News - Andrew Percy MP

Flood Meetings, Women's Institute, Broadband and Canvassing!

Mar 16, 2010

The last week has been busier than ever so here are just a few of the things I have been working at in the past 7 days. Flooding Consultation Last Monday saw the Environment Agency consultation meeting take place at the Leisure Centre in Goole. The event was the opportunity to comment on their flood management plans for the Rivers Trent, Aire, Ouse and Don. We've worked quite hard to force the Environment Agency to revise their original proposals. I spent a couple of hours at the event ...

Docks Rates and Wind Farm Traffic

Mar 15, 2010

There has been so much going on of late, I simply haven't had time to keep the blog updated. Anyway, one of the most important issues I have been trying to help with relates to taxes on businesses operating on the docks at Goole. A couple of years ago the Government introduced a new rates system for businesses operating on the ports. This increased the tax on local businesses by more than ten times. Despite repeated attempts by the Conservatives in Parliament to address this issue, the G...

Andrew Joins Ambulance Crew

Mar 15, 2010

Andrew recently joined one of the ambulance crews in the Goole area on their Friday night shift. Andrew wanted to experience first hand the challenges faced by the ambulance service locally. Prospective MP, Andrew Percy says, "I was delighted to join Robin Drury, who is a Clinical Team Educator at Goole, and his colleague Emma on their ambulance recently. Having spent all day at school teaching, I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived at Goole Ambulance station at 6pm; I didn’t have long to ...

Isle Farmers Meeting

Mar 09, 2010

There has been so much going on of late, I am finding it quite hard to keep up with my blog so I shall try to catch up over the next few days. Last week I took some time out to meet with farmers on the Isle of Axholme, courtesy of Caroline Ellis of the NFU. I've done a couple of these meetings through the NFU and have also arranged my own farmers forum with Shadow Minister Jim Paice MP. It is always great meeting with farmers as it is such an important area of policy. As usual, quite a...

Labour Get Nasty

Mar 04, 2010

I always said Labour would get nasty in the run up to the election and they are. Poor Keith Moore, their hapless Councillor in Goole, has penned a poisonous letter to the Goole Times this week regarding donations from non-doms. No mention of Labour's non-dom donor Lord Paul. A close friend of the Prime Minister who apparently gave money to Brown's leadership campaign. He has just been made a Privy Councillor, no connection of course though ... It looks as though I am going to have to ...

Labour Insult Burton Residents' Intelligence Again

Feb 26, 2010

We've had a very nasty leaflet go around Burton and Winterton from Labour regarding the Flixborough Grange wind farm application. This is the issue the Labour MP took no interest in until he realised which way the wind was blowing, pardon the pun! Anyway, Labour have circulated a nasty leaflet which personalises the issue regarding the politics of the landowner. However, more serious is an allegation regarding the designation of the land on which the wind farm is proposed. Labour are ...

A fairly bad slogan

Feb 20, 2010

I just read Labour's general election slogan, 'A future fair for all'. I assume they dont mean the kind of fair that has dodgems and hook-a-duck. They would perhaps do better if that is the kind of fair they did mean. Given that the gap between the richest and the poorest has risen since Labour came to power, the number of young people unemployed has increased, the gap between the top 10% performing schools and the bottom 10% performing schools has increased and they have saddled genera...

Unemployment Reaches 14 Year High

Feb 18, 2010

If you needed any more proof about the impact of the recession on the Humber region, you only have to look at the jobless figures released yesterday. In North Lincolnshire, the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance is now at the highest level since July 1996. The January figures show that 5,222 people In North Lincs are now claiming the allowance along with 7,477 in the East Riding which also saw a rise. It is what is going on behind those figures which is really worrying. Nat...

Poor Labour

Feb 18, 2010

Someone has just pointed me in the direction of Ladbrokes, who have released their odds for every constituency in the general election. The Conservatives are the run away favourites in Brigg and Goole according to their odds and so there isn't much to be made here betting on the Conservatives. Further bad news for Labour too judging by the comments I've had from residents about some leaflets Labour have sent out in the constituency. As one resident commented, Labour have been invisible ...

Wind Farm Traffic Success?

Feb 18, 2010

Andrew will be meeting once again with the developers of the Keadby Wind farm, RES Ltd, next week for a further update on the proposal to open up an access route to the site off the A18. Andrew and local Conservative Councillors John Briggs, Caroline Fox and Gordon Megson, have been working hard to ensure that the alternative route is opened up so as to save Old Goole, Swinefleet, Ealand and Eastoft from thousands of construction vehicles. Andrew Percy says, "I wrote to residents at t...