PRESS RELEASE

Isle of Wight Constituency Labour Party

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: 21st April 2015

Stewart Blackmore
PERSONAL MANIFESTO
I think that it is important that the people whom Im asking to trust me with their
votes are entitled to know my policies and aspirations for the Isle of Wight, if elected.
Its not enough to stand as a Parliamentary Candidate and merely repeat my Partys
national policies, important though they are. Candidates should be required to
explain what they will do FOR YOU AND THE ISLAND if they get elected and that is
what I do here.
Transport
I believe that Islanders need and deserve a truly excellent transport system. I am
proposing that the mothballed interchange be resurrected in Ryde and be fully
commissioned as a transport hub.
The islands only rail link, connecting Ryde Pier & Shanklin, should be modernized.
The present dilapidated system should be replaced with a modern one, perhaps a
hybrid tram system.
If successful, and I believe that it would be, there is a great opportunity to extend
this using existing rail beds linking large parts of the Island, even in rural areas.
This would be an exciting opportunity and involve many stakeholders and trades, for
example in planning, engineering, and, not least, job creation.
I do not need to tell you that one of the biggest transport gripes among Islanders are
the ferry services. I believe that there can be a big improvement which can be

brought about by bringing together representatives of the ferry companies, the IW

Council, MP and ferry users.
The ferry companies do good things, which sometimes goes unnoticed, for example
with sponsorships and helping patients who need to travel to hospitals on the
mainland, but there is much more that can be done, especially in the areas of fares
and timetabling, by operating under a public service charter .
I believe that the ferry companies should have representatives of the travelling
public on their board of directors who should have a direct say in the management
and policy of the ferry services.
I have had very positive discussions with both the ferry companies and the Labour
Shadow Transport team and I believe that they would welcome further dialogue.
Vocational Training
The Island is largely dependent on the hospitality & tourism industries and this sector
has been sadly fragmented in recent years, and lacks vigour.
I will advocate a partnership between the stakeholders in Tourism, hotel and
restaurant owners and associations, the IW College, the IW Council and all other
interested parties to establish a Training Hotel, which would give real impetus and
would create a first-class training establishment for those who see their careers
developing in the hotel & catering sector.
It would mean that students would train in a real-time professional environment
towards first class qualifications and go on to high quality jobs here on the Island and
elsewhere. It would attract students from far and wide - as well as give Island young
people a route to real, professional careers.
Education
It surely is a disgrace that there are still 8,970 Isle of Wight children in schools that
are rated by Ofsted as less than good'.
This has happened on Tory MP Andrew Turners watch.
I believe that it is incumbent on your Member of Parliament to be involved in the
most important issues affecting local residents, none more so than education on the
Island which has been poor for several years under different administrations, but
especially since the disastrous Pugh/Beynon reorganisation.

As MP I will take a very active part in bringing together Head Teachers, Council
Officers and the Department for Education and get Island education on a secure and
successful footing. Our children deserve nothing less and I will make that happen.
Tourism
There needs to be a productive strategic policy in place to promote Hospitality &
Tourism on the Island. I came to the Island to work in the industry, originally as a
chef, and I went on to be a college lecturer in Hospitality, Tourism & Finance, so this
is an area in which I have a lot of experience.
I will seek to have established a new style Isle of Wight Tourist Board, funded by
those who benefit the hospitality industry stakeholders on the Island to
substantially raise profile and standards on our beautiful Island as a holiday
destination.
I applaud what Visit Isle of Wight has been doing, but it needs to be broadened and
strengthened.
The Board would be made up from industry professionals, academics and members
of the public with an interest in, and knowledge of, this vital industry, together with
the enthusiasm and drive that is required.

Local Government
There have been many problems with Local Government on the Island in recent
years which has certainly not been helped by this governments ferocious, and
continuing, cuts in the Central Government Grant.
But, even before that, the previous Tory administration at County Hall embarked on
a series of ideological measures which means Islanders are still suffering from the
measures that they put in place. Despite its promises, the current administration - for
the most part led by Ian Stephens has shown to be incapable of stemming the cuts.
As your MP I would act as your representative and be a real advocate and conduit for
Islanders, working with the IW Councils Elected Members and Officers to get the
best possible deal for Islanders.
I do not believe that Islanders will forgive its elected representatives if our Council
becomes a Commissioning council, merely rubber stamping decisions made
elsewhere, perhaps in Hampshire or Southampton.

Young People the Islands Future

Too many of our young people feel they have to leave the Island to be educated
and/or to find work. More of them could be encouraged to stay by ensuring that
they have the best possible education on the Island, and then by offering them real
and fulfilling jobs here.
Although it may not be possible to guarantee that they will have a job here, we
should give them the best education and training opportunities, which will maximise
their future employment prospects. We also need quality local jobs to make it easier
for them to work and live here and perhaps raise their own families on the Island.
I will work tirelessly to make this happen, working in partnership with parents,
central government, the Islands Youth MP, our educators at all levels and all groups
with an interest in the education and development of our young people - nothing
less will do.
The Islands NHS
I am passionate about the local Island National Health Service in all aspects: clinical
health, mental health and social services. We cannot afford for the NHS to be
neglected and your MP has a duty to ensure that it operates for the benefit of all
patients, and ensure that it has the means to do so in an effective and efficient
manner.
My daughter is a staff nurse working in the NHS. I know, therefore, something of its
problems and challenges, and the support it needs from all of us and, particularly,
from the Member of Parliament. It will get that support from me as your MP.
I will work with the local NHS Trust to to help deliver services and support it in
gaining the resources it needs to do so. It was a Labour government that founded the
NHS and I will fight any attempt to privatize it.
Housing & the Rented Sector
This coalition government had no housing policy whatsoever for five years. Now the
Tories have decided to develop an apology for a policy which involves selling
properties they dont own theyve rushed out a revision of Thatchers 'Right to Buy'
programme which goes further than she ever did and will be fought all the way in the
courts by the Housing Associations.

I will work with the Housing Associations operating on the Island, not against them.
We have 8,000 people on the waiting lists who want a decent home -with nearly
6,000 in fuel poverty because their existing accommodation is so hard to keep warm.
We need sustainable housing development on the Island, not the present mix of
speculative building with a bit of social housing tacked on.
A Labour government will build more social housing and legislate to provide
guaranteed tenancies and to limit rent rises. We will also ban letting agencies from
charging outrageous fees for doing nothing.
The Environment & Green Policy
We all know that the island is a beautiful place and has the benefit of many statutory
protections: AONBs, SSSIs and many other designations so that it is already very well
protected.
One of the perceived disadvantages of this, however, is the difficulty in getting
approval for green energy projects in most parts of the Island.
I remember the much lauded Eco island initiative devised by ex-Chief Executive Joe
Duckworth and the then Leader of the Council David Pugh which guaranteed that the
Island would be self-sufficient in electricity by 2015! What happened to that?
It seems that Vestas is intending to start production again and I will make it a priority
to attract inward investment to the Island, a task which should be made easier by
Labours introduction of a Green Investment Bank, which will be free to lend to
individuals and businesses capable of redressing the balance.
We must protect the environment whilst still realising that the countryside as we
know it is almost all man-made. I will ensure that planners, developers and other
stakeholders work together to ensure that the environment is protected, while
realising that new development is not always a contradiction to the integrity of the
environment.
Finally, I will oppose any attempts to establish fracking on the Island, as I strongly
believe that, because of our particular geology and the huge unresolved issues over
safety, fracking would be disastrous here.

My promise to you.
This manifesto outlines what I believe are some of the biggest issues facing the
Island. These will be some of the issues that I will make my priorities if elected to
serve the Isle of Wight in Westminster.
But I also undertake, should I become your MP, to represent the views of all those on
the Isle of Wight. Islanders deserve, at last, to have a strong and effective voice in
parliament.
If I become MP I promise to provide that voice. Your voice.

ENDS

Contact:
Dr Ed Gouge
Election Agent
Isle of Wight CLP
01983 853166 / 07849685766
edgouge@gmail.com