LOCAL ELECTIONS - 5th MAY 2011

Since 2003 I have had the privilege of representing Wheldrake Ward as your city councillor. I have decided to be a candidate again at this year's local elections. Over the past 8 years I have been able to help to bring many changes to the ward and to the wider city. Click on the buttons on the left to get an idea of some of the work I have done.

Christian in York lists a few of the things I have achieved and the campaigns I have led, in the ward and across the wider city, as your Liberal Democrat councillor.

About Christian gives information about my career outside politics and some of the things I achieved as the city's Energy Champion, as Executive Member for Leisure and Culture on the city council between 2007 and 2009, and as Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the Lib Dems in York Central in 2010.

My work has also involved helping individuals, community groups and parish councils with planning issues, housing problems, and funding needs.

The city faces many challenges and many opportunities at the start of the 21st century, environmental and economic. We need to ensure our children continue to have an excellent education and good employment prospects. We need to develop new attractions to ensure tourists continue to visit our city. To move forwards York needs councillors with vision, passion, courage, ideas, and a real record of getting things done.






General Election 2010 & the case for fair votes

In May 2010 I stood as the Liberal Democrat candidate for York Central. Labour retained the seat but their vote slumped from 50% to under 40%. The Lib Dem vote for this new seat went up from 19.4% (based on the projections at electoral calculus) to 25.2%, an increase of 5.8%, or up 3,801 voters from a projected 7,893 votes in this new constituency to 11,694. Put another way, we increased the Lib Dem vote by 48%! My thanks to all of you who supported our campaign for a Fairer Britain, a fair voting system, fairer taxes, and real action on tackling climate change, improving education, and seizing the opportunity to create a new green economy.

Across the country the voting system showed again why we are a laughing stock in the democratic world. The results showed that it took around:

• 33,000 votes to elect a Labour MP

• 35,000 to elect a Tory MP

• 126,000 to elect a Lib Dem MP

• 268,000 to elect a Green MP (at least we finally have a figure for the Greens!)

• and more than 917,832 to elect a UKIP MP (they still have no MPs).

On 5th May 2011 we all have our chance to vote YES! in the referendum to bring a fairer voting system to our country. Learn more about the campaign at York for Voting Reform

As the dust begins to settle on this election campaign, the Liberal Democrats have a real opportunity in this hung parliament to bring progressive politics to Britain.

In the rest of Europe there is no such thing as tactical voting - people vote for the party they want, knowing their vote will count, instead of voting negatively to try to keep the party they don't want out of power. One day the British people will also vote for the politicians and parties they want in power. Join us in campaigning for that day to come quickly.

Published and promoted by Maurice Vassie on behalf of Christian Vassie of York Central Liberal Democrats, 10 Blake Court, Wheldrake, York YO19 6BT