Preston 2000

the candidate: Graham O’Hare, aged 27, has been a member of the Conservative Party for ten years and was selected as the Preston candidate in March. O’Hare, who was born in a council house in Liverpool, describes himself as a “natural conservative” who would like to be cast as “a local man in a national parliament”.

He married in January this year and works as commercial manager in an international plastics company, which sponsored him through his business studies degree at the University of Central Lancashire. O’Hare now lives in Fulwood, Preston. During the last six months he has been getting to know the 15 wards comprising the constituency and believes that “there is a Tory in every street”. Manifesto: The Conservative manifesto for Preston focuses on seven pledges : 1.

Further regeneration of Preston, including proposals by Grosvenor Estates to replace Preston bus station with retail and leisure facilities. European investment is also to be encouraged. 2.

Crime - identified as a growing problem to be tackled by increasing the number of police on the streets. 3. Pensions - a more straightforward policy that would dispose of additional “gimmick” benefits like television licences and winter fuel allowances in favour of supplementing core benefits with an extra £5.50 per week or £7.50 for the over 75s.

4. Fuel - taxes to be reduced by 3p per litre. 5. Europe - In favour of sterling until the euro has been further tested. Emphasis on co-operation rather than union.

5. Health - seeks to redress the “postcode lottery” of operations by providing a contract of guaranteed waiting times with priorities decided purely by clinical needs. 7. Environment - a “blue-green” agenda has been formulated nationally to improve environmental standards by working closely with business and technology to achieve realistic targets.

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O’Hare is a member of the World Wide Fund for Nature and the National Trust. w top Labour Party Candidate: Mark Hendrick Contacts: Hendrick’s campaign HQ ( agent: Kevin Lee): 01772 727690 Preston Labour Party (press enquiries ): 01772 727706 National website: www.labour.org.uk About the candidate: Mark Hendrick, 41, was MEP for Lancashire Central from 1994 to 1999. Hendrick, who was born in Salford and now lives in Preston, was first elected as councillor for Salford County Council in 1987, representing the wards of Weaston and Seedley.

Hendrick was awarded a BA Hons in Electronic Engineering from Liverpool Polytechnic and an Msc in Computer Science at Manchester University. He went on to gain a Certificate in Education and is a former lecturer at Stockport College. He is currently a chartered electronic engineer. Hendrick says that if he wins the by-election he will “always focus on the issues that matter: jobs, pensions, education and crime” and he warns that if the Tories gained power nationally, their planned spending cuts would lead to the sacking of dozens of doctors, nurses and teachers.

Manifesto: Hendrick has five aims for Preston: 1. “Fighting crime and ending vandalism … I will push for extra police, kitted out with the latest video equipment.” 2.

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He believes that, “our pensioners deserve a decent standard of living,” and he intends to raise pensioners’ concerns at the highest level. 3. “Putting jobs first” - he insists that investment is needed in Preston to raise its economic profile and create job opportunities.

4. “I will lead the drive to transform all areas of our health service in Preston”, to what he calls a “modern health service.” 5. He says Preston needs “someone who’s prepared to roll up his sleeves and get stuck in”, and he is the person who will do this. w top Liberal Democrats Candidate: Bill Chadwick Contacts: Bill Chadwick 01772 884540 John Ault (Agent) 01772 556489 National website: www.libdems.org.uk About the candidate: Bill Chadwick has been involved with local government in Preston since the early 1970’s.

He joined the Preston Liberal Association in June 1970 and was the Liberal Democrat candidate in the 1992 and 1997 General Elections, standing on both occasions against the late Preston MP Audrey Wise. Chadwick has lived in Preston all his life, apart from when he was at university, and sees this as a distinct advantage over his opponents. He is confident that he will not ” become a bigwig parliamentarian who is never there for the people of Preston”. Chadwick believes that, “The Liberal Democrats are the only real alternative or opposition to Labour in Preston …

The Conservatives are out of the game. Voting for me will not change the government - but we will make the government change those policies that are wrong and don’t work”.

Manifesto : Chadwick has defined four key issues for Preston 1. The National Health Service: Chadwick claims the Royal Preston Hospital cancelled 91 operations between July and September and that, during the same period, four per cent of patients were forced to wait for 14 hours on a hospital bed. 2. Urban regeneration: Chadwick sees the need for “urban renaissance” but says Home Secretary Jack Straw’s plan to encourage people to live in urban areas is not working in Preston.

“Last year there was a 14 per cent migration from Preston town centre to the rural suburbs,” he says. Investors and businesses must be encouraged to locate to urban areas and for that reason Chadwick is against the closure of the Tesco Metro store in Preston town centre. 3.

Environment: Traffic congestion should be cut with a rapid trams system alongside the existing bus service and park-and-ride scheme, says Chadwick. 4. Law and order: Chadwick is concerned about the 15 per cent rise in “nuisance incidents”. w top Battle of Britain Christian Alliance Candidate: David Oswald Franklin-Braid Contacts: David Oswald Franklin-Braid is aged 63 and has spent the last 20 years working for the Christian Ministry.

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He has worked in Liverpool as Minister for the African Church and was voted as best- lifesaver during the Toxteth riots which occurred in the early 1980s. He trained in the RAF.

Manifesto: Franklin-Braid has vowed to concentrate on the issues of the euro and Clause 28 as he fights the by-election: 1. Defence of clause 28 2. Opposing EU “takeover” of the UK 3. Opposed to the lowering of the age limit for homosexual sex 4.

Opposed to euthanasia programme of starving people to death. w top British National Party Candidate: Chris Jackson About the candidate: Chris Jackson is aged 32. He comes from Todmorden in West Yorkshire and is employed as a stock controller.

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In the past he has represented local teams at football and rugby. Manifesto: 1. Jackson is fighting the by-election largely on the BNP’s national platform, advocating policies which are anti-immigration, anti-EU and pro-strong law and order (such as restoration of the death penalty). 2.

In the local context, Jackson is in favour of abolishing Lancashire County Council and any power devolved to local councils. He would also like to impose on- the-spot fines for litter-louts and other “trouble-makers” in Preston town centre. w top Green Party Candidate: Richard Merrick Contacts: Graeme McIver

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