Chariss Peacock for Balderstone and Kirkholt

Standing talking to Chariss Peacock she doesn’t come across as the traditional politician, she cares about people, she really does understand the plight of the people she wants to represent, and she represents them well. 

I asked her why she chose to campaign on the austerity measures being implemented by the Labour Government, rather than just on local issues, her response is impressive, “Labour’s cruellest cuts are local and I know that, because they are affecting me, my family and my friends.”
“Take the two child benefits cap, for example, I am a mother of two but I talk with fellow parents who are really struggling to make ends meet and Labour keeping the cap in place is not helping them, it is leaving thousands of children here in Rochdale in poverty, and we have some of the worst levels of child poverty in the country.”
Chariss stops for a moment, clearly bracing herself to say something very personal, “Then there was the cancellation of the Winter Fuel Allowance. Labour are telling people like my grandma that they have opened public buildings so that pensioners don’t have to stay at home in the cold, but if they know that things are that bad, why cut the allowance in the first place. Senior citizens like my grandma should not be having to choose between heating or eating.”
Chariss stops to regain her composure, “On the subject of our pensioners, there is also Labour’s ditching of their promise to the WASPI Women. The inquiry found that they were badly treated and should receive compensation, Labour are refusing to pay that compensation. It’s not right.”
I give her a moment and then ask whether apart from her grandma and her friends who have been hurt by these cuts, have any of the cuts impacted on her directly? Again she hesitates before confirming “Yes, I receive PIP and the worry as to whether it will continue following Labour’s announcement of more austerity cuts is stressful. A lot of people are now in the same position of wondering if we are going to be able to get the help we need.“ 
Chariss sighs then adds “It’s not as if they don’t know the harm they are doing, they have been told time and again and just keep saying they have to make hard choices.”
“As I see it, the choice between heating and eating is hard; choosing not to retire because the Government won’t pay you the compensation you are due is hard; walking everyday past children living in desperate poverty is hard; not knowing if you will get the help you need to live a near normal life is hard; not having a job because paying NI takes your employer too far into the red is hard; laying that worker off is hard. What is not hard is choosing between that or increasing taxes for billionaires, and charging energy companies against their excessive profits.”
I asked Chariss what final message she would like to send to our readers.
“We have been let down by both the Labour and Conservative parties, I just want to ask people here in Balderstone and Kirkholt to vote for me and give me a chance to try to speak up for them and put things right.”