GE2019: Q&A with the candidates standing for the Redcar constituency

Jacqueline Cummins (The Brexit Party)

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

1) Leaving the EU. Most people are angry that we have not left the EU yet and feel that there are many issues that desperately need urgent attention, but everything else is being neglected whilst Parliament continue to focus on Brexit alone.

We would deal with this by delivering a clean break Brexit, which apart from being the best way to leave the EU, would then allow Parliament to deal with all the other serious issues that have been neglected.

2) The area needs regeneration and decent employment opportunities.

The Brexit party is the Party of regeneration. We intend to build a fund of £200 BILLION to regenerate the forgotten and neglected areas of The North (including the Redcar Constituency), and the Midlands. What’s more we intend to do this without having to borrow money which will only eventually increase our tax burden in future. We will do this by cancelling HS2, halving the Foreign Aid budget, and NOT paying any divorce bill to the EU, which is currently £39 BILLION, but will rise to £65BILLION IF Boris’s deal is successful.

We also intend to effect a return to traditional apprenticeships for our school leavers to help them learn a trade that will allow them to find employment and build a secure future.

3) Anti-social behaviour is a problem across the Constituency. We would deal with by increasing Police numbers, and by working with the Police to tackle this difficult problem. Additionally though we think it is important to tackle the causes of the anti-social behaviour. We need to give young people somewhere to go instead of being “out on the streets”. We need to offer them genuine hope for their future, this would include employment opportunities and the chance to buy themselves a home in future.

Going to university is the right way forward for some, but not all, school leavers. This is why we want a return to traditional apprenticeships. In addition The Brexit Party has also pledged to remove interest charges on all student loans to avoid our children leaving University with an ever increasing debt that can prevent them from being able to buy their own home.

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

We want to leave the European Union. The Brexit Party wants to take back control of our laws, money, borders, waters and military. We pay much more money into the EU than we get back out again and we feel that this needs to stop. There are so many areas in this Country that are in dire crisis and in desperate need of extra funding, like the NHS, Police, schools, housing. We feel that our money would be better spent taking care of our own needs before we send money abroad to help others. We do not want the European Courts over ruling our courts, and feel passionately that our military must NOT take orders from anywhere outside our own Country.

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

I think our tax system needs changing. It is a well known fact that increasing the tax rate actually reduces the Government tax take rather than increasing it. This is because, if you increase the tax rate those that would pay more tax pack up and move abroad to avoid the increased payments. We need to make sure that outstanding debt to the Tax office is being fully collected. We also need to look at how our tax money is currently being spent. I feel that too much money is being spent on institutions with huge management structures with ridiculous salaries, and not enough is being spent on the things that matter, like in the NHS, Police, and universities and schools. We also need to target multi-national companies who make huge profits in the UK but transfer their profits abroad to tax havens. I think we should make multi-national companies pay tax based on their UK turnover rather than on their profit. If this was done effectively it would help the high streets across this country, and should provide enough tax to mean that we don’t need to ask the hard pressed workers of this country to pay more tax.

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

Our High Streets are struggling because of the business rate burden they face, and also because of competition from internet sales. The Brexit Party intends to cancel business rates outside of London for High Street premises and Leisure premises, we also intend to levy a sales tax on internet sales companies like Amazon, Ebay and Facebook that would reduce their competitive advantage over High Street retailers.

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

The Northern Powerhouse needs to fight for more money from Central Government to meet our needs. They need to realise that our needs are very different from those of others, one example of this is that we have far more people suffering ill health, which puts a greater strain (and cost) on our local authorities. This should be taken into consideration when funding decisions are made. Also The North has been neglected and overlooked for so long, it’s time we were given financial assistance to redress that balance, we need more decent qualify jobs, and our infrastructure is old and no longer meets our needs.

We pay far higher council tax in the North than many very wealthy areas in the South, yet they have far more facilities than we have, even though they are also better placed financially to pay more council tax than we are. It just isn’t a fair system at present and this needs to be addressed…urgently.

Karen King (Liberal Democrats)

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

Unemployment in this area is too high. We need to deliver investment in business and industry of the future and ensure that local people have the skills needed for the 21st Century economy, funding basic education and continued development.

Local councils have been worst hit by austerity. They need properly funding to continue to provide high quality public services. Social care is in crisis; childhood poverty is rocketing and transport infrastructure is failing.

Health inequality in the region should be addressed with a 1p increase in income tax to better fund the NHS, bringing down waiting times and improving service.

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

After over 3 years of failed negotiations, with more facts now available, the best way forward would be a people's vote, the result of which would give parliament a clear and unequivocal direction. The EU is a vital network for the region; it’s fundamental to trade-dependent jobs in industry and essential investment. They have been made a scapegoat for the failure of decades of Tory and Labour governments, who fail to recognise the potential of the North East. It’s not popular to stand up for the EU but without their support our region will be poorer.

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

In order to meet growing demand, and turn back the clock on austerity, it’s essential that public services receive the cash injection they need to get them back on an even keel. That’s why I would support a 1p increase on income tax in order to £7billion extra every year, ring-fenced for the NHS.

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

Scrapping business rates, putting the onus on landowners, rather than business owners, will free up high street vendors to priorities investment in enterprise rather than coughing up to the tax man.

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

Outside the EU, the future looks bleak for businesses across the UK. Remaining inside the trading bloc would safeguard existing jobs and bolster growth. Closer to home, Westminster must commit to extending its transport infrastructure projects so that they benefit the whole country and not just the south east, recognising that there is room for more than one economic powerhouse in the UK.

Jacob Young (Conservative)

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

Brexit – I will vote for Boris’ new deal, and get us out by the end of January.

Industry – I have worked in the chemical industry locally for 9 years. I am best placed to help secure its future. I will champion Freeport status for Teesport.

Education – Young people in Redcar and Cleveland benefit from great primary education but struggle to find good local secondary school places. We are investing in our schools and I will make sure Redcar and Cleveland gets its fair share.

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

Leave, I helped lead the Vote Leave campaign in Teesside. I voted for Brexit, I campaigned for Brexit and now I want to help deliver Brexit. The Labour MP here has done everything she can to block us leaving, even though 66% of Redcar and Cleveland voted to leave. I will honour the result and get us out by the end of January.

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

I believe the best way to fund public services is through a thriving economy. We have achieved that by keeping taxes low, and that means we can afford extra funding for our NHS. We have committed to 40 new hospitals, with 50,000 more nurses and 50 million more GP surgery appointments a year without putting a single penny on income tax. Labour’s high tax, anti-growth agenda will sink the economy and take our public services down with it.

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

We have pledged up to £25million to turn around Redcar High Street through the new Towns Fund. As your MP, I will work with Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen to make sure our local high streets get their fair share from his £588million investment plan. On top of this we are pledging a much needed business rate review, and have announced cuts to business rates for pubs, shops and cinemas.

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

If the Northern Powerhouse is to succeed, the North needs to be as connected as London is. That means we need fast and affordable travel from Redcar and Cleveland to the economic centres of Leeds and Manchester. The Government has pledged to do this with Northern Powerhouse rail, sometimes known as HS3. On top of this we need to take the opportunities Brexit provides and create a Freeport on the former SSI site to bring back manufacturing jobs to this area.

Anna Turley (Labour)

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

Decent jobs with decent pay – we have fantastic opportunities on Teesside that make us a world leading place to invest but still too many people are stuck in insecure, low paid jobs or must travel out of the area during the week for work. Our youth unemployment rate is double the national average. When the steelworks closed average wages in our area went from some of the highest in the region to among the lowest. We need to build on our established world leading chemicals and automotive sectors, attracting new industries to the former SSI site and South Tees Development Corporation. Teesside has a huge opportunity to take a lead on green industry like carbon capture and storage and hydrogen power, but they need government investment. Sirius Minerals must also get the loan guarantee they need to deliver the project as planned otherwise we risk losing the good quality jobs they are bringing.

Tackling poverty and insecurity - After nine years of austerity under the Conservatives, it is people in our area who have paid the price. I hear from families working all the hours but still struggling to make ends meet. The use of food banks has surged as Universal Credit and the Bedroom Tax have left people in debt and desperation. The system isn’t working for ordinary people. Over the past five years, my team and I have supported thousands of people and challenged bad decision making, winning back more than £550,000 owed to local people. It shows how badly the system is failing people that we are winning so many of these cases. We need to scrap cruel welfare policies and give people proper support to either gain work, or be supported to live independently when they are physically unable. We should not be forcing vulnerable people to undergo constant reassessments for lifelong conditions. We also need a real living wage so that people can go out to work and earn enough to support their families. Carers need a better deal too because they are the backbone of our social care system.

Education and skills – I believe there are few things more important than our children’s futures and securing investment in our schools and colleges is one of my top priorities. I want our children to learn in the best schools and colleges so there is no ceiling to their ambition, and I want them to be able to follow the careers they want to pursue here in Teesside, rather than being forced to move away as many are. Under the Tories our schools have been deprived of £6.9 million which is about £349 per child. We have headteachers paying cleaning staff from their own wages to make up the shortfall which is a disgrace. We only have one chance at giving our young people the best start and I won’t stop pushing ministers to give the cash our schools and colleges need.

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

I campaigned for Remain but accepted the result of the referendum and voted to trigger Article 50 to start Brexit. However, in two years the Tories have made a complete mess of it. Instead of working with Parliament to deliver a Brexit that protected job and workers rights, two Conservative Prime Ministers have tried to force through a hard Brexit to the benefit of their hedge fund mates and against the best interests of communities like ours. I just cannot follow a path that will lead to further job losses and more inequality for our region. And I cannot pursue a policy that will make Britain poorer and less influential in the world. I support putting the decision back to the people for the final say, so they can approve a deal or decide if we are better off staying in.

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

The people we should ask to pay more are the richest 5% and those who can afford to contribute the most. Those are the bottom and in the middle of the income scale have been squeezed for years now, taking the burden of austerity and the rising cost of living, whilst those at the top have continued to do well. What we have had for the last nine years is a Tory government who have starved our public services of cash leading to cutbacks in police numbers, to schools funding, and longer waiting lists in the NHS. We are not getting the quality public services people expect from their taxes, despite the best efforts of staff working hard against the odds.

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

We have seen a boom in small independents in Redcar & Cleveland with local entrepreneurs stepping up and setting up independent shops, bars and restaurants. They are filling a niche which is not offered by mainstream shops and we must do more with grants and business rates reform to support local businesses like these to thrive. Labour have pledged to review commercial taxes and develop an industrial strategy for retail to better support high street retailers which is desperately needed. Local councils also need more freedom to step in and take action on empty properties where they are holding back improvements. When I held a consultation on the future of our High Street in Redcar, one of the biggest demands was for more leisure facilities. Our high streets need to become destinations beyond retail. Primrose Bell Market in Redcar, set up by community activists, is a great example of how to bring people into our town centre.

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

The biggest problem with the Northern Powerhouse is the lack of any real power and funding to do things for ourselves. On Teesside we have proven that when we are given the power and control we can do great things, like supporting our people to retrain through the SSI Taskforce and developing a local industrial masterplan for the South Tees Development Corporation. We have big ambitions for carbon capture, hydrogen power, and other clean industry. But the reality is that too often we are reliant on going cap in hand to government to bid for small pots of funding. We have also lost £6.3bn of public spending in the North under austerity whilst the South has gained.

We are yet to hear from Independent candidate Frankie Wales, but we will be sure to add his response as soon as we recieve it.