IT is an honour and a privilege to be the Labour Party parliamentary candidate for Weaver Vale who fought in the General Election.

I should like to express my sincere gratitude and respect to all those people who turned out for Labour on an increased turnout over 2010 of 68.5 per cent.

My team and I fought an election campaign based on equality of opportunity, fairness, decent standards of living with a recovery that works for all people, while standing up for the rights of vulnerable people and saving the NHS upon which we all rely.

Special thanks to our dedicated army of volunteers representing the wider Labour movement, as well as engaged members of the public from Weaver Vale and beyond, young and old.

I congratulate the Conservative MP and encourage him to work towards representing all of his constituents equally and bring together this diverse and very socially and economically divided constituency for the good of all our people.

Locally I hope that he will co-operate fully with Labour-run Cheshire West and Chester unitary authority, to ensure that the anticipated swingeing local government budget cuts from the Conservative government do not disproportionately affect his constituents.

Julia Tickridge Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Weaver Vale