What Houghton and Sunderland South's General Election 2019 candidates promise to do for you

We asked all of Houghton and Sunderland South’s General Election candidates to outline why voters should choose them on Thursday, December 12.
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All of them were asked to submit a photograph, a written article and a short video. If they do not appear here it is because we have not received them.

Richard Bradley (Green Party)

This is the Climate Election.

Six candidates will contest the Houghton and Sunderland South constituency at the General Election on December 12.Six candidates will contest the Houghton and Sunderland South constituency at the General Election on December 12.
Six candidates will contest the Houghton and Sunderland South constituency at the General Election on December 12.

The science is clear - the next 10 years are probably the most important in our history.

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Your vote will determine how the government responds to the crisis and the Green Party are the only party you can trust to act in time to tackle the climate crisis. Having been the canary in the coal mine warning of what was coming, we have been planning longest on what actions need to be taken and how.

Our plan for a Green New Deal will transition Britain to a climate friendly economy AND improve the quality of life for everyone by creating a fairer, safer society.

The tax system is not fit for purpose, the richer you are the more ways you have to avoid tax so we will reform the tax system, sharing wealth more equally.

Richard BradleyRichard Bradley
Richard Bradley

Our democracy is broken so we will fix it, proportional representation in all elections with 16 and 17 year olds given the vote and legislation to make councils democratic.

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Then we will devolve power and decision making so YOU decide the NHS you want locally; YOU decide where houses are built, and YOU control your public services. We promise to fund them properly.

Our revolutionary plans will slash your heating bills, give everyone a Universal Basic Income, and invest in quality jobs in new, green industries.

Be bold this election.

Paul Edgeworth.Paul Edgeworth.
Paul Edgeworth.

Vote for the future.

Vote Green.

Richard Elvin (Ukip)

It’s time for a change. UK politics is broken.

Ukip candidate Richard Elvin.Ukip candidate Richard Elvin.
Ukip candidate Richard Elvin.

For far too long Parliament has been dominated by too many career politicians and academics (often not living in the constituency) or ever having worked in the real world or truly experienced the day to day difficulties of life of ordinary men and women.

Once elected to Parliament, they pursue their own careers at the expense of those who elected them.

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Before setting up my own travel business in which I continue to work, I trained as a teacher at the Coach Lane Campus of, what is now Northumbria University, and taught for eight years.

I have served various communities as a parish/town councillor for 15 years, the last five on Hetton Town Council and have never taken any allowance or expense payment.

Since 1999 I have campaigned from my home in Easington Lane, not only for Brexit, but to improve the lives of ordinary people in the North East.

The region has been neglected by the main political parties, particularly Labour, who has dominated for decades.

Conservative candidate Christopher Howarth.Conservative candidate Christopher Howarth.
Conservative candidate Christopher Howarth.
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The most shocking example of this is London has 24 times more money spent on infrastructure per resident than North East England’s residents. That’s £5,426 compared to £223!

If elected as your MP I will represent the views, hopes and aspirations of all constituents and support the decisions made by the majority.

I will do all I can to ensure Houghton and Sunderland South and the rest of the North East receives the investment it needs to reinstate it as the pre-eminent UK region.

Paul Edgeworth (Liberal Democrats)

I am Sunderland born and bred and a proud Mackem.

I want to be an MP that listens to residents, runs pro-active campaigns and who stands up to bad decisions by Sunderland Council and the Government.

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I would keep in touch all year round, regularly knock on doors and would act on people’s concerns.

I want to make sure that council tax payers’ money is spent wisely on decent public services like libraries, street cleaning, regular bin collections, tackling anti-social behaviour and improving our parks and green spaces.

I would fight in Parliament and locally to secure serious investment for Wearside in order to bring more high quality jobs here.

My priorities include extending the Metro to places like Doxford Park and re-opening the line to Penshaw and Houghton.

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I would fight for private sector investment to improve our city centre, and would make sure we keep it clean, reduce business rates and cut parking charges to keep local businesses alive and thriving.

I would fight to make sure the next Government realises that the North isn’t just Manchester or Leeds.

Even when the North East does get investment, attention and spending is always focused on Newcastle while Sunderland, Houghton and Hetton are forgotten about time and time again.

I’ll be an MP who will put Wearside first.

We need a strong opposition Lib Dem MP who’ll be ambitious for Sunderland and work tirelessly to make all parts of the city a better place to live, work, visit and start a business.

Christopher Howarth (Conservatives)

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In 2016 Sunderland voted by an overwhelming majority to leave the EU. However, three years later we still have not left.

The reason for this is MPs, including the Labour candidate for Houghton and Sunderland South, voted to block the Brexit deal in the House of Commons.

We need to end this deadlock. I campaigned to Leave the EU and honour the referendum result. As the MP I would support Prime Minister Boris Johnson get Brexit done.

I want to be a strong advocate for investment in Sunderland within a Conservative Government.

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My family come from Sunderland, where we ran the successful Matthew Turnbull glass factory in Southwick. Sunderland was once one of the greatest most prosperous cities in England and with the right investment it can be again.

Conservative policies such as reforming business rates in order to boost our High Streets and investment in the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ are policies that will help the local economy.

Conservatives support strong public services, such as the NHS and Police. I would seek to ensure our hospitals gain their fair share of the Conservative’s £33.9bn new funding for the NHS and the 20,000 new police officers.

Strong public services are only possible if we have a strong economy.

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We now have record employment and faster economic growth than Germany. But there is much more to do. Unlocking Britain’s potential by getting Brexit done is an essential start. Sunderland has a great future and a Conservative Government with Sunderland Conservative MPs will fight to make it reality.

Bridget Phillipson (Labour)

I am standing for re-election because I love our area. Making it the best possible place to live has been my top priority since first being elected in 2010.

I know our community is bursting with potential, but we have been cruelly held back by nine long years of Tory and Lib Dem cuts. Our economy isn’t working for local people, and too many working families struggle to make ends meet.

We desperately need change and I care passionately about focusing on the issues that truly matter: investing in our NHS, schools and police, and bringing more well-paid jobs to our community.

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If re-elected, I would campaign tirelessly to make sure our NHS gets the funding it needs, and to train and attract more doctors and nurses to our region.

Local people are understandably worried about anti-social behaviour, so I’ll fight for more bobbies on the beat to tackle crime and keep our community safe.

Our schools have suffered brutal Tory cuts. I would do everything I can to reverse these so all our children get the best start in life. A real living wage and more secure jobs and apprenticeships will drive up living standards and deliver opportunities for our young people.

This election is a crucial moment for our country. A strong, local Labour voice championing our area in Parliament will make all the difference over the next five years. I hope you can put your trust in me once again to keep fighting for our community.

Kevin Yuill (Brexit)

Why should people vote for me?

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In a word, democracy. The majority of people in Houghton and Sunderland – 62.4% - voted to leave the EU and, after more than three years, the biggest democratic mandate in British history has yet to be enacted.

I believe the dominant political party in the area – Labour – has betrayed the people of this constituency.

The Conservative Party, in power since the referendum, has consistently broken their promises to the British people.

Only the Brexit Party, in an area where the Tories have not been elected since 1931, can appeal to the huge number of ex-Labour voters in the area who are angry at this betrayal.

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I am not a politician and will make no promises except to work hard for the people of this area, to faithfully represent them, and to be a thorn in the side of a Parliament that has continually voted against their interests.I have lived and worked in the area for 20 years, having taught two generations of local students at the university.

Before I went to university myself, I left school to work in a factory, was made redundant, and worked at various jobs. I have been poor. I understand what too many in this area face every day.

I don’t want to “get Brexit done”, returning to the politics where the two-party system oversaw managed decline.

I want to change politics for good, to build upon the impulse of the people to return power back to this country and to the people themselves.