An interesting leak has just come my way informing me that one well known union has apparently committed a 'generous' donation to the local Labour Party. Apparently, a local Labour worthy has approached another union requesting cash too, as a matter of urgency!

You would think that with their workers suffering in the worst recession since the war, unions would have better things to spend their money on rather than funding the party of government which created much of this recession. We are after all the only major economy still in recession.

I cant verify the leak which was made to me but if it is true that the unions are trying to buy this constituency, it will certainly help my campaign in much of this constituency. We shall be looking very carefully to see whether any donations have been registered and certainly there is something in the information provided to me which may merit further investigation.

The saga of MPs' expenses seems never ending and with just cause. Today we have seen more claims released, those since the spotlight of public scrutiny was shone on them earlier this year.

I cant really figure out what goes through the brains of many of these MPs. Having claimed hundreds of thousands of pounds over the years on various expenses, many of them have all of a sudden stopped claiming a penny since the release of their past claims. Nothing says guilty more than to stop claiming for something you have spent years claiming for, just because the public can now see the claims.

Now, its a great thing that many of them have stopped claiming but they must think the public are stupid if they honestly believe that claiming nothing for the last few months before an election is going to someway curry favour with the public.

Here in Brigg and Goole our Labour MP has claimed tens and tens of thousands of pound in food and communication and other expenses over the years. We shall certainly be making sure the public know about all the claims for first class travel (good socialist), food and publicity that our MP has claimed.£15,000 on food is nothing to sniff at after all.

What fools these people are!

Myself and Cllr Liz Redfern were delighted to be guests of the Epworth Rural Day Centre last Wednesday for the group's Christmas Party. We had a great old time and were entertained with live music from local singer Carol Shipley as well as the Beltonians. Carol has a great voice and sang a good range of songs. The forties sing a long we enjoyed after lunch was also great fun. Credit must go to the dedicated volunteers who run this group, they provide an excellent local service.

As you can no doubt imagine, I've got lots of Christmas events on this year but the most stressful of all was our school Christmas play on Friday! My class were superb and they managed to remember all of their lines. We even had live donkeys!

Friday evening I was in Brigg for the Christmas lights turn on and the fair. It was a great event and I had a really warm welcome from people. Quite a few people stopped me to wish me luck. I think the work we have done locally is really paying off as wherever I go at the moment people seem to want to stop me and wish me luck. I even get stopped while doing my shopping in Tesco, Goole!

Andrew Percy joined Cllr Rob Waltham at the Environment Agency presentation in Gunness recently. The presentation set out the agency's proposed works as part of the Gunness flood defence improvement scheme which should improve protection for Gunness and western Scunthorpe.

Prospective MP Andrew Percy explains, "We were really keen that any residents with a view on this popped along to the presentation, which is why we leafletted the entire village before the event to let residents know.

Basically, the Environment Agency plan to strengthen the existing defences along the River Trent by driving vinyl sheet piles along the length of the defences from Grove Wharf to Gunness Wharf. This work is necessary because of the danger of slippage and failure of the banks in certain flood events.

The works are due to start in the new year and should last 6 months and will sadly mean the closure of the footpath along the riverbank until the works are completed.

Rob and I were keen to make known to the Environment Agency our view that they must ensure that disruption to local residents is kept to a minimum whilst the works are completed."

A really busy few days here. On Friday I judged the Christmas Card competition at Brigg Primary School which was sponsored by HITS Brigg. The other judges included the Town Mayor of Brigg and Councillor Carl Sherwood. I judged the Year 1/2 card and presented the prize at a full assembly of the school. Great kids and great fun.

Saturday was very busy with visits to Flixborough, Skippingdales and then to Brigg to hand over a cheque for £100 to the Climb4Heroes team who are a group of local lads looking to climb Mount Kilimanjaro next year to raise money for the Help for Heroes Charity. We had a Christmas Fair at the Angel Suite going on so I handed it over after the fair (see photo).

Monday was very busy with a visit to County Hall in Beverley with three of the Goole Mental Health Carers. We met with Cllr Ros Jump who is responsible for the health portfolio to discuss the mental health service in the town since the closure of Barts House earlier this year. Then it was back to Goole for a meeting with the Goole Development Trust before heading off to Drax Power Station for an Energy Forum!

Andrew Percy chaired a meeting at Drax Social Club last Thursday to discuss fears over a new waste incinerator.

The concerns relate to a proposal by Scottish and Southern Electricity to construct a multi-fuel combined heat and power incinerator at the Ferrbridge Power Station. Concerns have been raised about the pollution generated from this facility and the impact the emissions could have on the Goole, Snaith and Isle of Axholme areas. The facility would burn a variety of fuels including biomass and waste wood and would have the capacity to generate 90 megawatts of power.

Prospective MP Andrew Percy says, “I was contacted by the Chairman of a campaign group, A.I.R.E, who are fighting this proposal who asked me to Chair the meeting. The group are fighting the proposal on the basis of concerns about what will be burned at the facility and the impact these emissions could have on public health.

The meeting was addressed by Dr Dick Van Steenis MBBS who been involved in research into health damage resulting from industrial air pollution since January 1995. Dr Van Steenis has been involved in campaigns against incinerators in various parts of the country.

The main crux of the concerns raised at the meeting related to the emissions from these facilities and the impact they can have on the health of people living in the vicinity of them. Dr Van Steenis was very clear that in his view people in our area would be affected by the emissions.

I’m no expert on incineration but I would obviously be very concerned at anything which would impact negatively on our area. We really need to be assured that there will be no negative impact on local health. It is really important that anyone who is concerned about either of these proposals makes their views known as soon as possible.”

I was pleased to welcome William Hague, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, as the guest speaking at a fundraising dinner last Thursday to raise money for the election campaigns in the Brigg and Goole and Cleethorpes constituencies.

The event also raised over £1,000 for good causes including £330 for the Goole Air Training Corps and £750 for the Help for Heroes charity.

With over 400 people attending, the fundraising dinner was a complete sell-out thanks to the attendance of supporters from across the Brigg and Goole constituency. William was incredibly funny but also spoke at length about the more serious challenges ahead should we form the next government. In particular he talked about the staggering levels of borrowing and debt currently being undertaken which William said on current levels equated to the government borrowing about £12 million every hour of every day on our behalf!

As with all my fundraising events, I am always keen to ensure that local good causes and charities receive a share of what we raise. That’s why it is great that over £1000 was raised for good causes with a military theme. £750 of the money raised on the raffle was donated to Help for Heroes whilst Mr Hague kicked off the bucket collection for the Goole Air Cadets, raising over £330 pounds.

I have always tried to support those organisations which support young people in our area. I recently saw the Goole Air Cadets in action on Remembrance Sunday in Pollington. The cadets helped at the reception held in the Village Hall in Pollington for the veterans of RAF Snaith and their families. They were impeccably turned out and they once again proved that, whilst we more often hear about the minority of young people who misbehave, we have some fantastic young people locally who are a credit to our area.

I'll be presenting the money raised to the 2357 (Goole) Squadron Air Training Corps in the next few weeks.

Prospective Brigg and Goole MP Andrew Percy has welcomed news that the term Humberside could be dropped forever from postal addresses thanks to a long-running campaign supported by Andrew Percy and Beverley and Holderness MP Graham Stuart.

After more than two years of meetings, co-ordinating joint submissions and calling on Postcomm to drop the long-defunct title from electronic files used by the Royal Mail, commissioners have announced they will make a decision by the end of the year.

Andrew Percy said, "There is still some way to go on this yet, but this is the closest to getting a result we have been since Humberside was abolished in the mid-1990s.

"For years people who live in the East Riding of Yorkshire, Hull and Northern Lincolnshire have been complaining about the use of Humberside on postal addresses, despite the fact that the much disliked county was abolished over a decade ago. East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire are proud counties with great histories and that is why Humberside was so disliked. Frankly, it’s a shame it has taken this long to get this far.

"I recently received a new database which contained the Humberside name on every address in the Brigg and Goole constituency. I simply refused to use the database until the county name was removed.”

Graham Stuart MP, who has been leading the campaign, added: “I have met with Royal Mail directors, senior members of the Postal Services Commission Postcomm, I have written numerous letters to both and I have co-ordinated joint submissions and pleas from other MPs and councillors across the area for Humberside to be dropped.”

A letter from Philip Groves, Senior Associate, Strategy and Market Development, at Postcomm, said: “Royal Mail has proposed to handle this question outside the immediate review of the Code of Practice and to consult the Postcode Address File (PAF) Advisory Board before deciding on the best approach to adopt.

“Our Commissioners will consider the proposed changes to the Code of Practice including Royal Mail's approach on the issue of county information in November and we hope to publish a decision this year which will include the issue you and your colleagues raised.”

Graham added: “I am delighted the commissioners are taking this seriously. I know many of my constituents will be delighted if it is finally decided to rectify this anomaly and drop Humberside forever."

Councillor Stephen Parnaby OBE, Leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council said:  “I too am delighted that it is being taken seriously, as many people have contacted me to express their utter frustration that Humberside is still being used in addresses after all these years.  Hopefully commonsense will prevail.”

Prospective Brigg and Goole MP, Andrew Percy, welcomed the Conservative’s Shadow Transport Secretary, Theresa Villiers MP, to North Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire last week, where she committed a future Conservative Government to action on the Humber Bridge tolls. Ms Villiers met with local campaigners and promised that a future Conservative Government would initiate a full treasury-led review of the Humber Bridge looking at all aspects of the tolls and bridge debt.

Photo: Andrew with Theresa Villers and Humber Action Against Tolls Campaigner, Jenny Walton.

Andrew Percy says, “Theresa Villiers came to the bridge to announce that a future Conservative government would undertake a treasury led review of the tolls which will look at all possible options for the bridge. I explained to Theresa the way in which the toll divides the local economy, limits employment opportunities and also costs patients who need care on the north bank dearly. I’m pleased to say that Theresa confirmed that the Humber Bridge was one of the most important issues in her in-tray.”

Shadow Secretary of State, Theresa Villiers MP continues, “If the Conservatives are elected as the next Government, we will commission a Treasury led review of the Humber Bridge tolls and their economic impact.

"The review we propose will be an objective and thoughtful analysis of the relevant issues around the tolls. This decision is the direct result of the determined and effective campaign run by the region’s newspapers, local councillors and campaigners such as Andrew Percy who have all worked incredibly hard to highlight the very real concern about the tolls within the communities living near the bridge and put the case for change.

"While it is true that the state of the public finances means that there are no easy solutions here, we believe that it is vital to look at the whole issue in the round and carry out a thorough investigation of the facts. The review we propose will be an objective and thoughtful analysis of the relevant issues around the tolls. We will look seriously and carefully at all the options with an open mind and give the communities affected by the issue a fair hearing.”

Andrew adds, “If elected, the Conservatives will be the first Government in the history of the bridge to commit to a full treasury led review of the tolls and the bridge debt. The involvement of the treasury is vital as that is where the debt is held and only with their involvement will anything be done about the underlying debt issue. Unlike the  recent short term announcements, which are more about the forthcoming election, this announcement goes much further by offering us the possibility of real long term solutions to the toll issue. ”

Photo: Me with Ivan Oulds, Chairman of the F40 group

I am on my way back from London today after attending the f40 conference. This organisation represents the local authorities who receive the lowest amounts of pupil funding from the Government. Both North Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire fall into this category. The government provides our local schools with millions less than they would get if we received the national average. Anyway, the conference was really interesting with some good speakers and I was pleased to hear them all from start to finish. About five minutes from the end my opponent turned up, just in time for the free lunch no doubt. He contributed nothing, missed all the speakers and so I felt sure he dare not claim to have actually attended it.

Well! I asked someone to check his twitter, I can't bear to read the self indulgent ramblings myself, and sure enough there is a tweet, complete with photo of our Ian attending the conference!!! Turning up ten minutes before the end does not count as 'attending'. Maybe he had good reason for being late, I don't make criticism of that as it could happen for a thousand reasons. What I object to is the attempt to give the false impression that he was actually there in any meaningful sense. Labour spin is very much alive and well in North Lincs. I didn't partake in the buffet myself as I took one of our local headteachers to meet with a Shadow Minister to discuss the funding issue in more detail. Some of us believe in doing a job properly, not paying lip service to an issue!