that Labour have already taken away many of our village Post Offices, it would be a shame to lose these symbols too.

I know that people don't tend to use pay phones anymore, but it would be such a shame to lose the distinctive red phone boxes from our villages. I was therefore delighted to read in the Telegraph that BT are seriously considering proposals supported by the Conservatives which would allow the local Council or the local community to take over the running of the phone box.

I am doing my bit locally and have made residents in many of our villages aware of the proposals and we are now helping Elsham Parish Council apply for a heritage listing for their village phone box. It would be such a shame to lose the box from the village, as you can see from the photo it is very well cared for.

Cllr Rob Waltham has also applied for the box in Gunness to be listed too. Let's hope that BT take up the proposal!

I was very pleased recently to get a few moments with William Hague (pictured reading the Scunthorpe Telegraph) to talk to him about our campaign in Brigg and Goole. I have been fortunate in the last few weeks to bump into a number of Shadow Cabinet Members on the campaign trail.

I have told them all just how many people locally are complaining about Labour's failure to deal with the rising cost of living. I have also asked them to do everything they can to put as much pressure as possible on the Government to renew the contract for the Post Office Card Account. That contract is vital to the future survival of our Post Offices.

All of the Shadow Ministers I met were really interested to hear what is concerning people in Brigg and Goole. In fact a few of them have offered to visit in the coming months and we look forward to welcoming them back to the area.

Over the last two weekends I have also been at the Winterton and Howden Shows where we had stalls. I was really surprised by just how many people came over wanting to talk to me, with many offering their support for the next election. More than one person who came over said they had never voted Conservative but they would be doing next time. It's a long time to the next election, but judging by the response of people at the moment, its not looking good for Labour!

Prospective Brigg & Goole MP Andrew Percy has launched a petition against Government proposals to raise vehicle excise duty on cars yet further. The petition has been available to sign at the Winterton Show and at the Howden Show (see photo), where Andrew and David Davis MP shared a stall.

Andrew explains, “This Government has raised taxes related to driving by 50% since coming to power in 1997. They are now proposing to increase Vehicle Excise Duty at a time when drivers are already paying through the nose by way of increase fuel prices. We now know that 9.4 million drivers will be worse off as a result of the car tax increase, including some of the poorest families in the country who will now be anything up to £245 worse off per year. An average family will be £80 per year worse off, at a time when the price of food is also rising.

The VED tax will be retrospective – so any car bought after 2002 will be hit by the higher tax rates. This will lead in turn to a plummeting re-sale price for second-hand cars.

The situation with fuel duty is even worse which is why the Conservatives have proposed a ‘Fair Fuel Stabiliser’ which would reduce fuel duty when oil prices go up and raise duty when prices go down. At the moment the Government is creaming in much more in fuel duty than it expected to due to the higher oil prices. If a Fair Fuel Stabiliser had been introduced at the 2008 Budget, fuel would now be 5p per litre cheaper, shaving £3.50 off a tank of fuel for a Ford Mondeo.

We need to send a strong message to the Government that we can’t take anymore increases in taxes. Families are already struggling and so these increases should be scrapped.”

Update: Alistair Darling has now annouced that the 2p increase in duty scheduled for the Autumn will not now go ahead. Andrew comments, "It's a shame it took the Government so long to make their mind up on this issue despite warnings for months that motorists could not take another hit. Whilst I welcome the move, the fact still remains that the high price of oil means that the Government is still taking much more off us in fuel duty than predicted."

Sign the petition here

Brigg and Goole MP Ian Cawsey refused to vote in the House of Commons this week to scrap the infamous John Lewis list and to introduce a more rigorous audit of expenses. The following recommendations were rejected by MPs -

Recommendation 1 was for a "robust new system of practice assurance involving regular financial health checks on records kept and processes used in Members' offices with outside professional teams covering about 25% of Members each year". This was substituted by a "rigorous internal system of audit".

Recommendation 2 would have extended "the scope of the audit engagement so that it is the same as for other public bodies."

Recommendation 3 would have reduced the receipt threshold from £25 to zero so that all claims, however small, would have had to be backed by receipts.

Recommendation 4 was for the Green Book (setting out the rules on allowances for Members) to be revised to specify more detailed rules.

Recommendation 6 was for MPs to no longer be able to claim reimbursement for furniture and household goods or for capital improvements.

Recommendation 13 was for the Additional Costs Allowance to comprise of a £19,600 maximum budget for accommodation (excluding furniture, household goods and capital improvements) but operating on the basis of itemised reimbursement and a flat rate of £30 for daily subsistence.

Andrew Percy comments, "Last year our Labour MP claimed over £144,000 in expenses, including £19,000 from the 'additional costs allowance' which pays for MP's second homes. Clearly, he did not think the recommendations above were important enough to turn up and vote for. As a result MPs can carry on billing you and I for their furniture!

We are out on the doorstep pretty much everyday in Brigg and Goole and the one thing residents say time and time again is that they are sick of MPs using our money to feather their own nests. I have no truck with any MP of any party who plays the system, as some clearly have.

It's a shame that our local Labour MPs decided to ignore what local residents are saying and carry on letting taxpayers pick up their bills!"

Today I had the pleasure of meeting Sir Bob Geldof who was in East Yorkshire to speak in support of David Davis' by-election which our team have been assisting in. Sir Bob came to speak to a gathering of young people from across East Yorkshire about the erosion of liberty and freedom in the UK in recent years. His speech was brilliant and I particularly liked the extract below which talks about the loss of our freedoms and privacy in recent years.

"Let us ask ‘what is the point of England “ now that Parliament, whose primary purpose is to defend the liberties of the people have  so gratuitously, so wantonly, so casually betrayed that trust and taken from us that same liberty which above all else defines this country and its constitution, and that which has been its greatest gift to the world its freedom, its tolerances, its civilisation which William Wilberforce so forcefully argued so many centuries ago."

There can be no argument with these words and sir Bob certainly struck a chord with the young people gathered who I have to say asked some fantastically thoughtful questions. The Government now has 266 powers to force its way into our homes, often for trivial reasons. Petty officials can now snoop through our bins, eavesdrop on our phone call and even spy on children on the way to school.

I was in two minds about whether or not David Davis should have resigned his seat and in fact I told him of my worry just before he did. There can be no denying now though that he has definitely put the erosion of our freedoms and the interference of the Government into our daily lives well and truly in the spotlight.

Perhaps Gordon Brown should listen and start dealing with proper criminals rather than snooping on the daily activities of ordinary law-abiding citizens.