Hannah says...

Expenses

Hannah's pledge on expenses

In September, Hannah announced her pledge on expenses and accountability, should she be elected she will:

• claim only for secondary accommodation & utility bills - no furniture.
• publish her expenses online, to the media and a local auditor.
• meet her tax liabilities, such as stamp duty.
• hold regular public meetings - these have already started and will continue if she is elected.

Hannah says:
“The relationship between the people and their politicians is at an all time low. I want to help change that.”

 
 
Hannah's letter published in the June 'Voice of Exeter' magazine

Like everyone I have been watching the revelations on MPs expenses with real anger, frustration and, quite frankly, amazement. The flawed expenses system that has been abused by our representatives is truly shocking and must be changed.

However, I think it is actually the straw that has broken the camel’s back for the public. Many feel the ‘system’ works against them, rather than for by them. I believe that most people feel sick of being told how to live their lives by those in authority. The “we know better than you” syndrome that has engulfed Westminster, local Government, quangos and Brussels. Many Exonians have told me how they feel the ‘system’ is unnecessarily confusing, bureaucratic and excludes their views.

Change is needed in so many ways; financial transparency across Government and accountability for those elected to power. Far more than that though, democracy has to be about ‘the people’. The ‘system’ needs to remember who it works for and who pays for it.

First and foremost that must start with Parliament.
 
 
 

Animal Welfare

Hannah's view on Animal Welfare

"I was asked my position on the hunting with dogs act in June 2008 and
published this letter a few days later. You can view the letter here.

"Since I wrote this letter my views have not changed.

"Animal Welfare touches many policy areas. For me, the biggest area is around food production. I want to see labelling and education to ensure consumers understand from labelling the welfare standards of the food they are eating. I think we should seek to see higher basic welfare standard as the mainstream for meat, particularly chicken. I believe this would result in massive improvements in animal welfare across the board."

Environmental issues

I am passionate about environmental issues and I am convinced our green policies are the most innovative and effective in this election and I believe in Western Europe. I have made it clear in my pledges that putting Exeter at the centre of a green economy is a real priority for me.

I frequently refer to the policies below on the door step and in debate. The first bullet point is for me, one of our most transformational policies. The paper (published over a year ago) shows in detail how we will deliver a low carbon economy. These policies do not begin to touch some of the things that I feel are part of this important debate – just for starters all the issues around sustainable food supply, massive changes in informing consumers the environmental impact of the purchases and many more.

Climate Change and Energy

With our energy supplies increasingly sourced overseas, and with urgent action needed to combat climate change, it’s time to rethink the way we supply and consume energy in Britain. We urgently need to move to a low carbon economy in order to strengthen our economy, help guarantee our energy security and protect our environment for future generations.

Britain is uniquely placed to be the world's first low carbon economy: we have the natural resources to generate wind and wave power, a skilled workforce trained in the energy industry, a high-tech manufacturing sector and a green financial centre in the City of London.

A Conservative Government will make developing renewable and low carbon energy sources a priority. We will:

• Offer every household a Green Deal, the right to have up to £6,500 worth of home insulation improvements, enabling households to reduce their energy bills, with the costs being met from the much greater savings that arise;
• Transform electricity networks with 'smart grid' and 'smart meter' technology that automatically matches supply and demand, allowing a huge increase in renewable power;
• Create a decentralised energy revolution by introducing a system of feed-in tariffs to encourage micro-generation of electricity;
• Expand offshore wind and marine power and provide government backing for a network of large-scale Marine Energy Parks.

While ensuring Britain has adequate, safe and reliable access to conventional fuels, we will only permit coal-fired power stations to be built with clean carbon capture and storage technology, restricting carbon emissions to the level achieved by a modern gas power plant.
Nuclear power will be part of the energy mix if it is economically viable, but new nuclear power stations should not leave taxpayers with liabilities for their running, decommissioning or waste. Nuclear is not an alternative to developing and expanding renewable forms of energy.

And because Government should be leading the way, we will cut central government’s carbon emissions by 10 per cent within 12 months of coming to office, saving up to £300 million a year in reduced energy bills.