A Yorkshire Regional Parliament

We don’t have the voice that London or Scotland has, and because of that we miss out on the money and influence they get but.

We want a better health service, we want a better education system, we want a better public transport system - but this needs fair funding and local control. That will only come when Yorkshire has the voice to demand its fair share and the power to exercise the decisions needed. Until we have a strong regional parliament for the county we are always going to be begging for scraps from Whitehall’s table.

Addressing the Cost of Living Crisis

The government’s belated acknowledgement of the soaring energy cost is welcome but late, badly directed and unsustainable. Instead, it should scrap VAT on energy, and benefits and state pensions should be increased in line with the soaring inflation.

This should be paid for by closing loopholes that enable the rich to avoid their fair share, and by a windfall tax on the dividends of energy companies. Taxing only dividends, rather than the companies’ whole profits, means that they can – and must – use their windfall profit to invest in renewables and domestic production.

Make Homes Financially Available for First-Time Buyers

Too many people cannot afford to buy a home of their own. That has to change. This means we must build the houses people need, and amend taxes to favour home-owning instead of buy-to-let. Renters and leaseholders also need better protection from bad landlords. Owning your own property gives people both a sense of security and also a very real physical stake in their community; it is very much to be encouraged and the tax system should encourage it.

A Local Candidate with Experience: A Party That Can Win

I live within the constituency. I'm a former councillor and school governor, who also volunteered as a social housing trust director for around a decade. I left the Conservative Party in 2019 over its lurch to the right, the reckless and self-absorbed style of Boris Johnson’s leadership, and its refusal to seek a Brexit deal that works for the country.

The Yorkshire Party took 12% of the first-preference vote in the Wakefield district in last year’s West Yorkshire mayoral election and won an even higher share in this year’s South Yorkshire contest. It also finished third in the local elections in 2022 within the Wakefield constituency. In each case, the Yorkshire Party finished ahead of the Lib Dems and Greens – who are effectively out of the running.

For people who don’t trust Boris Johnson and are not convinced by Kier Starmer, they have a third option.

They should vote for Yorkshire Party; they should vote for David Herdson.