Bus Service Campaign launched

Local Labour Candidates Steve Cass and David Branson pose with Tom Blenkinsop, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, at the start of their bus service campaign. Labour Candidates have started a petition calling for improvements to the service.

Labour want to see improved bus services for the Eagle Park estate with the 29A bus scheduled to run every half hour during the day, stopping at Nunthorpe Shops.

David Branson said

 ‘….not all local people have access to a car, especially young people and retired people. We need to have a regular bus service to serve local residents who want to get to town’.

Labour candidates also want to see more bus shelters on Turnberry Way as this will encourage people to use public transport if they do not have to brave the element waiting for a bus. Labour also want to see the re-establishment of the bus link to the Parkway shopping Centre which was cut several years ago.

Investing in communities

In the coming election Steve Cass and myself will be campaigning to improve local amenities including play facilities. One idea is a multipurpose play park at Bonnygrove Park for young people such as the one in the picture above. Marton West lacks good play facilities and amenities although it is a growing residential area.

Labour believe in investing in communities, not starving them of funds so as to cut taxes for the better off. The Tories are using austerity as an excuse to cut taxes for those people whose income has risen the most in recent years. As a result we pay the price locally in reduced local services, closed libraries and mothballed community centres.

On May 7th you have chance to decide the kind of county you want to live in. A vote for Labour is a vote for a better future. Make sure you vote to make that choice.

Just the Ticket! Bus Campaign Launched

As I have mentioned before I feel that the public transport provision for Marton West is not good enough. Therefore along with the Labour candidate for Major David Budd, I am launching a campaign to improve the 29A bus service.

The 29A runs between Middlesbrough and Stokesley, stopping in our area, but it only runs around every hour, and fails to stop at Nunthorpe Shops. Therefore the Campaign is to get the 29A running every half-hour and also to stop at Nunthorpe Shops.

I will be out collecting any signatures in order to present them to the council. If I miss you and you would like to give your signature, please drop me an email.

Why we need better public transport

The Marton West ward lacks good public transport links , with no bus to the Parkway Centre although it is the main shopping centre for the area. To get to the Parkway Centre by bus you would need to go via the Town Centre, which is clearly ridiculous.

In addition, the cost of travelling to town is very expensive at £4.40 return. It is not hard to see why people prefer to go by car not bus. We need to get more people to travel in by public transport if we want to avoid congestion in town. To get this we need cheaper fares and more services, but cutting local authority funds means that services cannot be subsidized.

We need more support for public transport rather than building new bypasses into town. Maybe a park and ride to link with buses or the Esk Valley train services should be looked at as an option.

Labour Will Protect the NHS

The Labour Party founded the NHS in 1948, and has always worked to protect and improve it. From 1997-2010 the Labour Party invested hugely in the NHS, and patient satisfaction of NHS care rose from a low of 36% inherited from the previous Conservative Government, to 71% in 2010.

Conservative and Liberal Democrat cuts threaten our NHS. The NHS can’t be trusted under UKIP either as they are interested in an insurance-based system, which would rip the heart out of the NHS system.

Tackling Low Pay

Under the Tory-led Government, we’ve seen more and more people struggling to make ends meet in low paid, insecure jobs. It’s Labour’s goal to make sure work pays fairly.

29A Bus Service

I want to see an improvement in the number of buses serving Marton West. At present we only have one service an hour and this only goes to town and Stokesley.

In addition, there are no bus shelters in Eagle park so people have to wait in the rain. I will be starting a petition in the near future – so look out for this.

James Cook hospital hit by NHS cuts

James Cook hospital faces big cutbacks after £90 million is cut from the local NHS trust. Already Park End medical centre has had to close. The Tories have shown that they cannot be trusted with the NHS –  they are more interested cutting taxes for the better off. Labour will provide an extra £2.5 million for the NHS raised from a tax on mansions.

Helping People onto the Housing Ladder