Biography

Scott Pickles, a self- employed insulation surveyor, has a passion for politics and is standing as a candidate in order to make a difference to the lives of the people of Doncaster.

He is fully committed to his local community and was elected onto Armthorpe Parish Council in 2007. He is also involved with The Armthorpe School, serving on the Board of Governors.

Main Issues

Education

- A full review of teacher’s workloads and to ensure they are allowed to teach as opposed to spending more time assessing work.

- Better support for schools and powers to deal with unacceptable behaviour from pupils and adults

- Better choice for parents when selecting schools for their children

- A review of the options selection process to ensure it favours the pupil not the school timetable, thus ensuring pupils get to choose the options for their career path.

Health

- A full review of the NHS, to identify and remove excess red tape, non essential medical staff, to have departments open outside the traditional 9 to 5.

- To make NHS dental treatment accessible to all who are eligible

- Hospital car park charges to be capped nationally.

- Patients receiving long term treatment to be entitled to free car parking for, irrespective of their medical condition.

- Free prescriptions to be extended to carers

Defence

- To ensure that our armed services are the best trained the best equipped and not used as part of the world’s police force. We will only be involved in theatres of war when the safety of British citizens is at risk.

- Government funding to the forces rehabilitation support groups

- Financial support guaranteed to the families of service personnel irrespective of marriage status.

Social Security

- Long term unemployed should be compelled to contribute to the economy for their benefits by completing community work etc.

- Unemployment benefit to be tiered on a reducing scale to encourage the unemployed to take up jobs that are in their skill ability but they deem unattractive because benefit payments outweigh the wage offered.

- Housing benefits should only be paid directly to landlords, not the claimant

- Give greater powers to investigation teams when investigating fraudulent claims

Economy and Tax

- Encourage job creation through support financially from local government with rates/rent costs.

- New businesses moving into empty premises should be entitled to reduced rates starting from zero to 50% of the actual rateable value for a period of two years.

- A reduction in fuel tax

Local Issues

- Give more powers to Parish councils particularly in respect of planning applications and road safety measures.

- A vote of no confidence in elected Mayors and officials should enable a suspension from the role and a new election instigated.

- Councils should be allowed to keep any budget saving from one financial year to another without it reflecting on the following year’s budget. A scheme where 50% of departments’ savings are gathered in a central pot to be bid for on a matched funding basis by all tiers of local government and public services should be investigated for feasibility. Sound financial prudence should be rewarded by central government

- A financial waste review should become mandatory for all local councils to ensure best value for money is being achieved. This includes a review of the current tender process.

- Local councils should look to award contracts to local companies before going further afield.