GE2019: Q&A with the candidates for the Sedgefield constituency

Dr David Bull (Brexit Party)

1) What are three key local issues facing your constituency, and how would you address them?

• Council tax. Sedgefield has one of the highest rates of council tax in England. A household worth up to £40,000 pays £1368.03, just £139.67 less than a house worth £2 Million pays in Westminster. Furthermore, 12.5% of Sedgefield households are single-occupancy. Under Labour’s plan to scrap the single-occupancy discount on council tax (25%) these constituents will end up paying £342 more a year. This is unfair and unacceptable. I would address this issue by working closely with the council and make every effort to reduce the extortionate rate of council tax that my constituents endure.

• Alcohol abuse. Throughout 2015-2018 there was an average of 53.1 per 100,000 of under 18s being admitted to hospital for alcohol related conditions within County Durham, one of the highest rates of admissions in the country, with 707 per 100,000 for adults. Sedgefield has a real issue with alcohol issues, which is caused due to the deindustrialisation and loss of prosperity throughout the 80s. Steelworks and mines were ripped away and the area has never recovered economically.

As a doctor, I’m very concerned about this. I would devote myself to ensuring my constituents have the help and necessary services to intervene before it’s too late. Secondly, I will ensure that prosperity returns through investment to secure well-paying and stable jobs for the people of Sedgefield.

• Health and Wellbeing. Almost a quarter (24.1%) of constituents in Sedgefield report having just adequate or bad health. one of the highest scores of ill-health in the country.

This is down to the recent cuts to nearby hospitals and social care services. It is simply not good enough. It is unacceptable to have a postcode lottery of health, Where you live should not determine your wellbeing. I am fiercely passionate about this and I will address this issue by fighting tooth and nail for more NHS investment in Sedgefield, guaranteeing the NHS remains free at the point of need and readily available for those who need it most.

2) Leave, remain or second referendum - what is your stance on Brexit, and why?

We voted to leave and we must leave. Being liberated to trade tariff-free with the rest of the world will reduce the cost of living immensely. As a country, we import £68.75m worth of Dutch onions every year. Dutch onions have an average production cost of £123.75 per ton, whereas India has a production cost of £68.19 per ton. By striking a trade agreement with India we could drastically reduce the cost of onions. Examples like these are not just commonplace for all foods, but clothing and medicines too. I believe that not only will Brexit cut the cost of living, it could also be vital in the preservation of the NHS.

3) Should people be prepared to pay additional tax to fund improvements in public services, like the NHS?

Absolutely not. We as individuals in the UK are paying extortionate rates of tax. Especially my constituency of Sedgefield, with ludicrous council tax rates.

Public services, like the NHS definitely need more money, but this financial burden can no longer be forced upon the tax payer. We can redirect state funds, like scrapping HS2 and halving the foreign aid budget and funnel this money into public services that are in dire need of it.

4) High streets are struggling - what would you do to rescue them?

I would enforce The Brexit Party’s contract with the people policy of scrapping business rates for high street shops outside the M25 to reduce the cost of running a high street shop. In addition, I would want to impose a small sales tax on internet giants, like Amazon to fund the scrapping of business rates and help fund regeneration projects of our high streets.

5) What does the Northern Powerhouse need to make it work?

Investment. The Northern Powerhouse does not need the vanity project of HS2. It needs genuine local rail and road infrastructure investment. It also needs investment in industry to return prosperity to the North. Not only will this revitalise the North but in addition in post-Brexit Britain, a multitude of free trade deals across the world will not only boost these industries but will also attract foreign investment. This will return high-paid, stable jobs. This won’t just make the Northern Powerhouse work, it will make the Northern Powerhouse thrive.

John Furness (Green Party)

1) What are three key local issues facing your constituency, and how would you address them?

The key local issues are CLIMATE, CLIMATE, CLIMATE. If we do then we generate jobs and improve our wellbeing.

We would do this by :

Sustainable, cheap and public transport: cycling, walking, rail and electric vehicles; renewable energy for the home and nation; locally sourced food grown non-instensively e.g. organically and not flown from USA. We have campaigned with partners like Friends of the Earth for Tree Planting and are working to find areas to plant them.

2) Leave, remain or second referendum - what is your stance on Brexit, and why?

If a medical (or any scientific) study of a new drug had an outcome like the referendum (51.9% v 48.9%) it would not be statistically significant.Change would not happen without further research. If a medical study was dishonest in its method it would not be published and the authors would be referred for professional misconduct and probably struck off the medical register.

3) Should people be prepared to pay additional tax to fund improvements in public services, like the NHS?

Yes, but NOT everyone and NOT just the NHS. The wellbeing of a society is better the narrower the gap between the poorest and wealthiest. Health is a matter of environment, climate, housing, employment, nutrition, education, social services, nutrition, a caring society and good international relations.

4) High streets are struggling - what would you do to rescue them?

Tackling climate change by travelling less and living, sourcing and buying goods locally will mean the return of the High Street.

5) What does the Northern Powerhouse need to make it work?

Northern Powerhouse? What’s that but lip service? We all need less flooding to tackle climate change, work and learn together and look after the weakest and most vulnerable. This is NOT POLITICS AS USUAL: we are honest that the middle and upper classes will have a drop in living standards but everyone will feel better and the planet will last longer. IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

Phil Wilson (Labour)

1) What are three key local issues facing your constituency, and how would you address them?

Irresponsible private landlords are a problem. 20% of households are private lets. They deserve protection. Neighbourhoods deserve respect. I’ve fought in Parliament for a national register to keep tabs on landlords. The County Council is aiming to introduce such a scheme.

The Tories have pushed local schools to breaking point. Children are taught in larger classes, with fewer resources. I want fairer funding and targeted resources for the children who need it most.

Our NHS is under immense strain after Conservative cuts. Local people cannot get GP appointments and surgeries are closing. I will continue to fight for local services.

2) Leave, remain or second referendum - what is your stance on Brexit, and why?

Brexit is not as simple as the Leave campaign promised in the referendum. Boris Johnson knows that. His deal won’t get Brexit done. He needs to be honest and tell you if he gets his way, Brexit will go on and on. It will take years to renegotiate existing trade deals. I believe voters have the right to compare his Tory Brexit with the promises he made in 2016. You should have the final say. The implications are enormous for the NHS, jobs and the sheer length of time Brexit will take at the expense of everything else.

3) Should people be prepared to pay additional tax to fund improvements in public services, like the NHS?

After almost a decade of Tory Government, our public services are in desperate need of funding. But this burden shouldn’t fall on the people who are already working hard and struggling to make a living, but those with the broadest shoulders who can afford it. I don’t think it’s too much to ask the wealthiest people in our country pay their way. However, I do believe it’s crucial to be responsible and disciplined with the public’s finances and money should only be borrowed to invest, whether that’s infrastructure projects, public services or steps to tackle climate change.

4) High streets are struggling - what would you do to rescue them?

It saddens me to see our high streets struggling. At least 9 different bank branches have closed across the constituency since the last election. It seems that every week, another store is closing. We need to look at how we can diversify the high street to make it more attractive to customers, level the playing field for high-street retailers who are struggling to compete against Amazon and re-purpose empty shops so they are put to good use. Newton Aycliffe will not see investment from the government’s Future High Street Fund, again the North will miss out.

5) What does the Northern Powerhouse need to make it work?

The North of England is missing out on massive investment in our infrastructure and transport, which is critical to making our region function. If the North is missing out so is County Durham. For example, if the Government was serious about the Northern Powerhouse they would ensure that transport expenditure in our region wasn’t falling when compared with London. If we were receiving the same as the capital, the North would have seen an additional £63 billion spent on the region. More for, buses, roads and trains. We want to see substance not warm words.

Dawn Welsh (Liberal Democrats)

1) What are three key local issues facing your constituency, and how would you address them?

Better integrated public transport is key to delivering sustainable growth in Sedgefield and across the region, as is the creation of more and better jobs in places such as Trimdon and Wingate. I will be fighting for Sedgefield to have greater powers of self-determination, through devolved powers, which will unlock access to the funding and authority we need to solve these two issues. For the many farming communities in the constituency, I will continue argue the case that Brexit will be bad for our farmers and work hard to prevent any negative impact on their livelihoods caused by Brexit.

2) Leave, remain or second referendum - what is your stance on Brexit, and why?

I believe Brexit will be bad for our country and catastrophic for our region because 60% of North East exports go to the EU. Before joining the EU we were the “sick man of Europe”, our region was on its knees and for our children’s sake I don’t want those days to return. I’ve seen how EU membership has attracted investment from companies like Hitachi and Nissan, improved social mobility through the European Social Fund and taken the UK economy to the 5th strongest in the world. If there were to be a second referendum I would absolutely campaign for Remain.

3) Should people be prepared to pay additional tax to fund improvements in public services, like the NHS?

Our public services have suffered dreadfully at the hands of an unencumbered right wing Tory government. Every one of us, in some way, will hold our own personal debt of gratitude to the fantastic work our NHS and Social Care services do and I am sure many will agree they deserve to be properly funded. The Liberal Democrats propose a modest rise of 1p on Income Tax, raising £35.1 billion over the next 5 years with £11.2 billion ringfenced for our too often neglected mental health services. I fully support this policy because it is the right thing to do.

4) High streets are struggling - what would you do to rescue them?

With a background in helping set up and run family retail businesses I personally understand the many challenges retailers face. I will be committed to working with regional leaders in the development of long term plans for the growth and development of Sedgefield’s town centres. I will work with small business support services in the region to help small business owners and start-ups access support and funding. I will also work towards reforming both planning and business rates legislation to help our ailing high streets and to help create vibrant places for people to work, shop and socialise in.

5) What does the Northern Powerhouse need to make it work?

The Northern Powerhouse for too long has focused on the M62 corridor, the North East needs to grasp the opportunities presented by devolved powers to the region for our voice to be heard loud and clear and for Sedgefield to benefit. This is something which North East Labour have spectacularly failed to do, they are too busy squabbling amongst themselves rather than putting the North East region first.

We need our share of investment in road and rail infrastructure, public transport and training and skills to create more and better jobs, I will be resolutely determined to make this happen.

Paul Howell (Conservative)

1) What are three key local issues facing your constituency, and how would you address them?

The Sedgefield constituency has 3 distinct parts to it, the Darlington Borough Council wards, the villages of Durham County Council and the town of Newton Aycliffe. Each of these has distinct strengths and issues but they all require an MP who listens and reflects their concerns into Westminster. My priority would be to engage better to find out the real needs of each and I would do this by creating forums for engagement with local people rather than to ignore them. My current thoughts would be to focus on inward investment, training and rural transport.

2) Leave, remain or second referendum - what is your stance on Brexit, and why?

We need to leave, we had a referendum and a result. In my opinion democracy is far more important than economics and we have to respect the decision of the British people. Business is harmed far more by uncertainty than almost anything else. There were many statements from both sides in the referendum that were at best overstated or exaggerated but the message from the British people was clear, in that as a whole after considering all of the information that they wanted to leave so that is what we must do.

3) Should people be prepared to pay additional tax to fund improvements in public services, like the NHS?

I believe that taxes should be kept to a minimum level required to support services required and it is about ensuring that we get value for money from our investments in services for the tax payer. There needs to be a fair basis for the allocation of national funds to local authorities, Police and Fire services etc as the ability of our authorities to raise local taxes is not as great as wealthier parts of the UK. Having served on both local councils and the combined Fire Authority I understand the dynamics and the need for fair funding.

4) High streets are struggling - what would you do to rescue them?

High streets have many different strengths and weaknesses and each has its own distinct solution required. Sedgefield does not contain a major retail centre, with even the largest in Newton Aycliffe, not one that would contain a Marks and Spencer or House of Fraser. Instead it has a high number of small centres and the primary way to help these is to generate a need for people to visit and an encouragement to people to spend locally. The reason to visit has to come from either good shops or some form of event or occasion that stimulates footfall.

5) What does the Northern Powerhouse need to make it work?

The Northern Powerhouse needs the backing of local and national politicians to promote and deliver its agenda. Ben Houchen, the Conservative leader of the Tees Valley Combined Authority is showing what can be done and we need more energy like his behind it, but Phil WIlson was noticeably quiet on the key Airport agenda despite it being in his constituency. I would like to see core infrastructure investment prioritised and if elected this would be one of my primary points of focus as I fully support the Prime Ministers agenda to start to rebalance the North v South economic disparity.

Michael Joyce (Independent)

1) What are three key local issues facing your constituency, and how would you address them?

My three local issues are Crime, Schooling and Investment. Crime seems to be one of the main issues of Sedgefield’s constituency for example; the Co-op on the main street in Sedgefield has been broken into six times, so one has to ask the question how has this been able to happen? Why hasn’t the store been able to implement crime prevention such as electric shutters? Has the council stopped it or is it the local community, as MP for Sedgefield I would make this a priority to investigate this.

Schooling, why has the council stopped the funding for free school bus services to and from Chilton to the secondary school in Ferryhill, surely as a matter of safety for the children and due to this time of year with the dark nights why are the children walking from Ferryhill past allotments where drug users and criminals are known to be frequent in the area to just get home, surely as a matter of urgency this service needs to resume.

Investments, in Sedgefield itself we have a science park, the only one in Britain and at Ferryhill we have an industrial estate ready to be used, in Chilton we have a pharmaceutical company we also have a tanker company but the main area is Aycliffe which consists of engineering, manufacturing, electronics, logistics and Hitachi, all of these areas are within spitting distances of two major motorway routes A1 North and South and the A19 heading to the North, with the infrastructure already in place it has great and superb potential for local investment.

2) Leave, remain or second referendum - what is your stance on Brexit, and why?

As a Staunch leave voter, on the 23rd June 2016 17.4million people voted to leave so 3 years and 4 Brexit extensions down the line the politicians have caused total chaos due to them not following the democratic decision of the people. You cannot trust the main parties to make this decision as both lie and do not tell the people the full story. Brexit needs to happen as this would cause stability within the country and a saving of £20 billion a year of membership and membership only.

3) Should people be prepared to pay additional tax to fund improvements in public services, like the NHS? 

Taxes would not have to be raised to help the NHS as money could be found from the cancelation of HS2 this would be a saving of £56 billion also the cancelation of our membership  cost to the EU at £20 billion, this would give us an available fund of £76 billion, which could be invested into a number of issues one being the NHS, at the present moment privatisation of the NHS is happening, In 1992 John Major (Conservative) started the process of PFI (Private Finance Initiatives) following the rules set by the European Union,

in 1997 Labour came to power under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown where they allowed the PFI to take route, the problem at the moment is not the new contracts as they can be stopped it’s the old contracts that are up and running that are valid for 30-35 years, the NHS has been crippled under the PFI and it will cost up to £200 Billion to get out of these contracts due to the companies able to sue the government for loss of earnings so when both conservative and labour say that the NHS will not be privatised they are both already lying as the NHS is ran by these private companies so any additional funding given by the government does not go to the people who need it i.e. the doctors and nurses it goes to the private companies who are only accountable to their share holders.

4) High streets are struggling - what would you do to rescue them?

40 thousand jobs have been lost or are at risk household names like House of Fraser, Marks and Spencer’s have been forced to close and take a long look at how they do business, the town centres need more support from the councils such things as a look at the property rent and the parking charges. So the council and the local traders need to work together to resolve these issues. Investing more in skills for residents to create the educated work force that future town centres need to thrive.

5) What does the Northern Powerhouse need to make it work?

The Northern Powerhouse needs the backing of local and national politicians to promote and deliver its agenda. Ben Houchen, the Conservative leader of the Tees Valley Combined Authority is showing what can be done and we need more energy like his behind it, but Phil WIlson was noticeably quiet on the key Airport agenda despite it being in his constituency. I would like to see core infrastructure investment prioritised and if elected this would be one of my primary points of focus as I fully support the Prime Ministers agenda to start to rebalance the North v South economic disparity.