Goole High School Question Time is a great success

Last week Goole High School played host to the Goole and Howdenshire Local Action Team (LAT) for a one hour ‘Question Time’ event, as part of the ‘One Goole’ week. The format was very similar to the BBC’s Question Time with a panel consisting of Susan Oliver (Humber and Wolds Rural Community Council), Chief Inspector Richard Kirven (Humberside Police), Alan Cunningham (Humberside Fire and Rescue), Alison Michalska (The ERYC Director of Children Family and Adult Services), myself at the LAT Chairman, and with Carolyn Burgess taking the David Dimbleby role as Chairman. The audience consisted of a very good representative cross section of Goole High School students.

It was clear from the off that the students had prepared well, apparently they had brainstormed issues and come up with a large number of very probing questions prior to the event. The questions ranged from youth provision to young people not being comfortable in reporting crime or anti-social adults, from young people hanging around outside Sainsburys to being able to use school playing fields after hours, from concessionary access to Goole Leisure Centre to the provision of sports facilities and equipment, and for young people to feel safe when in the park.

I have spent quite a lot of time talking with young people, and this was a great opportunity to again discuss their issues, but more importantly it was a fantastic chance for the other members of the panel to listen to the voices of Goole’s young people – and to learn about their issues first hand.

Many of the issues raised can be solved, it will take time and it will take some hard work by people and groups working together, barriers will have to be broken down, and people young and old must have a greater understanding of each others tolerances, prejudices and attitudes. The message I tried to put across was that young people must be part of the solution to issues that affect them, and collectively they can have a powerful voice.

The Question Time event is only the beginning, ultimately engaging and helping the young people from not only in Goole and Old Goole, but also Snaith, Howden and the rural villages, to feel valued as part of their communities, healthy and safe, and to reduce anti-social behaviour. To achieve this we must work closer with our secondary schools, and this event was an important part of that process. To continue this will be one of my priorities as LAT Chairman for the coming year.

Many thanks to the students and staff of Goole High School for making the event a great success.


http://www.goolehighschool.org/

Howdenshire Ward Police Update - May 2010

Please find the following update of Policing issues affecting Howdenshire, and information regarding meetings and surgeries. More information on the local crime scene is also available of the Humberside Police Website.

http://www.humberside.police.uk/divisions/c-division/areas/goole-howden-and-pocklington/teams/howdenshire

1. Priority - Issue: - Anti-social behaviour on Scalby Lane, Gilberdyke
Action: -

Following complaints of Anti-social behaviour the team are actively working to reduce incidents of this nature in order to improve the quality of life for the residents of Gilberdyke.

Anyone witnessing anti-social behaviour is asked to call in with details.

Howdenshire Neighbourhood Policing team will aim to respond to all calls for service in relation to this priority. Any incidents that are not attended will be investigated and followed up by the team.

Positive action will be taken against anyone engaging in anti-social behaviour. East Riding of Yorkshire council anti-social behaviour team also investigate reports of anti-social behaviour the two teams will be working together along with other agencies to target the issue. Howden and Howdenshire Neighbourhood action team have also recently completed an anti-social behaviour project.

2 local youths are currently signed to acceptable behaviour contracts and a 3rd youth has recently signed a contract. Since signing the contracts these youths have not come to our attention. In December 2009, 3 local youths were issued with final warnings 2 of these were for section 5 public order offences and the other for criminal damage. A further youth has been charged with criminal damage to a window he appeared at Goole youth court on 26th January where he pleaded not guilty a trial was due to be held in April but has now been adjourned. Another male juvenile also appeared at Goole Youth Court on 26th January where he was convicted of a section 5 public order offence and received a 4 month referral order.

Regular patrols are being conducted in the area and an anti-social behaviour workshop has been done at Gilberdyke School by Police Community Support Officer Simon Palmer and East Riding of Yorkshire council anti social behaviour officer, Lisa McClure

2. Priority - Issue: Anti-social behaviour, Canal Side, Newport
Action:-

This new priority has been set after reports were received from Newport Parish Council that youths are causing damage to property on the new Brickyard site and also a derelict building located at the bottom of Canal Side. High visibility patrols have been carried out by Police Officers and Police Community Support Officers, and these will continue as the nights get lighter and the weather warmer. It is important that anyone witnessing anti-social behaviour reports it to the police preferably at the time it is occurring, we will aim to attend all reports and those we can’t make it to we will follow up and try and identify those involved so we can deal with them. Work will continue with East Riding of Yorkshire Councils, anti social behaviour team, and letters will be sent to parents of those engaging in anti social behaviour, anyone committing criminal offences will be dealt with in a positive manner.

3. Priority-Issue: - Underage drinking on the playing fields at Holme Upon Spalding Moor
Action:-

A small number of reports have been received from residents of Holme Upon Spalding Moor that youths are drinking on the playing fields in Holme Upon Spalding Moor. The team have increased foot patrols on the field and alcohol seizures have been made, the patrols will continue and youths in attendance will be spoken to about underage drinking and the consequences of it.Residents are reminded that the playing field is a designated no drinking area which means that no-one can consume alcohol there whatever their age. Police Officers and Police Community Support Officers will require anyone with alcohol in their possession to surrender it, anyone who refuses commits an offence.

Licensing officers have also contacted local off licenses and advised them on selling alcohol to underage people and to be wary of adults who may be buying alcohol to supply to youngsters. Anyone selling alcohol to youths or supplying alcohol commits an offence and positive action will be taken in all cases.

Parents are asked to be aware of where there children are and what they are doing when they are out on evening, anyone drinking alcohol puts themselves in a very vulnerable position.

4. Offenders brought to justice

At 4.10 am on 23rd November 2009, police were called to North Cave by a local resident who had heard a vehicle driving up a private road which leads to the back of the church. Police Officers attended in the area and conducted a search for the vehicle and located 3 males and a trailer containing lead. All 3 males were arrested on suspicion of theft of lead from the church roof; all 3 males have been charged with theft of the lead and have appeared before Beverley Magistrates court. This case has now been referred to the crown court the date is still to be fixed.

A Gilberdyke youth has been charged with criminal damage after a window was damaged by a snowball, he has appeared at Goole magistrates and pleaded not guilty a trial was due to be held in April 2010, but has been adjourned.

A local male and female have been charged with assault causing actual bodily harm following an incident in Sandholme in July, where the victim was assaulted by 2 people one of whom had a baseball bat, the male was also charged with possession of an offensive weapon. Both have appeared at Goole Magistrates court for the offences the case has been referred to the crown court and a date is still to be fixed for this trial.

A male has been charged with assault after he punched a fellow player during a game of football in Holme Upon Spalding Moor in October 2009. The offender admitted to the punch stating ‘he lost it’, the victim had a fractured Jaw as a result of the assault. The offender appeared at Beverley Magistrates court on 5th March 2010; the case has been committed to crown court the date still to be confirmed.

A local male has been charged with assault and criminal damage following an incident at the Black Swan, Eastrington, the male appeared at Goole Magistrates Court on 2nd March 2010, and pleaded not guilty to the offence a trial he will return to Goole Magistrates court on 22nd June 2010. This same male is currently on police bail on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle.

On 13th February 2010, 2 officers were travelling home from work along the A614 towards Howden, when they saw a caravan being pulled by a Mitsubishi Shogun, it was 1 o’clock in the morning and following a number of crimes in the area they thought this appeared suspicious. The officers followed the vehicle and alerted their on duty colleagues, the shogun and caravan stopped in the Pollington area and the male driver who was alone was arrested for theft of the shogun from the Lancashire area and theft of the caravan from Barmby Moor, he is currently on police bail to return to Goole Police Station on 25th May 2010.

On 23rd February 2010, a female from Eastrington, called police to report a road traffic collision on the road between Gilberdyke and Howden. Officers attended and located a vehicle in a ditch but the driver had left the scene, it was believed the driver may have been in drink officers eventually managed to locate the driver after members of his family had tried to hide him. The driver and a member of his family were both cautioned for obstructing a police officer and the driver is currently on police bail for the drink driving offence.

A male juvenile from Bubwith was convicted at Beverley Magistrates on 23rd March 2010 for offences of criminal damage to property and possession of an offensive weapon, he was given a supervision requirement for 6 months with a youth rehabilitation order and an order to do 12 hours unpaid community work, he was also ordered to pay £40 costs.

Whilst officers where engaged on speed checks in North Cave on 5th March 2010, they stopped 2 uninsured vehicles, both vehicles were seized and the drivers arrested for disqualified driving, both of these males have been charged with driving offences and appeared at Beverley Magistrates court on 25th March 2010, the case has been adjourned to 7th May.

A male from Blacktoft has been charged with theft, robbery and possession of a prohibited weapon, this case will be held at the crown court and a date is still to be fixed for the trial. This same male has also had his vehicle seized in April by HM Revenue and Customs for using illegal diesel.

5. Meetings

Type: Police SurgeryVenue: Howden Library, Shire Hall, Market PlaceDate: Monday 21st June 2010Time: 6pm to 8pm

6. News and Appeals

As well as tackling the local priorities the team have been busy with crime prevention work. In partnership with the neighbourhood action team a number of events have been organised where members of the public can access crime prevention materials and advice. If anyone would like a visit at home to discuss crime prevention issues please contact the team so we can arrange a suitable time.As the nights are getting lighter foot patrols will be focused on areas where anti-social behaviour has been reported to us, anyone witnessing anti-social behaviour is asked to ring in and report it, all calls will be followed and where sufficient evidence is available action will be taken. It is important people report issues we can only act on issues which we know are occurring.

Local PCSOs will soon be visiting all schools with Operation Lifestyle information, in previous years local groups have done exceptionally well and done some excellent work within the community over their summer holidays.

Please encourage and support local youths to do something worthwhile, by giving ideas for projects and attending events they organise.
For those taking part in the project there are a wide variety of prizes on offer, in 2009 groups from this area won many prizes including; an adventure holiday to France, an adventure holiday in Wales; mountain bikes; trips to Flamingo land and many others.

If you have any suspicions, please notify the police immediately on 0845 6060222.

Why I welcome the Government's new ‘Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill’

Today we have seen the new ‘Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill’ introduced in the Queens Speech. As someone who has been involved with local Policing for a number of years this as taken far too long to become reality.

There have been times when I’ve wondered if we still had a Police Force that my parents generation could recognise from when they were my age - or had it been replaced by a bureaucratic machine, the product of a centralist, target driven, tick box culture controlled by unelected, unaccountable chief constables and police authorities who didn’t have the weight to impart their will against the Socialist central control we’ve seen for the past 13 years.

With central control came empire building and the Police becoming more distant, small stations have closed and bigger and ‘more efficient’ massive offices appeared, meaning the local touch, and local knowledge is confined to often overstretched Local Policing Teams, who are then shackled with bureaucracy, red tape and Health and Safety.

Could we ever have imagined there would be so many targets; central targets, locally agreed (?) targets, satisfaction and confidence targets within the Policing Pledge, and not forgetting those shared National Indicators? If these targets are taken as a whole it contains so many contradictions to make the whole thing both ridiculous and untenable.

This is why this centralist agenda had to be stopped and why I welcome the Governments new ‘Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill’ which is detailed as follows:

The purpose of the Bill is to:

Make the police service more accountable to local people, create a dedicated Border Police Force and set out measures to tackle alcohol-related violence and disorder.

The main benefits of the Bill would be:

• Increased police accountability through directly elected individuals.
  
• Improved relationships between police and local residents.
  
• Amended health and safety laws that do not stand in the way of ‘common sense’ policing.
  
• Enhanced national security.
  
• Improved immigration controls.
  
• Stronger powers to tackle alcohol-fuelled crime and disorder.
  

The main elements of the Bill are:

• Directly elected individuals to hold the police to account. They would ensure that local policing activities meet the needs of the local community, help build confidence in the system and bring communities and the police together.
• Amended health and safety laws that do not stand in the way of ‘common sense’ policing.
• Dedicated Border Police Force, as part of a refocused Serious Organised Crime Agency, to enhance national security, improve immigration controls, and crack down on the trafficking of people, weapons and drugs.
• Strengthened relations to deal with serious crime and extended collaboration between forces to deliver better value for money.
• Overhaul of the Licensing Act to give local authorities and the police much stronger powers to remove licenses from, or refuse to grant licenses to, any premises that are causing problems. Banning the sale of alcohol below cost price. Also allowing local councils to charge more for late-night licenses to pay for additional policing, giving them powers to shut down shops or bars persistently selling to children and doubling the maximum fine for selling to children to £20,000.
  

Successful consultation on Gilberdyke Flood Prevention Proposals

Many thanks to all Gilberdyke residents who attended the consultation on the plans for flood prevention work in the village. During the day over a hundred people passed through to look at the plans, and talk to representatives from the Gilberdyke Parish Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Drainage Engineers and Eddy Allen the Clerk to the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board.

Residents were also able to leave comments, which where on the whole very positive, all were in favour of the work going ahead as proposed, but suggesting some minor changes to accommodate the routing of the new drain to avoid sheds, garages and fish ponds, and access issues.

Additional information was also provided by residents on the location of other drains, as well as the routes of underground electricity cables.

“This is a great example of what can be achieved when organisations and a community work together, and the lack of any negative comments from those who visited is a tribute to all those who have been involved in the sometimes difficult, and delicate fact finding, design and funding process”

The consultation came after the Parish Council held meetings with those residents who would be directly affected by the installation of the new drainage system, therefore I certainly now feel confident that the community has had a good opportunity to have their say and comment on the proposals.

The next step is for Gilberdyke Parish Council to hold an Extraordinary General Meeting on 1st June 2010 to fully endorse the proposals, and formally begin the process of obtaining the required finance.

It is hoped the work will be completed by the end of the summer.

Support for Goole's Youth is Local Action Team priority for the coming year

Youth provision was the top item on the agenda of the recent meeting of the Goole and Howden Local Action Team (LAT). East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s (ERYC) Integrated Youth Support Service Manager, Kevin Allen, attended to discuss long standing youth issues in Goole, particularly the youth provision at the Old Goole Youth Centre.

Mr Allen informed the meeting that the ERYC has a duty to create a single body to take care of youth support and develop an “Integrated Youth Support Strategy.” Regrettably at this time the potential of the Old Goole Youth centre cannot be taken forward. The major stumbling block being a local request for the building to have listed status, although a decision on this is expected by the end of July. In the meantime he confirmed that funding is available for an additional evening of youth activity each week, for the time being.

It is acknowledged that a lack of youth provision has a direct correlation with anti-social behaviour including arson. When the youth centre is open, according to the Police and Fire services, emergency calls are reduced.

“Over the recent months there have been many, many calls to the Police and Fire services, particularly in and around the Field House Farm site, these are costing a significant amount of money in man-hours. A relatively small investment in cash or in kind would enable the Old Goole Centre to open on more evenings or other appropriate activities provided - which would result in less calls for the emergency services, and therefore provide savings to the Police and Fire services. These savings could then be used in other priority areas, which would be especially relevant to Humberside Fire and Rescue - who are shortly to complete a controversial downsizing of the service provided in Goole”.

“The ERYC Youth Service is not the only player in youth provision in Goole and Old Goole, with many organisations having an interest and working in the town, these include the Police, Fire Service, Health, as well as the voluntary sector - working and engaging young people in a variety of positive projects and activities. The ‘Integrated Youth Support Strategy’ is a golden opportunity for all these groups to come together, share expertise and resources, and provide a better service for young people to be developed for the same, or even less money”.

“Involving young people in the decision making process is vital. Young people must be asked what they want and what their needs are. Without young people’s involvement from the beginning, the delivery of any youth provision would be not valued or looked after by them, and this is essential to the successful delivery of youth provision”.

“Only by working together, talking and listening to all members of the community can the Community workers and leaders of Goole and Old Goole hope to fully engage the young people of the town with the aim to produce responsible, healthy individuals. This will hopefully contribute to creating a stronger society for the future”.

“If we fail to build sustainable youth support, the cycle of disillusionment will continue which will impact on the well being of our local society. Ultimately engaging and helping the young people in Goole and Old Goole to feel valued, healthy and safe, is a process that must be undertaken and this will be one of my priorities as LAT Chairman for the coming year”.

Final consultation on Gilberdyke flood relief proposals

The process to build a comprehensive Gilberdyke flood prevention scheme is almost complete. A final consultation on the proposals is to be carried out on Thursday 20th May 2010 at the Gilberdyke Village Hall Youth Building between noon and 7pm, where Parish Councillors, representatives from the East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board will be available.

It is proposed to install a new surface water drain from Westbrook Crescent to Far Drain. The drain will be installed along the rear of the houses West and South of Westbrook Road, running along a short section of Station Road before turning to run along the route of the dyke between the gardens of the properties on Scalby Lane and some properties on Greenacre Park and Chestnut Drive. The majority of the drain will be constructed using perforated pipework between 300mm to 900mm diameter, surrounded by gravel to allow surface water to drain into the line. Existing surface water drains will be diverted into this new drain. The final section along the rear of Skitam Lodge leading to Far Drain will be an open dyke.

(pictured with Gilberdyke Parish Councillor John Jessop at the point where the new drain is planned to join with Far Drain)

Sections of the proposed drain will be new, whilst other sections will replace lengths of open dyke as well as lengths that have been piped by householders, giving a vastly improved system serving a considerable number of properties in the village. These include Sandholme Road, Clementhorpe Road, St Stephens, Hansard Drive/Crescent, Willow Green, Chapel Garth and sections of Station Road, Bellasize Park, Green Acre Park, Chestnut Drive, Scalby Lane, and Sandholme Park

The important aspect of this proposal is the effect on those properties not directly benefiting, by ensuring that during times of rainfall the pressure will be significantly reduced on the existing surface and foul water system, into which the surface water from almost all the remainder of the properties within the village discharge.

The whole village will certainly benefit during times of very heavy rainfall, but in addition, evidence shows that potential increases in household insurance premiums as a result of the 2007 flooding are being reduced in flooded and non-flooded areas of the village as a consequence of the proposals, once the insurance companies are made aware.

This work is a great example of organisations working in partnership, Gilberdyke Parish Council is working with both the East Riding of Yorkshire Council and the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board to develop a joined up approach to managing flood risk in Gilberdyke.

The work is going to be carried out by contractors supervised by the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board who will also be contributing funding and work in kind. The East Riding of Yorkshire Council was successful in obtaining £4m European Grant Aid to which an additional £0.5m was added from the Council funding, from this £85,000 has been identified to carry out works in the Parish of Gilberdyke.

The Parish Council will also be required to contribute funding, this is planned to be raised by taking a short-term loan, the repayment of which is hoped would be limited to a maximum cost of approximately 35p per week per household paid through the Council Tax, which would be payable for a period of 4 years. This figure may well be reduced when the accumulated savings made by the Parish Council for the past and current year are fully realised.

The Drainage Board and its contractors will work with residents to ensure the minimum of disruption, and it is hoped that the work will be carried out during the year.

Holme on Spalding Moor road repairs to be carried out during the summer

First the flooding then the severe winter, there is little wonder that some of our roads that were never designed for today's HGVs, are breaking up including the roads in and around Holme on Spalding Moor (HOSM). The resulting potholes have also inflicted damage to car wheels and tyres.

At the recent meeting of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) I asked the Leader a specific question on the current position on the repair of potholes in the Council's highway network and the role of the Highways Agency. He was able to confirm that an amount of some £1.1million had been received through a Government grant for road repairs, and to clarify the role of the Highways Agency who has
responsibility for repairs to the trunk routes,
which make up a small minority of roads throughout the East Riding.

I also asked that the ERYC look at the roads in and around HOSM, particularly High Street and Selby Road where the damage to the roads is not only causing problems to motorists, but also householders who suffer the banging, crashing and vibration caused when vehicles hit the damaged sections.

The ERYC has been battling the potholes with temporary repairs in order to maintain safety. But this is not just a matter of filling in potholes, some sections of road are so damaged they will have to be rebuilt.The cost of highway maintenance is funded through road tax, however the amount the past Labour Government paid back to Local Authorities was much less than they took in taxation, and not sufficient to maintain the roads.The cost to repair and rebuild our damaged roads will be huge and certainly much more than the derisory £1.1million we received from the Government, and it will take time, but East Riding of Yorkshire Conservative Councillors have made a pledge that we will do our utmost to ensure that this work is undertaken.

During the winter the Council was not waiting for the damage to be reported, a crack team was out every day filling potholes as they went around - I think this was very much a common sense, practical short-term solution, as we could not repair properly until the weather allowed, and the full extent to the damage was known.

I am pleased to confirm that the following works are included in the ERYC summer maintenance programme in Holme on Spalding Moor: A614 Mini Roundabout to Church Access - Structural Resurfacing of High Street through Village, and patching of the A163 West of Village (to be surface dressed in the year 2011-2012)Contracts are being prepared and it is envisaged that this work will be completed in the late summer if not before, depending on contracts/contractor work programmes.

My 09/10 Council expenses

As I come to the end of another year as an East Riding of Yorkshire Councillor, again people have asked about the expenses that I have claimed during the year.

In the interest of transparency and openness the following details all the monies I have received during 09/10.I receive a basic councillor allowance of £10,711.00 plus an additional allowance of £9,265 as Chairman of the Goole and Howdenshire Local Action Team. (which is subject to tax and national insurance)

I am able to reclaim expenses to cover the cost of travel when on council business and also food or subsistence. I am also entitled to an IT allowance to purchase computer equipment over the 4-year term of office, and an annual IT maintenance allowance.

Looking back over the past year, there have again been many weeks I have worked more than 40 hours in my role as an East Riding of Yorkshire Councillor. I represent Howdenshire, which is one of the largest wards geographically in the East Riding that stretches to 15 Parishes. As Chair of the Goole and Howdenshire Local Action Team I cover an additional area including places as far south as Adlingfleet, and west to Snaith and Gowdall. During 09/10 I have again driven approximately 6,000 miles as a Councillor, many of which have been to evening meetings, in addition to the daytime meetings at County Hall, and site visits as part of my role as a member of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council Planning Committee.

In the year 09/10 I have claimed and received total of £3,095.98 (which is also subject to tax) relating to travel on council business, for which detailed claim forms and receipts were submitted.

I have claimed no expenses for food or subsistence whatsoever, as I would not ask the taxpayer to feed me.

I have also been paid £143:00 IT maintenance allowance.

As a further measure of the work as a Councillor, I have received 3,225 emails and sent 1,414 from my personal Councillor email address in the past year. This is in addition to the large number of phone calls and letters.

http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/news/Pressure-politicians-reveal-claims/article-2179527-detail/article.html

SATs testing goes ahead at Gilberdyke School

I am pleased that Gilberdyke Primary School is not being held to ransom by the Unions and this years SATs tests are going ahead.

Not that I agree with SATs – but this it what we have and where we’re at, and I feel that all the hard work the staff and kids have done in preparation should not be in vain, and will hopefully be rewarded by excellent results.

SATs can be unfair, the marking can be inaccurate and give a false picture, the tests do not account for baseline levels or the quality of parenting, and can therefore significantly mis-represent a school's performance in league tables. I also feel kids can spend far to much time learning how to pass a test rather than concentrating on the curriculum.

As a father of an 11 year old daughter taking her SATs tests this week, I can confirm that this can be a stressful process for kids, and as a member of the Governors at the school I can also confirm it can also be the same for the teachers.

Gilberdyke School Website http://www.gilberdyke.eril.net/

David Davis re-elected with 11,602 majority

Now the dust has settled from election night (but not necessarily from the morning after)… the last month has been a little hectic to say the least, but when you look at the numbers from the election night - our constituency of Haltemprice and Howden achieved the highest voter turnout in the area, with some 69.2% of the electorate voting, and David Davis being returned as our local MP with 50.2% of the votes cast.

To see such a large proportion of the electorate turning out to vote, whoever they voted for, is excellent and shows a healthy interest in democracy. Many thanks for all those who voted.


David Davis, Conservative
24,486
50.2%

Jonathan Neal, Liberal Democrat
12,884
26.4%

Daniel Marten, Labour
7,630
15.7%

James Cornell, British National Party
1,583
3.3%
Joanne Robinson, English Democrats
1,485
3.1%

Shan Oakes, Green Party
669
1.4%
Candidate

Conservative majority: 11,602

Fantastic victory for Conservative Andrew Percy in Brigg and Goole

Yesterday’s election produced increasing majorities for sitting East Yorkshire Tory MPs Greg Knight, Graham Stuart and of course David Davis. But the night belongs to Andrew Percy for his crushing victory in Brigg and Goole for the Conservatives.

It was an absolute privilege to have been part of Andrew's team of friends, helpers, volunteers and a dedicated group of East Riding of Yorkshire and North Lincs Councillors, who had spent a lot of time working with Andrew over the past 3 years, working as part of positive campaign, a local campaign and a winning campaign, all pulled together by Cllr Rob Waltham.

Despite issues around the downsizing of the fire protection offered by Goole Fire Station, car parking charges, senior ERYC officers pay and pensions and the Conservative leader of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council unintentionally appearing on Labour election material, Andrew was able to win the argument and come through with a very good majority of 5,147 meaning a massive 9.8% swing to the Conservatives, and proving the cynics and critics wrong.

On winning Andrew said: "I want to say a massive thank you to the electors of Brigg and Goole for giving me the privilege of representing them in Parliament. "I will do as I promised to work as a representative for them as a strong, independent MP for the area."…..

I think he will do exactly what he says!

VOTE CONSERVATIVE

So this is it if you want Gordon Brown to stay as PM vote Labour or Lib dem today - if you want a bright new positive beginning under David Cameron - VOTE CONSERVATIVE.

When the going gets tough there is only one man who the next Conservative Government needs back at the centre of their team.

He's a man that could strangle you with a cordless phone...

A man who doesn't read books, merely staring at them until he gets all the information he needs...

A man who can slam a revolving door...

A man who doesn't wear a watch because he decides what time it is...
The reason Wally is hiding...

The person the bogey man checks under his bed for...

Vote for David Davis and let's get him back into Government

Best of luck to all Tory candidates especially those fighting East Yorkshire seats.