I already live in Havant. I am on Hayling pretty much every day, visiting local residents, businesses and community groups so I understand local issues and priorities.  

I was selected as the Conservative MP candidate by local residents (not just Conservative Party members) at a large public meeting at Oaklands School in October 2014, and local residents, including residents from Hayling, have really helped me settle in locally.

See www.AlanMak.org.uk/Hayling-Island for a snapshot of my work across Hayling, or follow me at www.Facebook.com/AlanMakHavant or www.twitter.com/AlanMak4MP

Yes

Absolutely, yes.

After sitting ‘A’ levels I read for a degree in Electronics at the University of Southampton.  Upon graduating I designed military communications equipment and telecommunications equipment.  In 1976 I transferred within the EMI Group to the EMI Records Graduate Training scheme for accountants and worked in all areas of the group until I qualified as a Chartered Management Accountant.  In 1979 I moved to Havant for a manufacturing accounting job where I stayed for 10 years; I then worked in Internal Audit for 10 years auditing all business processes in the UK and Europe, and a further 10 years in mergers and acquisitions dealing with CFOs and CEOs of small and large companies. 

I retired before state retirement age and want to give back to the community, using my extensive technical, business and financial expertise.  I am currently a Havant Councillor for Hayling Island, have a wife and two grown up children, one of whom lives on Hayling Island and works in Havant.

I was born and grew up in York, living above my family’s high street shop. I went to state primary school, and then state secondary school locally before it was earmarked for closure due to falling standards. My luck turned when I won an Assisted Place (a government scholarship for bright children from poor backgrounds) to a neighbouring school. From there, I was the first in my family to go to university (I made it to Cambridge University to study law, and then did a postgraduate course in Oxford).

I started my career as a business solicitor in the City of London working for international business law firm Clifford Chance, rising up the ranks and winning industry awards such as Young City Lawyer of the Year, and helping launch the Firm’s charitable foundation. I then launched my own small business.

I’ve also invested in start-ups like www.Streethub.com, sat on the UK group board of a £100M turnover advertising & digital services business, and advised a range of small businesses.   

In my spare time, I enjoy travelling, playing sports, box sets and films.

Tim and his wife Sue live in South Street, Havant in the heart of the constituency.   Their children went to school here, run local businesses and they are both deeply in community life. An active local campaigner for the town, on the protection of green spaces and on social justice issues Tim leads a rapidly growing Havant Green Party increasingly seen locally as the only credible alternative to the Conservatives.   Formerly a senior local government officer, he later ran his own successful business and is now retired from paid work – although not from his many community activities. 

A strong believer in arts for everyone, Tim has organised local art exhibitions, music festivals and is the Director of the popular Havant Literary Festival. 

This is my 30th year engaged in social, economic and political development in England and Eastern Europe.  Before the collapse of totalitarian regimes I supported prisoners of conscience behind the ‘iron curtain’.  I was interrogated three times by the communist secret police and banned for life - until the 1989 revolution.  Since then I led projects with the Foreign Office, World Bank and United Nations. We launched probation services and residential care for disabled young people.

Traffic –  The building of the Langstone flyer eased traffic congestion, but the Labour and Conservative governments drive for massive housing development on green fields on the Island has put far more cars on the road causing and restoring the congestion we had before.

Housing – Halt all future green field development on the Island, including the plans for hundreds of houses on Green Fields in West Town and Gable Head.

Cycling – Provide proper and safe cycle routes, I support Cycle Hayling on this.

Tourism – continue to support water sports, the scarecrow festivals etc.  Stop conversion of tourism and community facilities to residential.

Education – Raise the standards of pupil attainment at the Hayling schools.
Infrastructure – mass housing development has taken place, but no infrastructure improvements have been made; this must change.

As your local MP, I would focus on the strategic, “bigger picture” areas which are within the MP’s sphere of influence, working closely with our excellent local councillors (who are responsible for ward-level & local matters):  

1. Strong Economy: Hayling residents deserve a secure and prosperous future, and a strong local economy is key. I want to help deliver more jobs, rising living standards and inward investment. As a shopkeeper’s son, I will back our small shops and businesses in areas like Mengham, West Town and Eastoke, and encourage businesses to locate to places like Sparkes Marina which would be perfect for online-businesses or light industry. We need more all-year-round jobs to complement our successful, seasonal visitor economy. I will also support the continued success of our sailing, watersports and coastal tourism sector.   

1. Successful Schools: Every young person on Hayling deserves the best start in life, and every resident of all ages needs the skills to succeed in an increasingly competitive economy. So, I will work with Colin Rainford and his colleagues at Hayling College to boost attainment, and support our infant & junior schools Mengham and Mill Rythe, using my experience as a former, long-serving primary school governor. I will also encourage life-long learning, including via adult education courses at places like South Downs and Havant College. Please see my answer to Q10 below for more about my plans to help local schools.

1. Vibrant Communities: Hayling has a strong identity, excellent community spirit, and diversity (from the tranquillity of Northney to the hustle and bustle of the Seafront and Mengham). I want to protect and enhance this. Hayling also has a wide range of community groups, sports clubs and churches. Having met many of these groups, I am keen to support their continued growth and success, for example, helping them win funding or promote themselves locally.    

I will also support efforts to re-start the Hayling Ferry. A number of interested parties have already expressed an interest in replacing the former private company that ran it, so that is a good sign.  

• Save the Ferry and significantly upgrade its service.
  
  
• A new multi-purpose NHS centre - ideally combining GP practices with local NHS services including out-patients clinics, community psychiatry, minor injuries treatment, X-Ray etc. 
  
  
• Improved bus services, particularly running later at night.  

To seek to promote Hayling Island as a unique community, ideal for living, working, and visiting.   However there are issues with transport and infrastructure that need addressing to avoid it becoming a backwater.

Hayling Ferry.   A large number of Hayling Island school children once used this service to access private schools in Portsmouth but it recently became unreliable and serious safety worries had been expressed.  Reinstating a properly managed, reliable ferry service is essential.  Initially, this requires local government or European funding but ultimately it should be a self-supporting social-enterprise for the benefit of the island. 

Cycleways.   Supporting Cycle Hayling in its work with landowners and the Council must be a priority for the next MP.  I would help negotiate shared rights-of-way, focusing on providing safe routes especially to island schools.  Developing and improving off-road cycleways will also benefit commuters and leisure riders as an alternative to the main Havant road.  We should target European Community sponsorship for an ambitious Hayling cycle infrastructure as other cities and towns have. This would include a full upgrade of the Hayling Billy and construction of a leisure bridge.  This sensible sustainable strategy anticipates multiple benefits to reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality, preserve flood-defences and boost green tourism.

Traffic calming.   Commitment to reducing the speed limit on the main Havant Road to 30 mph and preferably all over the Island has been supported by many residents I met.  Near schools I would encourage the implementation of a “20 is Plenty” policy, especially during pupil arrival and departure times.  This might not be popular with a minority of drivers but it would make the neighbourhood safer for children, pedestrians and cyclists, less pollution and a more peaceful environment

Don’t want it for motor vehicles.  If we had it, the whole of Hayling would become developed like Portsea Island. 

I favour a second bridge on the Hayling Billy route for cyclists and pedestrians though.

I don’t think we need a second road as that could open up the Island to large amounts of inappropriate development and even more congestion. With more homes demanded, development could be difficult to resist with better access.

However, better access for cycles and pedestrians would be welcome.

I don't think it's a practical proposition.  Lets face it when people move to Hayling they do so knowing that transport on and off the island is not going to be the best of life's features. 

However, I do support the idea of a new hard surface north south cycle route that would include a new cycle bridge alongside the existing road link and a significant upgrading of the ferry service.

The need for a second crossing needs investigating further    If a route can be identified and the funding is available then I would support the principle.

It has to be considered that a new road would also attract more, not less, cars and would predictably increase congestion.  Most residents I spoke to on Hayling were not in favour of this.  The European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) is targeting 6 billion Euro for cycling between 2014-2020, including construction of 50,000 km of new cycle paths.  European Union cycle project grants can be obtained from various programmes and agencies. In principle, cycling initiatives are eligible for funding in the policy areas of transport, energy, environment, health, regional development and tourism. 

I find the proposal of a Leisure Bridge alongside the existing bridge to be a very coherent project. The 1-5 million Euro this would cost could be funded from funds available to member states if the constituency championed such an initiative.  Moreover, the excellent plans already designed will double-up as an extra lane for traffic during peak periods – a win-win solution to sustainably reduce congestion and improve safe cycle infrastructure.

No more Green Field development.  I was on the Save Hayling Committee that raised over 4,800 signatures against mass housing development.  The main road off the Island would be built as a two-lane dual carriageway if built from scratch to cater for the cars and houses on the Island.  I support small brownfield developments.

We need to get the balance right between appropriate housebuilding to allow local families and young people to live locally, and protecting Hayling’s unique coastal and semi-rural character.

Developments should focus on brownfield sites, and should include affordable housing, as well as a mix of unit sizes (i.e. 1 and 2 bedroom flats for first time buyers, and older people – not just large 3-4 bedroom houses).

Havant Borough Council has a well-constructed and coherent housing plan (the Housing “Allocations Plan”), developed in conjunction with local residents, which regulates the type and amount of housing development on Hayling, and that works well.

• No new Green Field develops. 
• Some limited additional social housing, combined with shops and offices, in appropriate areas – for example the Pullingers site. 

There is a need for housing but this need to be provided with the supporting infrastructure identified and a clear plan.  The local council should enable this through their local plan but I wouldn’t support development that didn’t include the plans for infrastructure improvement  

Hayling Island is a fantastic community and that's down to the residents getting together and working hard.  Islanders deserve an MP and councillors who speak up for the neighbourhood to get the services needed by existing residents, and who make sure that house and road building meets the needs of the community and natural environment, not just the plans of developers. 

Any new-build homes need to be affordable carbon-zero with south-facing roofs for solar photo-voltaic panels to generate electricity and reduce domestic energy bills.

Schools are virtually full now and cannot cope and they are under-funded following central government savage grant cuts from inappropriate allocations in budgets. 

Waiting time at the surgery is 2-3 weeks. The health centre needs extending but there is no space; we also need more doctors and dentists.  This is urgent, but nothing is being done.

Hampshire receives less money for education per child than other areas of the country, so as your local MP I would work with other Hampshire MPs to ensure our county – and our constituency – gets its fair share from central government. Hampshire County Council (HCC) are responsible for local schools and funding, and I have already met the HCC Cabinet member responsible for education to discuss this.

On health, Conservatives have pledged to ensure GPs’ surgeries like Hayling Medical Centre are open at evenings and weekends to suit the public, so this will increase capacity. I also want to secure more funding from the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) who are responsible for allocating health spending locally, to ensure Hayling’s future needs are met.

I would work with the relevant organisations to look at how the support provision for additional housing is put in place.   This would include the County Council and the NHS through the local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) 

Hayling Island is a pleasant place to live, but we all know it could be better.  As MP I would work with Councillors to provide low-cost bus travel including an evening service.  By lobbying Hampshire and the EU we could create safe cycle routes to Island schools, which would benefit households and visitors.  Sustaining our prestigious coastline also means campaigning with residents associations against fly-tipping and littering.  I support the demand of local businesses for fairer car-park charges or their elimination.  

I have a track-record of reforming services in health, education and justice. Now I'm asking for the trust of voters to represent and work in Parliament to energize our local economy and empower our neighbourhoods.

The previous Labour and the current Conservative led coalition government have failed to look after local businesses.  Business rates need to be substantially cut to allow businesses to be competitive with on-line businesses that are not taxed to the same extent. 

A fellow resident and I raised a 4,500 petition against the 42% increase in car parking charges and Tory proposals to implement car parking charges at the Health Centre.  We managed to get that increase partially reversed but it remains my objective to see further reductions in car parking charges to encourage local shopping.  

Cut taxes and reform business rates: Conservatives have cut the rate of corporation tax and national insurance jobs tax that businesses pay, and we are reviewing the business rates system, so we are cutting the cost of doing business. As a small business owner myself, this is the sort of practical support local businesses need, and appreciate.

Business promotion: I want to promote local businesses to the wider world, for example through promoting Hayling as a visitor destination.

Car parking: Havant Borough Council is responsible for car parking (rather than the MP), but I support their work on this. They have reduced parking charges in Mengham, and introduced short term free parking, plus retained free car parking in other areas of the Island and at the Health Centre. We must continue to make car parking easier and cheaper to bring trade to local businesses. 

Networking & idea-sharing: I have started the Havant Business Club (HBC) to bring together local business leaders to share ideas about how we can develop Hayling’s economy. My HBC is co-chaired by Chris Snell, Managing Director of Tournerbury Woods Estate on Hayling, and by Hayling resident Gary Medlow, who runs Langstone Technology Park. We had a successful launch event with high streets and local enterprise Minister Penny Mourdant MP attended by a range of local business owners, including Chris, Gary, and Clare Satchwell who runs an online business from Sparkes Marina. 

I have also launched the Havant Next Generation Network (NGN), a network for local young professionals and business owners under 40. The NGN is co-chaired by Tim Pike, Managing Director of Northney Ice Cream. His family also run Northney Farm and Tea Rooms. We have had 2 successful networking events so far, including one at the Langstone Hotel. 

• Campaign for the retention of the business rate relief for small business. 
• Support bids for tourism funding and tourist facilities improvements.

I would support small business Saturday, and also encourage networking among the local businesses to bring people into the local shopping centres by arranging events, linking advertising, loyalty schemes, etc. The Hayling bookshop does this well.

Energizing enterprise is my proposal, through generating permanently low-cost heat and power.  In Parliament I will champion affordable geothermal resources for Hayling Island families and businesses through European green energy grants (as Labour MP Alan Whitehead did in Southampton !).  Zero-carbon sustainable energy is drawn from the hot aquifer located 1000 metres below the Island and Havant.  It is environmentally friendly, requiring no fracking, no injection of toxic chemicals and no re-drilling.  The only discharge into the atmosphere is water vapour.  Unlike wind and solar energy, geothermal heat and power is permanently available.  Low cost green energy would be the single most attractive key to incoming investment and entrepreneurialism.  It would boost business profits in line with local interests.

It is too high, and business rates for small businesses and retail outlets need to be substantially reduced for them to be able to compete with on-line businesses on a level playing field.

I understand from my time working in my family’s small shop, and starting my own business, how tight margins are for small businesses, so I am keen to help. 

Conservatives have started a business rates review to overhaul the business rates system to help small retailers like those on Hayling. I will support that review. 

As I say, the small business rate relief is now under threat and must be retained – very important this for the diversity of small independent shops on Hayling.  I would like to see the parameters for this relief expanded, so that larger premises and those with two outlets in the same area are included.

I would work with the local Borough council to see what they could do to alleviate business rates for smaller businesses.  I would also lobby at Westminster to investigate a fairer way of charging businesses – eg by turnover rather than size of premises.

At a national level the Labour Party is committed to reducing National Insurance payments for small-medium sized businesses.  Regarding the local tax burden on retailers I would work with Councillors to reduce business rates and increase incentives for new investment. 

There is a need for an integrated 21st century vision to encourage, facilitate and mentor young entrepreneurs to set up new ventures with a low-tax threshold on the Island.

Proper funding for the schools needs to be restored, and which has been cut directly by Hampshire County Council and indirectly by a £90 million government grant reduction.  UKIP policy is grammar schools in every constituency to encourage the able to excel.  I am aware of the issue you have raised and I am currently working with the college to encourage STEM subject specialisation in conjunction with the University of Southampton.

I have met Hayling College’s new headteacher Colin Rainford to discuss how I could help if elected. I also met a range of Hayling College students of all ages, and some teachers and parents, to listen to their views too.

I have also met the headteachers of every secondary school in the constituency, as well as the Havant Federation of Schools (a network of some, but not all, local headteachers), to discuss my plan to raise local school standards called “Havant Head Start”.

Havant Head Start is a package of measures, backed by me as your local MP,  and delivered by schools. These measures range from attracting high-quality teachers to the area to ensuring schools share ideas/lesson plans to get the best out of our students. I want every young person to fulfil their potential, and go onto a good job, apprenticeship or university after school.

I will also share my experience as a school governor, Alumni Advisory Board member at Cambridge University, and as a speaker for Speakers for Schools (a charity that brings together Britain’s most successful leaders to provide careers advice and talks to state secondary schools students).

The Greens have a progamme of major change in Education, that would lead to a much improved provision in Hayling (see http://policy.greenparty.org.uk/ed.html).  I believe that the distinctiveness of Hayling suggests that some kind of post 16 provisions ought to be available on the island so that as well as students having the option of travel to Havant College and South Downs there might be a 6th form unit on the Island, probably attached to Hayling College. 

Having post 16 students in the school helps attract better qualified teachers and raises standards generally – an example is Oaklands RC School.

The Liberal Democrats are committed to funding for Education from Nursery to 19 and this investment would help to ensure that local schools are best supported   My role would be to work with local schools to ensure that they get the support they need form both the County Council and from Central Government 

The island benefits from excellent educators but all schools have struggled to manage cuts and confusion in current government policies.  I believe in choice, but aspirational education for all needs to be properly funded for the long-term. 

My Charity ‘Europe to Europe’ runs Summer Schools for disadvantaged high-achievers called OpenEd which encourages an international world-view, enterprise, character and leadership.  For example extra investment in our pupils can support ambitious young teams starting a business at 16, creating an NGO at 17 and running a political campaign at 18.  Billions of  Euro EU Erasmus+ funding for this innovative extra-mural education is available until 2020 if local schools and youth organisations are simply prepared to apply for it.

My main aim is to bring together the many and various business and community groups across Hayling which have an interest in promoting local tourism so we have a unified, strategic and focused body to promote Hayling as a brand and destination. We would then develop a strategic plan to promote Hayling’s various “tourism” offerings from watersports and golf to walking and cycling. I also have plans for an “Amazing Hayling” brand under which various promotional activities could sit. Local groups would lead this effort, but I would support and guide it as local MP. 

I’ve also visited a range of tourism sector businesses and organisations to understand their needs, from Parkdean, Mill Rythe, Sinah Warren and Lakeside holiday parks, to Marshall Hill (who owns the funfair) as well as local groups like the Hayling Island Residents Association and shopkeepers in Eastoke and Mengham.

• The Island is reviving as a tourist destination.  All three main “holiday camps” are reportedly doing well and the introduction of activities like the Kite Surfing festival have given the island a major boost. 
• Two things hold us back – the lack of a good integrated public transport system and the limited availability hotel and other accommodation types of  provision, so I would want to see plans developed to address both of these.
• Cycling on the island is also a growing tourism sector.  A recent survey of those cycling on the Billy Line in the summer found half of them were not from this area.  Better cycling provision and promotion is needed to develop this area.        

There has been great success in recent years in bringing national events such as the Windsurfing Festival in September to the Island.   I would do all I could to encourage more of these.  

I would also work with the Borough Council to promote Hayling Island as a year-round resort, and would support initiatives to bring people in 'off-season' with eg Christmas markets.

I would target European funding for cycleways, to reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality, preserve flood-defences and boost green tourism.  The European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) is targeting 6 billion Euro for cycling between 2014-2020, including construction of 50,000 km of new cycle paths.  Cycle project grants can be obtained from various programmes and agencies.

In principle, cycling initiatives are eligible for funding in the EU policy areas of transport, energy, environment, health, regional development and tourism. 

I fundamentally disagree with the Bedroom Tax and I know many people who are suffering from it.  I also disagree with the Conservative led Coalition policy of focussing cost savings on the poorest and neediest.  Instead I want tax avoidance and evasion targeted and I want the Coalition to stop agreeing sweetheart deals with larger corporations to settle tax evasion disputes and instead get the right amount of tax collected.

We help the poor by allowing them to keep more of the money they earn, so their disposable income rises. We have nearly doubled the tax-free personal allowance to over £10,000, and will make the minimum wage tax-free if re-elected. This will have a positive impact on the lowest earners.

For those that can’t work, we have introduced the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to ensure those with disabilities get the help they need.

I will also use my experience as former President of Magic Breakfast, working with Britain’s toughest inner city communities and feeding hungry children, to ensure we don’t forget vulnerable people locally. By building a growing economy we can fund the help they need, and to ensure that there are jobs for those that want to work their way to a brighter future. 

• There are pockets of serious deprivation on Hayling.  Part of the problem is isolation and lack of good quality social housing. 
  
  
• Green party policies on the Living Wage and an end to Benefit sanctioning directly address these issues, but in the end what we need is a more equal and caring society.  

We need to ensure that the standard of privately rented housing is adequate, and that there is sufficient support for young families and single people moving on to the Island.   I would encourage the community schemes such as Good Neighbours, and do all I could to find funding for these groups.

People I meet want specific plans for how we can change things, like reducing student loans and solving the cost-of-living crisis. They want to work or start a business and lift their family to a higher standard of living.

 I will always fiercely defend our NHS from fragmentation and privitisation (and support proposals to join up local hospital and home-care services which will particularly benefit disabled and elderly residents). 

As a social reformer and criminologist I have evidence-based experience and solutions to tackle causes of homelessness, hunger, debt and dependency.  Local vulnerable people are hoping for a hand up not a hand-out.

Te Government has cut Police funding by 22%; my belief is that Police funding should beh restored with the funding taken from a £10 billion cut in foreign aid (to bring it to Spanish levels). Police funding cuts are unacceptable.

I would lobby Hampshire’s Police & Crime Commissioner (who is the elected politician that sets policing priorities across Hampshire) for more funding locally, and work with our local councillors and the local Hayling policing team to ensure we have adequate numbers of front-line police officers on the ground, not in back-office functions. 

I am increasingly concerned by this move by Hampshire Constabulary.   Similar things are happening in Havant and Waterlooville.  I don't feel that police services and libraries mix very well.   So I would want to talk seriously to the Police and Crime Commissioner about his strategy.   

The responsibility for decision around the location of police stations and provision of officers now falls to the Police and Crime Commissioner but I would work with him to ensure that police cover for Hayling is adequate and deals with the concerns of the community

Adequately funded smart Neighbourhood Policing is essential for our families, businesses and tourists.  Implementation of modern technologies can help reduce costs and increase efficiencies but reducing numbers of qualified local police officers is dangerous.  Another 5 years of arbitrary 20% cuts in policing is unsustainable, as is the failed expensive Crime Commissioner experiment. 

From my own experience leading justice reforms, 80% of the causes of crime related to alcohol and drugs can be significantly addressed by a strategic approach to supply and demand reduction of such substances, especially to our children and teenagers.  I’m coordinating a team to develop a break-through inter-disciplinary approach called SPERA for police, probation and health services.  As we know in practice it is possible to tip the balance in the direction of hope if we are tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime.