Nick with his partner Ruth, and Association Chair Chris Lewcock.

Nick Perry, the LibDem candidate

Last Saturday, the Hastings & Rye Liberal Democrat Association met to re-select Nick Perry as their parliamentary candidate. Nick was first selected seven years ago, during which time he and his partner, Ruth, have raised two daughters now aged six and three. Nick started his career 15 years ago in frontline Health and Social Care. He continues to work in community mental health services, based in Hastings town centre – and to live on the West Hill with Ruth and the girls. HOT’s Chris Cormack invited Nick to tell HOT readers what his three main ambitions for Hastings are.

As well as campaigning to remain in Europe (#whyiamIN) from now until the general election to come, Nick Perry will be campaigning locally on three main priorities (priorities on which, he states, the Liberal Democrats have already been delivering within the Coalition Government):

• Supporting families
• Fairer taxes and pensions and
• Constituency connectivity

In a nutshell, the Liberal Democrats are working for a stronger economy, in a fairer society, helping everyone to get on in life.

Supporting families

According to Nick, the Government has made a start on supporting families better: it is introducing £2,000 per year per child towards childcare costs; it has already introduced the Pupil Premium, targeting funds at the most disadvantaged; it will introduce free school meals for all infants from the Autumn and has already delivered over a million apprenticeships. But we need to do much more, says Nick.

Fairer taxes and pensions

Liberal Democrats have ensured that people on low income do not pay tax on the first £10,500 they earn; we are lobbying for further increases in the minimum wage; we have introduced a triple lock on pensions (which means the state pension will always rise with inflation, earnings or 2.5% – whichever is the highest). But we need to do much more, says Nick.

Connectivity for the constituency

Nick says this ‘connectivity’ relates both to transport links and also high-speed broadband. In all the available research, connectivity with the capital is key to the regeneration of the constituency. Nick wants to help to win the campaign to extend HS1 to Hastings and Rye, see Hastings bid successfully for Regional Growth Fund monies, use the world’s first Green Investment Bank to support new start-up business, and see pioneering developments in digital and green technologies take place in Hastings. He has also called for the Alan Turing Institute, (£42m mentioned in the 2014 budget) to be built in Hastings and this aim has cross-party support, says Nick.

Nick Perry.

On being reselected, Nick said:

‘Folk are only too aware that on their own, Labour can’t be trusted on the economy, nor the Conservatives to deliver a fairer society. Liberal Democrats have a difficult job to do, but we continue to roll up our sleeves and get on with  it.’

To join the LibDem campaign team, please contact Nick Perry at www.nickperrylibdem.wordpress.com or on Twitter @nickperrylibdem.

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