Michael Holly
Conservative Party
Heywood & Middleton Constituency
I was educated at a state grammar school in Swansea and then studied chemistry at Oxford University. I am a Chartered Accountant and worked in the Manchester office of a large international accountancy firm. I was a senior partner in the firm and worked for public and large private companies.
I am married to a teacher and we have lived in the Constituency for 22 years. We have 3 grown up children.
I have been a Councillor for South Middleton Ward since May 2006 and have been opposition spokesperson for Townships and Corporate Management and a member of the performance scrutiny and audit committees.
I have been a non-executive director of the Pennine AcuteTrust, which runs our local hospitals, and I am deputy chair of the Manchester based charity, AQA, which is the largest provider of GCSEs and A levels in England. I am also a governor at Crossgates primary school and Cardinal Langley RC High School.
The 3 main local issues that I will campaign for are:
Jobs
Parts of the Constituency have high levels of deprivation and unemployment. Rather than creating jobs we are losing them, such as the recently announced closure of Tesco’s distribution facilities. Yet all we have is the Lib-Dem Council blaming the Labour Government for not doing enough and Labour politicians blaming the Council. We must all work together and with business and commerce to improve skill levels and to promote the area to potential employers.
Health
We have massive health inequalities in the Constituency. I will do all I can to ensure that communities have access to high quality medical services in their locality
Policing
Crime and anti social behaviour remains a problem. The only way to improve the situation is to get more police on the beat. Conservative policies to reduce bureaucracy will free up police time. I will work with GMP to increase police presence in Heywood & Middleton.
We need a new type of politician who; will put their constituents before the Party; has relevant experience outside politics; and who will only claim essential expenses. YOU HAVE MY COMMITMENT TO THIS.
Out campaigning, apart from the issues noted above, the other key issue is immigration. Of the 3 main parties only the Conservative Party is campaigning for a cap on non EU immigration which is a sensible policy given the pressure that uncontrolled immigration under Labour is having on our public services. Contrast our sensible policy with that of the Lib Dems who are in favour of an amnesty for illegal immigrants.
It is time for change and in Heywood and Middleton only the Conservative party can deliver this. At the last General Election we were second and in the most recent elections, for the Council in 2008, we topped the polls with 37% leaving the Lib Dems trailing third on 28%.
