Fares Fair For Medway? Have Your Say

Are you a Southeastern commuter? Do you think fares are too high? Well Mark would like to hear from you.

Following a recent meeting with Charles Horton, Managing Director of Southeastern Trains, Mark Reckless is to raise the issue of rail fares and the affect they have had on local commuters here in Medway with Theresa Villiers, the Minister of State for Transport.

Mark will be joined by other local MPs such as Tracey Crouch (Chatham and Aylesford) to discuss the fare regime agreed under the last government that allows Southeastern to raise fares by the July RPI +3% whilst the rest of the country have seen fares rise by only RPI +1%. Fair?

As commuters in Medway brace themselves for yet another above-inflation fare increase in January, reported to be 7.8% on regulated fares (season tickets), Mark Reckless thinks the travelling public have suffered for far too long due to the unfair franchise agreement negotiated under the Labour government and would like to make sure your concerns are raised at the very highest level.

"I want Theresa Villiers to understand how unhappy many of my constituents are with Southeastern Trains and the last government singling us out for bigger increases than anywhere else in the country."

If you would like to have your say on Southeastern’s fares or general service levels then please email Mark or use the contact form on Mark's website to ensure your voice is heard.

Fares Fair For Medway? Have Your Say

Clean Campaign Pledge

I, Mark Reckless, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Rochester and Strood, pledge in the General Election campaign:

•To show by my actions that politics need not be a dirty game, but can be a clean and positive activity, engaged in genuinely for the good of all.
•To tell the truth about what I stand for and have achieved, and about what others stand for and have achieved.
•To refrain from personal attacks.
•To make only honest and reasonable promises.
•To fight a clean, positive and honest campaign around the issues that concern local people.
•To be honest about public spending, and not to scaremonger in ways that may frighten the most vulnerable members of our society.
•To take money only from organisations and individuals whose motives in giving money I do not have reason to suspect.
•To sign up to the transparency pledge on MPs’ expenses below.

I encourage voters:

•To expect from me decent and honest behaviour, as a candidate.
•To ask other Parties operating in this election to sign up to a similar honest campaign pledge.
•To help me enforce this Pledge, by reporting truthfully to me and to the media any apparent breaches.

Finally, if elected, I pledge:

•To publish online details of all of personal expenses incurred as a Member of Parliament.
•To publish online details of all office expenses incurred as a Member of Parliament.
•To publish online details of all donations in line with Electoral Commission rules.
•To appoint a local firm of auditors to approve expenses accounts at the end of every financial year.
•To open up the unedited expenses claims to local newspapers at the end of every financial year.
•Never to claim for food, furniture or household goods.
•To meet all tax liabilities – such as stamp duty – without claiming them from the taxpayer.

With thanks to Tracey Crouch

Clean Campaign Pledge

Gurkha's By-election Triumph

Congratulations to Tashi Tamang Bhutia, a Gurkha, on his extraordinary victory in Medway's Luton and Wayfield by-election in Medway last night. He took 1042 votes to Labour's 1038 in a ward where Labour secured twice the vote we did as recently as 2007.

I first met Tashi eight years ago when canvassing in the Chatham part of what was then the Medway constituency. He immediately joined the party and has worked loyally for us ever since.

At the third time of trying he is now a councillor, knocking Labour out of one of their safest seats in Medway (and probably the whole of the South-East).

Tashi's victory is first and foremost testament to his decency, honesty and modesty.

Second, it reflects many core-Labour voters coming out for Tashi because of how they felt about Gordon Brown doing everything he could to deny Gurkhas fair treatment in the UK. Helpfully, the two Labour ward councillors who remained in post gave this as one of their reasons for resigning the Labour whip.

Third, the result is a huge personal defeat for Jonathan Shaw, the constituency's MP, who insisted on imposing a candidate against the better judgment of many in the local Labour party. Jonathan's face was redder than his rosette in his lonely vigil at the count, as well it might have been in light of the shocking comments made by his chosen candidate.

Finally, it seems that council taxpayers have voted for substantial savings in councillor allowances. Labour have now been reduced to such a rump, 10 out of 55 seats in the Medway Towns, a conurbation of a quarter of a milllion people, that their spokesmen may all lose their special responsibility allowances.

Many thanks to my council colleagues and activists from Rochester and Strood who gave six weeks of sustained campaign support. We hope that this will benefit Tracey Crouch in her fight against Jonathan, just as it helped Tashi to whom I owe so much.

We are delighted that Daniel Hannan MEP will be coming to Rochester and Strood on Saturday to lead our celebrations with Tashi.

Gurkha's By-election Triumph