On the 4th of May, there are many important local elections taking place across the country. It’s no different in the East Riding of Yorkshire. with all places up for grabs on East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

Being a councillor is an important responsibility. Anyone who has that role must uphold the standards of public life and behave like a professional. You are representing the people, being involved with the spending of public money and attempting to ensure that residents get the best possible deal.

In the region of Holderness there are four ward – North, Mid, South East and South West. If you’re unsure which ward you are, you can have a look at this.

For several years the region has been dominated by a mixture of Conservatives and independents. The Tories have maintained control of East Riding of Yorkshire Council for some time, but they have gotten complacent and take your votes for granted. Some parts of Holderness have seen little or no investment and the area doesn’t get the prominence it deserves. The Conservatives also seem to ignore the local plan and support development in parts that are not marked for this purpose (for example, the Yorkshire Energy Park). As for the independents. they will never gain control of the council which means they have little to no influence over what goes on. Seeing them on the streams of council meetings means you’ll see how ineffective they can be.

We have a brilliant range of diverse, experienced and local candidates who truly care about the area and want to improve things for all. They will work tirelessly to ensure East Riding of Yorkshire Council works for it’s residents. Importantly, they will also listen to residents and not take their votes for granted.

North Holderness

Currently, this area is represented by Barbara Jefferson and John Whittle. They’re both independents are also representatives of the Hornsea North ward on Hornsea Town Council. They weren’t elected with large percentages of the vote and haven’t shown in meetings that they are particularly strong debaters and they do not offer sufficient scrutiny of the ruling Conservative Group.

If you vote Labour, this situation will change. Nidge and Brian are Holderness locals and care significantly about where they live. They know the importance of standing up for the people of Holderness. Nidge is a big believer in supporting local businesses and services – ensuring that they prosper. He believe that East Riding of Yorkshire Council has an important part to play in supporting them and would like to see more investment in North Holderness.

Brian Stockdale has a vast amount of experience and is no stranger to providing scrutiny. He is a former company accountant and has significant experience as a Treasurer. He is no stranger to local government either as he is a long serving member of Hedon Town Council. In addition, he is involved with various charities and a trustee of The Painter’s Charity.

As members of the Labour Party, they will provide effective opposition and scrutiny and seek positive change. They firmly believe that the current independents will not do enough and the ruling Tory group won’t be any different.

The people of North Holderness deserve more.

Mid Holderness

Mid Holderness currently has three Tories as their representatives. In the 2019 local elections, the highest of their vote shares was less than 19%. Turnout at the time was less than 32%, meaning that very few of the eligible voters actually chose the councillors that they have. Aside from new about Rathlin Energy last year and the fact that one was elected as deputy leader of the council, there isn’t much evidence that they have done anything for their area. It’s really quite disappointing and the people of the area deserve better than this.

Our candidates are Rachael Tomlinson and Peter Welch. They’re long standing Holderness residents who care deeply about their area.

Peter is a former nurse and current carer who is passionate about health services and cares about local infrastructure. Healthcare is something that has suffered over the years and we need to see more effort from the council to ensure it improves. The East Riding Intelligence Hub shows that around 20% of people in Mid Holderness have fair to very bad health. 18.5% of people have limited activity due to their health status. Around 15% have carers. Peter is someone who can relate to a sizeable group of people who require support of an effective elected representative.

Rachael Tomlinson is a leading disability rights and patient advocate who is passionate about looking after the vulnerable and standing up for those in need. Fir six years she was a service support manager in the NHS – dealing with a variety of workshops and projects. Since her illness she transitioned into being a leading advocate with a popular website and has made several media appearances. Rachael is an incredible communicator who knows the importance of transparency and honesty.

Both Rachael and Peter respect the standards of public life and will work incredibly hard to ensure that East Riding of Yorkshire Council is effective for you.

South East Holderness

Compared to the East Riding of Yorkshire Council as a whole, South East Holderness has a higher percentage of privately rented as socially rented homes. It also has more people aged 65+ with fewer full time employed workers and more unemployed. However, there is a much higher percentage of those in skilled trades. Sadly (again compared to the East Riding of Yorkshire as a whole), there’s a noticeably higher number of people with poor health, more with limited mobility and more in need of care. South East Holderness also has some of the more deprived areas of the East Riding of Yorkshire. In terms of crime, violence and sexual offences have topped the list of crimes in the area over the past three years. There’s also high numbers of cases of criminal damage, arson and public order offences.

So, there’s a number of people who aren’t well off, there’s poorer than average health and some poor crime stats. These are the sort of things that residents care about and councillors can have an effect in all areas. Only 27% voted in 2019. South East Holderness was then stuck with three Conservative councillors. This situation remained unchanged after a by-election. Back in 2015, there was a much higher turnout of 58% when three Conservatives were elected. This shows that Tory popularity in the area has gone down significantly, they have done nothing and there is a clear appetite for change.

We have two outstanding candidates with a wealth of experience who are eager to make things better for the area. Martin Devanney is a hard worker and a clear community. He is not afraid to provide scrutiny and stands up for the issues that matter. As an experienced parish councillor, he also knows how local government works and understands the importance of a strong community. He cares deeply about health and social care – seeing it as a priority area. With his experience of campaigning, you can guarantee he will make a difference.

Ian Blackburn is a long standing South East Holderness local and member of Withernsea Town Council. Like Martin, he knows local government well and is a vocal advocate for people. Ian wants to see improvements to the local housing stock, transport and employment situation. Transport is a vital part of infrastructure. It is necessary for living, working and social lives. You cannot think about improving housing without considering infrastructure like this.

Ian and Martin will be great councillors and provide far better representation than the current Tories.

South West Holderness

The Conservatives have proven (time and again) that they’re incapable of effectively representing South West Holderness.

Over the last three years there has been a high rate of violence and sexual offences, as well as anti-social behaviour. Since November 2022, there has also been a continual rise in the overall crime rate. Like South East Holderness, the area has a higher percentage of over 65s than the East Riding of Yorkshire as a whole. Whilst the general standard of health is average, there are a significant number of people who are careful spenders.

2019 saw a low turnout of 26% with three Tories elected. A by-election since then also saw a Tory win. What have they done for the area though? In a Parish Council meeting in the past few month John Dennis (one of the ward councillors) openly said that the Tories wouldn’t visit all areas. This effectively means that the people of South West Holderness voted for people who won’t represent them or visit them. They voted for people who are less likely to communicate with them about their views. How is that acceptable

The Tories also have a presence on the East Riding of Yorkshire Council Planning Committee. This committee has repeatedly shown incredible weakness and an inability to stand up to developers. For example, the Yorkshire Energy Park was approved on land that wasn’t designated for development. They essentially broke the council’s own local plan.

As Tories, they are also part of a ruling group that took a long time to accept there was a climate emergency. Climate change is one of the most important issues of our time it the changes we make now will have a huge impact on future generations. The Tories have proven themselves to be unresponsive.

Our excellent candidates for this area will do so much more than the Tories. They will have regular surgeries and actually listen to the views and opinions of residents, as well as providing feedback. They will work to ensure there are no major developments taking place on flood plains. All new housing will be carbon neutral with more help for things like insulation. There will be a significant increase in EV charging points for cars and more help to reduce energy bills. In addition, our Labour candidates will finally conclude the saga of the Preston/Hedon bypass – something that the Tories have promised for years and repeatedly failed to deliver.

All our candidates are local. Steve is a long time member of Hedon Town Council and former two time Mayor. He has held senior positions in the music industry and is highly capable of managing big projects. Colin is a qualified social worker, member of Hedon Town Council and former mayor. In fact he was Mayor during the early stages of the pandemic – an incredibly tough time which he dealt with well. He cares about his community and knows what is needed to make the Council work for residents. Elisha has a passion for government, as well as the community where she lives. She is working on a Biological Sciences degree and will work towards a vast improvement in youth participation in the community, as well as council matters.

In conclusion…

In May, here is an opportunity for change. There is an opportunity to improve your community and rejuvenate East Riding of Yorkshire Council. You will be able to bring greater scrutiny, more listening and a greater appreciation of the standards in public life. Services will be more effective and the planning approval process will be far from weak.

For a better deal for both you and the others in your community, vote Labour in May.