My name is Julian Vaughan and I am standing as your Labour candidate in North East Bedfordshire. A train driver on London Underground, I have lived in Langford since 2006 and am married with a teenage daughter.
I am proud to be British, with our sense of fair play, our tolerance and our willingness to support the underdog. However, this current government has created a hostile environment for the most vulnerable in our society and we have become a more divided nation, particularly since the Brexit referendum.
I believe our community is enriched when we care for everyone within it. If elected as your MP, I promise you that I will do all I can to support the most vulnerable in our constituency. I will be a champion, not just for the people that shout the loudest, but particularly for the people who have no voice at all. I will work across political divides for the benefit of all.
Of all the issues we face, none is more important than the climate emergency. We must take urgent action, and I will fully support policies to reduce our carbon emissions.
Everyone has a right to be safe day to day. I will prioritise a return of effective community policing across NE Bedfordshire so you, your family and your property are protected.
NE Bedfordshire has a badly fragmented transport network. I will campaign for a linked-up transport system, with seamless connections between different modes of travel. I will fight both for a safe cycle network and for bus services that will reduce social isolation in our villages and be a viable alternative for commuters.
I will also prioritise genuinely affordable housing and ensure that developers do not dodge their affordable housing obligations and infrastructure commitments – good homes with good infrastructure.
Many of you will want to know my stance on Brexit. I voted remain and am in favour of a second referendum.
I believe that Parliament is un-representative of the people it represents and because of this it can struggle to understand the lives of those their policies affect. Very few MP’s have come from a manual labour background, with a significant number being privately educated and coming from a business or a legal background. For example, I am a train driver, it is over 50 years since a train driver has been elected to the House of Commons.
I have a track record of effective campaigning – I founded the Bedfordshire Rail Access Network which was successful in obtaining funding for step-free access at Biggleswade station, which I’ll push to be installed as soon as possible. As co-founder of the Biggleswade Rail Users group I have also championed commuter rights to improve services in our constituency. I also work to improve information and services for disabled people on the railways – we should judge our society by how we treat the most vulnerable within it. People with disabilities don’t want ‘help’ they want to be able to travel independently and if elected I will prioritise access improvements. If we raise the bar for disabled people we raise it for everyone.
Nationally, Labour will:
Introduce Free personal care for people over 65
cut rail season tickets by 33%
provide free bus travel for people under 25
restore the 3,000 bus services cut since 2010
stop the Tories taking free TV licences away from over-75’s
Install free full fibre broadband for everyone by 2030
Install solar panels on 1.7 m homes
Introduce a new Clean Air Act
adequately fund our education system and return unaccountable academies back to local authority control and give teachers and parents a say
scrap Key Stage 1 and 2 SAT’s assessments
Introduce an Arts Pupil Premium
protect private renters through rent controls, open ended tenancies, binding minimum standards and stopping ‘no fault’ evictions
provide free dental checks
abolish prescription charges
abolish hospital car parking charges for patients and staff
introduce a minimum wage of £10 for all ages
bring the railways back into public ownership as the franchises expire
restore community policing after years of cuts under the Tories
support small and medium business by creating regional investment banks, scrap quarterly reporting for small business and crack down on late payers
borrow for investments that pay for themselves, but not borrow for day to day spending
After years of Tory cuts Labour will invest in Britain and put people first.
You can read more about how we will transform Britain for the many not the few here:
If you vote for me, you will be voting for the strongest advocate for NE Bedfordshire, backed up by a party that will protect our NHS and restore our public services. Only a vote for Labour can ensure this.
The above is just a brief outline of my values and priorities, if you have any questions please feel free to contact me at vaughan4nebeds@gmail.com
You can also follow my campaign on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jpvaughan66/
Julian
Promoted by Dr Fiona Factor on behalf of Julian Vaughan, both at the Labour Hall, Crab Lane, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire SG18 0LN
Commentaires