Graham has an excellent track record of leading successful campaigns with groups and individuals across the constituency.
Below are Graham’s current campaigns and recent success stories.
If you have a campaign where you think that Graham can help or if you would like to help Graham with a campaign then please contact him on graham@grahamstuart.com
Recent Success Stories
The Caravan Tax Campaign - In May 2012 Graham led constituents and other MPs from across the country to secure thousands of names from 64 constituencies on a petition against the introduction of VAT on the sale of static caravans. At the end of May the Government announced that they were to scrap their original proposal in favour of a 5% tax.
Humber Bridge Tolls – MPs from across East Yorkshire joined forces in a long running campaign to reduce the price of the Humber Bridge road toll which was the highest in the country and considered to be damaging to the economy. At the end of March 2012 the Chancellor announced that the toll was to be halved with the Transport Secretary visiting the bridge in April to launch the reduced tariff.
Beverley Southern Relief Road – At the end of 2011 Graham met with the Minister for Transport repeatedly to champion the development of the Beverley Southern Relief Road. Support for the project was announced in December 2011. Construction of the road is to begin in Summer 2013 with the road opening in 2014.
Current Campaigns
Coastal Erosion
Graham is working alongside East Riding of Yorkshire Council to support people who are living under the threat of Coastal Erosion from the North Sea. This work includes campaigning for funding for improvement works to existing sea defences and the management of coastal change where communities are undefended.
Flood Insurance Petition
Graham is collecting petition signatures from his constituents in Beverley and Holderness to urge the Government to reach an agreement with the Association of British Insurers to make sure that flood insurance remains available and affordable to homeowners after July this year when the current agreement expires.
Please follow this link to dowdload the petition Flood Insurance Petition BH
Please forward your completed petitions to Graham Stuart MP, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA by Friday 15th March 2013.
Rural Fair Share
Graham has recently established the Rural Fair Share campaign to encourage the Government to address the ongoing disparity in funding between rural and urban areas. The campaign will bring together Members of both Houses of Parliament, along with organisations, community groups, and individuals concerned about the welfare of our rural communities.
The Rural Fair Share campaign supports impartial, objective, needs based policy which is equitable to all. It will also help Members of Parliament who represent the countryside to do a better job of making our case about the needs of rural areas
According to a report by the Rural Services Network, rural residents earn less, on average, than those in cities, pay council tax which is £100 higher per head, and see urban areas receive government grants fifty per cent higher per head than those in the countryside. This means people in the country earn less, pay higher council tax and then receive substantially less support for services. Delivering services in sparsely populated rural areas also tends to be more expensive, which can add to the burden.
APPG on Rural Services
Graham chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Rural Services. The APPG meets regularly throughout the year to discuss issues affecting rural areas due to discrepancies in the Government’s funding formula.
The APPG is supported by the Rural Services Network. The network has three main purposes:
- Representing the case for a better deal for rural service provision
- Exchanging useful and relevant information
- Developing and sharing best practice
HEART (Holderness Emergency Ambulance Response Times)
Heart Conference – Influence, Educate and Have a Go
On Saturday 11th May Graham will be holding an event at Withernsea’s Meridian Center for people to learn more about how they could help somebody in an emergency situation. This will include an opportuntiy to have a go at hands only CPR and using a defibrillation machine. The event will run from 10am – 1pm and you can drop-in at anytime during the morning.
Please help Graham to promote this event by spreading the word across your community. A poster about the event can be downloaded here H.E.A.R.T. Conference Poster
Graham identified that Ambulance Response times in Holderness are way below the national average. Graham has met with the Chief Executive of the Yorkshire Ambulance Service to demand improvements to the level of service.
Graham is working with the Yorkshire Ambulance Serivce, The British Heart Foundation, Community First Responder Teams and Parish Councils to improve the availability of early emergency care in Holderness. This includes the provision of community defibrillation machines and training for residents to use the machines.
Rural Broadband
In September 2012 Graham spoke at a debate in Parliament on broadband in East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire. During the debate Graham highlighted the desperate need for broadband provision to support rural businesses.
Graham has written to the Parish Councils in his constituency to encourage them to engage with East Riding of Yorkshire Council on a project to improve fixed line broadband services. Graham is also encouraging Parishes to seek their own solution and pool their demand to make them a more attractive prospect for a market led solution.
Humberside Must Go
Graham has met with the Royal Mail to request the removal of Humberside from their database which is used by many companies across the country.
Humber Flood Risk Management Strategy
The strategy was published in March 2008 and recommends leaving 1,000 homes in the East Riding unprotected from rising tides and flooding.
In response to this Graham organised a public meeting at the Alexandra Hall, Hedon. The meeting was chaired by Graham where he was joined by Philip Winn, Humber Strategy Manager at the Environment Agency, Ed Davey, Holderness Branch Manager at the National Farmers Union and Councillor Jonathan Owen, Deputy Leader of the East Riding Council.
The drop-in meeting was attended by around 100 local residents who raised a number of views and issues regarding the affect of the proposed strategy. Graham said: “As an unelected body the Environment Agency needs to be scrutinised as closely as possible.
The Environment Agency agreed to review the strategy further and were pleased with the feedback received at the meeting. ” For further information on the Humber Flood Risk Management Strategy click this link.
HOTI (Holderness Opposing the Incinerator)
Graham led a successful campaign against a proposal to build a waste incinerator at Salt End. This year Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council undertook a review of their joint waste strategy. The review did not cite the development of an incineration facility but neither did it discount it. The planning consent on the Salt End site remains in place so Graham wrote to the leader of both Councils to reiterate his stance against the incinerator.
