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Charnwood Constituency Labour Party

ZyWebroseEric Goodyer
Charnwood's Prospective Labour MP
eric.goodyer@charnwood-labour.co.uk
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Key Local Manisfesto Commitments
Re-Open the National Forest (Ivanhoe) Rail Line
Designate the River Soar as a Linear Park protected from further development
New housing starts must concentrate on providing low cost homes for first time buyers and rent
No Quarrying in Charnwood Forest No Gravel Extraction On Green Wedge
My Pledge - An MP for Charnwood not London 
I will use my allowances to pay for a staffed office in the Constituency open to the public
Latest Press Releases here

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Tourism is a major source of income for the East Midlands. The attractions of the Peak District are well known, Charnwood Forest is also a tourist destination. Nottingham Forest attracts others, the Lincolnshire Coast Line, and the Gardens of Northamptonshire are also highly valued. We would all hope that the National image of our Region is one that would help build our local economy and attract visitors. Instead the East Midlands has been portrayed Nationally as the home of intolerance and racism as the host of the annual BNP festival of racial purity. The BNP is an organisation with one principle, an irrational fear of immigrants.
Yet, as the cul-de-sac of Europe, Britain has been absorbing people for millenia. There were others living here before even the English arrived, displacing Romans and Celts, who themselves arrived in a land already inhabited. What puts the Great into Britain is our multi-cultural heritage, as witnessed by our diversity, regional character and language; English itself being a mix of German, French, Norse as well traces of Arabic, Gaelic and Hebrew. A BNP 'spokesperson' complained about 'Gypsies', clearly ignorant of the fact that Roma arrived in Europe around 900 AD, before even William the Conqueror founded the lineage of our German/French/Dutch Royal Family. They may even have been in Britain before his ancestors arrived as immigrants!
I am proud of our multi-cultural history. What matters is a person's deeds, and what they put in to society – not their heritage. Afro-Caribbeans saved Britain's economy and public services after the devastation of WW2, Leicester's economy has been revitalised with the arrival of so many hard working and dedicated Asians. Black Africans have lived here since they started arriving at our ports in the 16th C. Today our service sectors, agricultural and building industries rely on East Europeans.  It is time recapture the Union Flag for all Britain, Black, White & Asian. The BNP claim they have thrown off the violent past of right-wing extremism and will take power by the ballot box. They have targeted the East Midlands as their best chance for electing an MEP next June at the European Elections. Abstention is the weapon of extremism, so I urge you to vote next year whoever you chose to support. If the East Midlands elects a Racist as one of our European representatives it will will do untold damage to our Region's economy and reputation.  More on the BNP & Immigration here
Eric Goodyer, Labour's Prospective MP urges older people in Charnwood to claim extra help for heating bills this winter 

Eric Goodyer has urged older people to get their applications in for Winter Fuel Payments in as quickly as possible. That way older people in Charnwood will get their payments by Christmas. The Winter Fuel Payment is one of a number of initiatives Labour has introduced to help older people keep warm and well during the winter months. Anyone aged 60 or over on or before 21 September 2008 may qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment of £250 per household. Households with someone aged 80 or over could get a payment of £400.

Anyone aged 60 or over who is eligible and has not got a claim form can get one by visiting the Winter Fuel Payment website – www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/winterfuel, by calling the helpline on 08459 15 15 15 (0845 601 5613 for textphone users). Amongst those who are eligible are people already in receipt of the Winter Fuel Payment who's circumstance have not change; and those in receipt of a State Pension or some qualifying social security benefit. If you are unsure then Charnwood Labour Party is advising you to ask by calling the helpline.

The Labour Party is also urging people to consider home inprovements to enable better energy efficiency. The Warm Front scheme ( www.warmfront.co.uk) offers grants in England to help with the costs, so it is wrthwhile contacting them to see if you are eligible for help; either via their website or on freephone 0800 316 6011, textphone 0800 072 0156 (from 8.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday).

Eric Goodyer, Labour's Prospective MP for Charnwood said:
“Even though it is mid-summer I do not want anyone to miss out on their Winter Fuel Payment; especially with energy prices being forced up by speculators. If you think you may qualify then it is worth a phone call”
"This year for households including someone aged 60-79 there will be an extra £50 this year – bringing the total up to £250. And households with someone aged 80 or over will receive an extra £100 this year – £400 in total - to help older people cope with higher energy costs.
"If you claim by 19 September you should receive your payment before Christmas.”

Tory Gravel Extraction Plan Could Ruin Soar Valley
Oil & Gas exploration and quarrying in Charnwood Forest too!
SIGN THE PETITION HERE

New plans that will allow sand and gravel extraction from the Soar River Valley were approved by Leicestershire County Council on the 21st May 2008. Residents of the Soar Valley villages will be outraged to discover that the plan will allow 'mineral development' on Green Wedge land. Calls by Labour Councillors to protect Green Wedge land from mineral extraction were rejected by the Conservative Majority.

Green Wedge land provides a natural barrier between villages and urban areas; and is supposed to be protected from development. Despite this environmentally important safeguard, the policy document states “Mineral extraction would be acceptable within a Green Wedge if appropriate measures are taken to minimise severance and adverse effects on amenity.” This new Conservative policy will allow quarrying companies to apply for the right to literally cart away Green Wedge land. Labour believe that once the door is opened for quarrying, all future protection afforded by Green Wedge designation will be compromised.

This environmental disaster is made more likely as another policy 'CS2', requires Leicestershire to “Make land available to meet the sub-regional apportionment of 26.25 million tonnes of sand and gravel and 344.5 million tonnes of crushed rock over the 21 year period 2001 – 2021”. The associated map covers almost the whole of the River Soar valley; threatening the environment surrounding the villages of Hathern, Barrow, Sileby, Syston and Thurmaston.

The last attempt to expand dredging of the River Soar for sand and gravel near Hathern was successfully defeated by a well organised local campaign. The plans were rejected by a Government Inspector because there was no road structure to take the minerals out of the area. The new Tory policy to lift Green Wedge protection opens the way for a new plans to extract sand and gravel from Loughborough northwards.

The other great landscape area under threat is Charnwood Forest. The Conservative administrations' policy will allow proposals for quarrying, and for oil & gas extraction to be allowed within this area of natural beauty. The document excludes the National Forest from quarrying and gas exploration; on the grounds that this region is to be developed for tourism. Charnwood Forest, which forms part of the National Forest has specifically excluded from this protection by the Tories.

Charnwood Labour Party remain committed to campaigning for the designation of the Soar River Valley as a a Linear Park, to be developed as a landscape for amenity, recreation and tourism.

ENVIRONMENTAL DEBATE

Will Pennbury Campaigners come to aid of Leicester Forest East.
The estimated cost of £100 million to pay for a tram service has been widely condemned by Pennbury campaigners. Yet that is the same amount of money that the expansion of the M1 will cost, which will cause severe environmental damage and pollution to the villagers of Leicester Forest East. Will the Pennbury campaigners be prepared to demonstrate their green credentials by opposing the M1 road scheme? There are alternatives to building more roads to service what is mainly commuter traffic, and a tram service from the Park & Ride service near Kirby Muxloe is one of them. The success of the Northern Section of the Ivanhoe Line, serving the villages of the Soar Valley is evidence that rail does work, is popular, and economically viable. Leicestershire County Council has blocked progress on the Southern Section, now known as the National Forest Line, for years. Rail is the modern alternative to road congestion, and I call on everyone who genuinely wants a greener environment to support them.

The Tories environmental credentials are in tatters,
following demands by their leading elected representative, Roger Helmer MEP, that we should ignore global warming and build more conventional power stations burning fossil fuels. His decision to robustly reject David Cameron's professed green policies is more in tune with our Tory controlled County Council, who whilst professing to be defenders of our countryside are in fact hell-bent on a programming of trashing the County. Recent County Hall decision include 1) Lifting the ban on quarrying in Charnwood Forest 2) Progressing a waste incinerator without commissioning an independent Environmental Risk Assessment Study 3) selling off Country Parks 4) allowing sand and gravel extraction from Green Wedge land 5) Failing to progress the National Forest Rail Line 6) Pricing school buses off of the road. However, this comes as no surprise as David Cameron has to have a car following his bike-ride to work.

The Energy Choices are now clear
The excellent debate being hosted by the Mercury into how to secure Britain's energy supplies at a reasonable cost, both financially and environmentally, is now polarised. The East Midlands senior elected Conservative, Roger Helmer MEP, has expressed Conservative policy clearly, which can be summarised as – Global Warming is nonsense, there is no need to care about greenhouse gas emissions, therefore we should build more conventional power stations. The Government position is to ensure security of supply and to meet our international commitments to the environment we should develop a range of energy sources. This includes the development of renewable energy including wind and wave power. The voters now have a clear choice, which they can use next June when Roger is up for re-election. Vote for Roger, which means voting for relying on imported fossil fuels, such as the gas and oil pipelines from Russia and via war-torn Georgia, and ignoring international treaty obligations to reduce atmospheric pollution. Or to support energy conservation, usage reduction, and the development of clean home based natural resources to supplement and in time reduce our reliance of fossil fuels.


Helmer's Carbon based Energy Policy is costly and dangerous
Roger Helmer's condemnation of wind farms offers no more scientific evidence than his pointless campaign against energy saving light bulbs. Government policy is not predicated on a single source of energy, but requires a mix of sources to supply our needs, provide 'energy security', and our commitments to reduce pollution including greenhouse gas emissions. If British industry cannot build new generating equipment as he claims, then others will fill the vaccum – this is a business opportunity not a barrier to change; and I have every confidence that British firms are up to that challenge. Energy demand is as variable as wind supply, which is why the Government wants a mix of resources, and why we have energy storage capability such as aquifers which are already in use to manage our natural diurnal demands. Roger's solution is to build 'conventional power capacity', relying on the vagaries of imported gas, oil and other carbon based energy resources. Has he not noticed that oil prices have doubled, the North Sea is running out of gas, and Thatcher closed the coalmines! Fortunately he will no longer be a Tory MEP as he has refused to agree to David Cameron's request that he makes his expenses public, and opposes the Tory's pro-EU manifesto commitment.




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