Tag Archive for 'education'

Floella Benjamin campaigns with Hilary in Calder Valley

Published on May 3, 2010 in News. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Floella Benjamin with Hilary Myers on a visit to the Calder Valley

“History will be made this week in Calder Valley and across Britain as people vote for the first time since the start of the economic crisis and for the first time since the failure of the Copenhagen talks on climate change,” said Hilary Myers, speaking to a packed room of students in Calder Valley this week. “More and more people are realising that the key to solving the massive challenges we face, for us in the United Kingdom, is electoral reform. If we can change the voting system we will open the door to a brighter, more intelligent future. There are many steps on the road but this election represents the opportunity to take a step in a radically different direction, the first step of many down a different road toward a better, more democratic and effective solution to our problems.”

Hilary had the same message wherever she went in this last week of the General Election campaign. “I am getting an enthusiastic reception from voters across the constituency”, she smiled. “From Todmorden to Hebden Bridge, from Mytholmroyd to Ripponden, from Elland to Brighouse, in town centres and in outlying communities on people’s doorsteps, voters are starting to hope that Britain can be reinvigorated by fundamental political change, not just another change from red to blue”.

Hilary was joined on the campaign trail on Saturday by Floella Benjamin, the well-loved children’s TV presenter and President of the Ramblers Association. Floella was full of praise for the beautiful Calder Valley and talked enthusiastically to everyone she met about Liberal Democrat policies and how much she thought they would change things for the better.  “And Hilary would be a great MP for Calder Valley and take people’s concerns seriously. You can see it in her face!” she said.

Hilary tops poll at education debate

Published on March 14, 2010 in News. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

On 11 March 2010, Hilary Myers took place in an education debate at Todmorden High School, organised by the NUT. The panel featured Steph Booth (Labour), Hilary Myers (Lib Dem), Craig Whittaker (Conservative) as well as Christine Blower (NUT General Secretary) and Rebecca Senior (Head Girl of Tod High).

Hilary spoke about Lib Dem plans to invest an extra £2.5bn in schools, and highlighted the shortcomings of the Government’s Building Schools for the Future policy whereby it has penalised schools like Todmorden High which have improved their results, meaning they are less likely to get new buildings. She also pointed out that the Tories would cut money allocated to rebuild schools, and divert it into building new academies, which would be of no use to pupils in the Calder Valley.

After each question, a group of around a dozen sixth formers/first time voters were asked to vote electronically, and anonymously, on who had answered the question best. Hilary got the highest score of the politicians on every single question.

At the end of the event, this group were asked to vote on the question “who would get your vote now?”. Hilary topped the poll with an overwhelming 61.5% of the vote, proving that not only are Liberal Democrat education policies head and shoulders above the other parties, but that Hilary Myers is the only candidate for Calder Valley trusted to deliver on education.

The final votes, as shown in the picture above, were as follows:

  • Labour: 7.7%
  • Conservative: 7.7%
  • Liberal Democrats: 61.5%
  • Green Party: 23.1%
  • UKIP: 0%
  • BNP: 0%
  • Other: 0%

View report of the debate in the Halifax Courier.

Spring 2010 campaign – Education

Published on March 12, 2010 in News. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , .

One of Tony Blair’s most famous speeches prior to his election in 1997 promised that his top three priorities would be “Education, education, education”. Thirteen years later, the Labour government’s record on education has gone from bad to worse.

Government figures from January 2010 reveal that the gap between poorer children and the better-off is clear when they are only five years old. Labour’s shameful failure to give children from disadvantaged backgrounds extra support means that this gap grows wider as children grow older.

Liberal Democrats would spend an extra £2.5bn on schools, giving them the money they need to cut class sizes and run catch-up classes, particularly for younger children. This will help ensure all children get the individual attention they need and a fair start in life.

For university students, we have a carefully costed plan for phasing out tuition fees. Liberal Democrats believe it’s fundamentally wrong that young graduates start their working live owing tens of thousands of pounds to the state.

But it’s about more than just money. We would reduce the number of tests taken by primary school children. Additionally, we would replace the national curriculum with a slimmed down “minimum curriculum entitlement”, enabling teachers to be more flexible and creative. We would enable older pupils to take a mixture of academic study and vocational training, to better prepare themselves for the world of work.

David Laws MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, says:

“The gap between poorer children and the better-off is clear when they are only five years old. Labour’s shameful failure to give children from disadvantaged backgrounds extra support means that this gap grows wider as children grow older.

The Conservatives’ plans will mean many schools have their budgets slashed.

Liberal Democrats will give schools the money to cut class sizes and provide children who are struggling with more individual support by committing an extra £2.5bn.”

Hilary Myers, Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Calder Valley, says:

“We have made a key strategic decision, in this age of austerity that is upon us, to increase spending in one important area – our children’s future. I believe that dedicating £2500 each for one million of our poorest children is right, sensible and fair.”

Standing up for students

Published on February 28, 2010 in News. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Hilary Myers at Todmorden High School

Hilary Myers, Liberal Democrat PPC for Calder Valley, today signed a pledge to voters ahead of the forthcoming general election that she will vote against any increase in fees in the next parliament.

The National Union of Students (NUS) has launched the Vote for Students campaign to encourage candidates to pledge to protect student interests by opposing attempts to lift the cap on student top-up fees.

The Vote for Students funding pledge states:

“I pledge to vote against any increase in fees in the next parliament, and will put pressure on the Government to introduce a fairer alternative.”

Hilary Myers said:

“New graduates are being saddled with thousands of pounds worth of debt at a time when they already struggling to find a job and make ends meet. The Liberal Democrats believe that a university education should be free and everyone who has the ability should be able to go to university and not be put off by the cost.”

NUS President Wes Streeting said:

“The vast majority of the general public is against higher fees, and although this review has been set up to report after the general election, voters deserve to know where their MP stands on this highly emotive issue.

“I am delighted that Hilary Myers is standing up for students and their families in Calder Valley by signing up to this pledge. She has demonstrated her determination to give every young person in Calder Valley a fair chance to go to university.”

A recent YouGov poll commissioned by NUS revealed that 88% of the public does not think the review should even consider increasing fees, while a majority believes that it should look at alternatives. Last year, research by Opinionpanel showed that a political party’s position on tuition fees would affect how 79% of students would vote in a general election.

Hilary Myers puts fairness at the heart of her Liberal Democrat campaign

Published on January 11, 2010 in News. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

The Liberal Democrats have announced they will fight the General Election on four key principles, designed to make Britain a fairer place.

PPC for Calder Valley, Hilary Myers, has today set out her campaign priorities: fair taxes; a fair start for every child; fair, clean and local politics and a fair, green economy with jobs that last.

Hilary said, “People in Calder Valley have been let down by their politicians and are rightly frustrated. I am going into the election with a clear direction and a manifesto that is short, direct and to the point.

“We will introduce fairer taxes by closing loopholes for the richest, introducing a tax on mansions and tax cuts of £700 for everyone else.

“If your child is at school in Calder Valley, we can promise investment to help reduce class sizes, improve discipline and develop one-to-one tuition.

“We would also give you the right to sack your MP. The Liberal Democrats are the only party committed to real change of our political system, flushing out big money and corrupt donors and reducing the number of MPs by 150.

“And we will rebuild the economy in every part of Britain in a way that promotes green technology and creates lasting jobs. We will put an end to casino banking, bring back competition and support local entrepreneurs to make sure Calder Valley businesses can find the money they need to grow.

“The coming months are a crucial time for politics and I will be using them to focus on these four priorities and delivering real change for Calder Valley.”

In his speech this morning (MON), Leader of the Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg said:

“David Cameron and Gordon Brown are playing the politics of the airbrush and the focus group. One doesn’t know what he believes. The other doesn’t know what to do with the power he clings to so desperately. I believe the country wants something different. The Liberal Democrats are different. We offer credibility where it’s needed. And hope for our common future.”

Nick Clegg in Discussions on Local High Schools

Published on January 6, 2010 in News. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Nick Clegg with Hilary Myers and Patrick Ottley-O’Connor


The Leader of the Liberal Democrats, on a recent visit to the Manchester area, took time out of his busy schedule to meet leaders of Todmorden High School. Chair of Governors, Hilary Myers, and Headteacher, Patrick Ottley-O’Connor, spoke to Nick Clegg about their concerns for the future of Todmorden and Calder High Schools. Both Upper Valley high schools are local priorities for rebuilding under the current government’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. But Calderdale has been repeatedly knocked back for BSF in favour of other more deprived local authorities. “It is very disappointing”, said Hilary Myers, “when we know that our students are every bit as in need of an adequate learning environment as students anywhere in the country. But the current system is not flexible and cannot easily take account of local circumstances.”

Speaking afterwards to an audience of ordinary voters at Rochdale Town Hall, Nick Clegg answered questions on the war in Afghanistan, the recession and the national debt, the state of our democracy, healthcare and education. Asked about funding for education he responded, “How do we fill the black hole of education without short-changing our children? We need to target resources at those in greatest need.” He said BSF was a good scheme in principle but said he had major doubts about how it was working in practice in some areas. He went on to underline the importance of creating equality of opportunity for children of primary age. He said all the evidence showed that by the age of six or seven, a bright child from a poor family would be overtaken in class by a less bright child from a better off family. “This is just plain wrong”, he insisted. “Liberal Democrats would give schools extra funding for these children to stop them falling behind and to enable them to fulfil their potential.”

Patrick Ottley-O’Connor, who was a deputy headteacher in Rochdale before taking on the top job at Todmorden High at the start of 2008, was pleased to have the opportunity to put the case for the Upper Valley schools to one of the party leaders. “As results from both schools show, we have made exceptional progress in recent years, “ he said, “but so much money is being spent on the fabric of these buildings just to keep them open. As headteachers, Stephen Ball and I will continue to work with our Governing Bodies and with officers from the Local Authority, to press the politicians to take our case seriously.”

Hilary Myers faces questions from students

Published on December 1, 2009 in News. 0 Comments Tags: , .

The Liberal Democrat candidate for the upcoming general election, Hilary Myers, will face a question and answer session with sixth form students at Brighouse High School on Friday December 11th, many of whom will be first time voters in the election.

Politics tutor David Bell has arranged the visit, and the students will be grilling Hilary on whatever topics they wish to raise. Although the session has been arranged through the politics department, it will be open to any Brighouse High School sixth former.

“Hilary is relishing the prospect of engaging with the young people of Brighouse,”

Calderdale Liberal Democrats Press and Communications Officer Jennie Rigg said.

“The forthcoming election will definitely see a new MP for the Calder Valley constituency, and the views and votes of young people will certainly have an impact. It is important that candidates from all parties show that they are aware of the need to be accountable to local pople, and as a Lib Dem Hilary fully believes in localism and accountability.”

Labour and the Tories letting us down on education

Published on November 29, 2009 in News. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Letter from Hilary Myers to the Halifax Courier, 29 November 2009:

When I read the letter from Anne Collins (Secretary, Calderdale District Labour Party) attacking Craig Whittaker (Conservative Cabinet Member with responsibility for Children, Schools and Families) over the schools rebuilding issue (Your Say, 25th Nov), I felt like knocking both their heads together.

It is pathetic to see Labour still blaming the Tories for their record in government when they have had over twelve years to put things right. And depressing to see them trumpeting PFI as a success story when it is clear that, just like the failing banks, this is a chicken that will surely come home to roost. But if, as Anne suggests, we have missed out on Building Schools for the Future (BSF) funding because we are not sufficiently disadvantaged in Calderdale, that only goes to show that the Government’s flagship school building programme was not sensibly set up in the first place. Because, as we all know, even the more affluent authorities can contain deprived communities and certain schools in dire need of rebuilding. Todmorden High School is a case in point. It has been at the top of Calderdale’s list for priority re-building for years now. But for your correspondent to suggest that the Council has not put its hand in its pocket is quite wrong. I could point you to a catalogue of serious remedial work, temporary structures and partial rebuilding that has been paid for in recent times. But it is just another case of throwing good taxpayers’ money after bad, as what the school really needs is brand new foundations and buildings fit for purpose in the 21st century – not more papering over the cracks.

So I think Ms. Collins is attacking Mr. Whittaker on the wrong point here. My beef with the Tory administration of which he is a part is that they have singularly failed St. Catherine’s High School, which they took over in 2007 in a bid to improve standards after two inspections sent it into Special Measures. Two and a half years later, the school’s key GCSE exam results have not improved by a single percentage point. Now the same Tory led Council has stepped in to save Park Lane High, Exley, which has similar problems. How are we to have any confidence in an administration that has this year lost a star in its overall rating for Children’s and Young People’s Services? And how are we to have any confidence in Cllr Whittaker in his bid to become Calder Valley’s next MP when his track record in his key area of responsibility in local government is so woeful?

When it comes to Education, Education, Education, both Labour nationally and the Conservatives locally, are letting our children down.