Fired up and ready to fight for the money in your pocket

Lib Dem Candidate Jane Brophy.

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Oldham West and Royton By Election Hustings

THE MESSAGE from Liberal Democrat by-election candidate Jane Brophy is clear, her party is reigniting and is committed to campaigning against tax credit cuts.

Mrs Brophy — an experienced local campaigner and a 15-year councillor in Greater Manchester — says although she does not live in Oldham, she has worked for the NHS in the area and has a connection to the town.

In an exclusive interview with the Evening Chronicle Mrs Brophy said: “I worked in Oldham for the health service. I worked on the five-a-day programme to promote fruit and vegetables through the public health nutrition campaign.

“I did work with disadvantaged communities through that; I worked with schools, I worked with the local authority, I worked with businesses and that was all about promoting family healthy eating. I also worked in communities, the diverse communities here.

“I do feel as though I have a connection to the area. I know the people here in Oldham. I’m also standing as a Liberal Democrat because I think the Liberal Democrat messages are what are resonating with people on the doorsteps.”

It is clear that the main message for the Liberal Democrats going into by-election on December 3 is that it is the party that is totally opposed to the Government’s plans to cut working tax credits.

Mr Brophy said: “Our campaign to stop the Tory tax credit cuts is resonating very well. The Tory tax credit cuts will affect 8,000 families here to the tune of, on average, £1,300 — that’s quite a lot of money for those people on low incomes. That’s what I’m hearing on the doorstep and that’s why I’m standing.

“I’m finding that people are either impacted by them themselves or a family member is. Even if they’re not directly impacted themselves they can see how unfair it is that this government is choosing to take money away from working people who are working hard.

“That is so far against what the Liberal Democrats stand for. We think they should be supported, Labour sat on its hands when it could have stopped the Tory tax credit cuts and` chose not to support our motion to completely stop the statutory instrument that implements the cuts.

Labour instead put forward a motion to delay the cuts by three years which is not what the people of this area need. They need to actually stop those cuts to their incomes.”

The Liberal Democrats went from holding 57 parliamentary seats to only eight in the general election and Mrs Brophy accepted it was a very disappointing night. However under new leader Tim Farron she said that the party was reigniting.

She added: “It was a very disappointing result for the Liberal Democrats but we’re resilient, we’re building back. We’ve had over 20,000 new members join our party. We’ve got a new leader in Tim Farron, we’re reigniting and going back to our Liberal roots and I think the party’s in a very healthy state now to campaign on the issues that really matter.

“The Liberal Democrats are the main opposition in Oldham and it was only a few years ago that the Liberal Democrats ran the council and our community politics still resonate with people.

“They know that it’s our party that get things done locally. That’s what I’m hearing on the doorsteps. They know the Liberal Democrats will do things that are going to benefit the local community.”

Mrs Brophy added: “People don’t like the new government, they don’t like the Tory government and they don’t like the way that all the good things the Liberal Democrats put in practice have been unravelled.

“For example, on green policies all the things that were going to protect our planet from climate change are all diminished.

“The health service isn’t doing as well now, it is not being funded appropriately and the Government is not funding local government to enable social care to be properly funded.

“In terms of mental health as well, the Liberal Democrats have campaigned for equality of mental and physical health. We think that’s a real priority.

“The Tories have taken away free school meals, that was a Liberal Democrat policy and I think what people are saying here is that those free school meals were an important part of the family, they’re what families wanted and benefited the poorer communities.

“I am appalled at the scale of the local government cuts to services and the local government budget cuts. I’m not happy at all about the scale of the cuts and what that’s going to mean for services here in Oldham West and Royton.”

When asked why people of Oldham West and Royton should vote for her, Mrs Brophy said: “I’m standing for the Liberal Democrats because I think we’re the best party to represent the people here. We’re the only party that stood up against Labour and the Tories against the tax credit cuts. Labour sat on its hands when it could’ve stopped them. That’s why I want to be the new MP, to represent people in Parliament and stand up for them.

“Michael Meacher was known as a good local MP and I’d like to be a good local MP but also he was one of the people who understood about environmental issues like climate change and as a Liberal Democrat I have been campaigning on climate change and on green issues as well.”