My personal contract with the voters of South Norfolk

I want to be the voice for change and fairness and fight for the issues facing those who live and work here.

I feel the country has been let down by Labour and that South Norfolk in particular would suffer under the Tories who are out of touch with the ordinary person on the street. Their policies are all about looking after their wealthy supporters. Their stranglehold on South Norfolk must be ended.

The following is my personal contract with the people of South Norfolk and, whether you vote for me or not, please hold me to it if I am elected as your Member of Parliament.


I will put local people first.

I will be there to help, listen to your concerns and stand up for our community. I will be a strong voice for South Norfolk.

I will continue to campaign for better care for the elderly, disabled and vulnerable.

I will fight against education budget cuts to ensure every child gets a fair start in life.

I want more of South Norfolk’s empty homes brought into use to cut down the massive waiting list for housing.

I will fight to protect our precious countryside – there are many sources of renewable energy that can be harnessed as an alternative to wind farms.

I will stand alongside the county’s fire fighters in protesting against service cuts.

I will fight for better infrastructure, in particular road and rail, as I believe this is essential to our future economic prosperity and I want to see better job opportunities and our market towns thriving again.

I will be honest, open and available to talk to.

I will not make promises I cannot keep.

I will publish every expense I claim.

Our manifesto

Follow this link to see the Lib Dem's manifesto in detail. I'll be publishing my own pledges for the people of South Norfolk shortly so watch this space...

http://www.libdems.org.uk/our_manifesto.aspx

Next stop Long Stratton

My 'Ask Howe' Roadshow will be in Long Stratton this Saturday (10 April) from 9.30am until 1pm. I would really love to meet you and listen to your views so if you spot me, please stop for a chat! We're hoping to set up near The Swan on the main road - look for the green gazebo!

My response to the budget on YouTube

The Government's budget was a case of too little too late for the thousands of people who have been suffering under Labour's broken promises for the past decade. Vince Cable remains the only politician who predicted the mess we're in now and has created a safe, sensible, affordable plan to put us back on track.

You can view my response to the budget here:

Please support your local market towns

On Saturday I launched my 'Shop Local' campaign in the thriving market town of Harleston to encourage people to make local towns their first port of call for everyday goods and services.

My campaign is supported by Robin Twigge, Chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses in South Norfolk, who met me there to discuss ideas to help the district's small businesses thrive.

Harleston is a fantastic market town with lots of independent shops, innovative businesses and new businesses investing here. I'd like other towns and large villages in the district to be able to follow in Harleston's footsteps by encouraging residents to buy local and use the great services that are right on their doorstep.

Some towns in South Norfolk are seeing a decline in trade with empty shop fronts appearing along the High Street. We mustn't let our local centres die but need to offer support now to ensure they are vibrant places that people want to visit.

The Liberal Democrats' key pledges to maintain vibrant local high streets are:

Ensuring a long term future for the Post Office by developing new services such as a PostBank

Direct help for businesses by reforming business rates, reducing employment taxes as soon as possible and cutting red tape

Providing fair access to credit by getting the banks to lend again and creating a more diverse financial infrastructure

Creating a fairer marketplace by ensuring sustainable retail development and taking a more localised approach to competition

Help me support and protect our local goods and services by shopping locally whenever you can.