Biography

Mike Parsons is a retired logistician, having worked for thirty years in the transport and distribution industry. After an early retirement, he focused his work on the local community as a voluntary worker and is a leading figure in an independent movement that is sweeping across Cheshire.

He is an independent councillor at both town and borough levels. He has been Congleton Borough Mayor and is due to become Town Mayor this year. He was also Chair of the Environment Scrutiny Committee on Congleton Borough Council between 2004-2005. He was also involved in setting up a successful local independent group in Middlewich, “Middlewich First”.

Main Issues

Health

- No cuts in current NHS budgets or service

- Scrap Private Medical Practice by NHS Doctors on NHS Sites

- Reinstigate Matrons.

- Work to integrate NHS/Alternative Medicines programmes.

- Increase funding for medical research

Education

- Support the move to extend compulsory education/training age to 18

- Scrap University Tuition Fees

- Review and possibly scrap SATS for pre-10 year olds

- Return to 11+ style ‘Streaming’ examinations

- Reintroduction of Grammar Schools, in order that ‘less able’ students get more focus and attention in their own right, rather than being compared to the ‘bright’ kids in the same school.

- Improve Continual Training & Assessment Programmes for Teachers and Schools

Immigration

Realistically reduced annual immigration ceiling which takes into account such things as ratio of origins; skills sought and offered; existing relations with the country of origin and emigration levels.

Scrapping of the Trident programme