Next Thursday, July 20, Selby & Ainsty goes to the polls in a by-election caused by the resignation of sitting Conservative MP Nigel Adams.

To help our readers decide how to vote, The Press approached all 13 candidates who hope to become the next MP for the constituency of Selby and Ainsty.

We have asked for their views on a range of topics, and we will publish their responses both in print and online.

Today, we feature Tyler Callum Wilson, an Independent.

What is the biggest national issue facing us?

The biggest national issue facing our country of Yorkshire is a potential collapse of our civic society and democratic engagement by the control London and Corporate Financial Elites have over our Nation.

READ MORE:


Every issue- be it the cost of living, interest rates, crumbling business support, lack of good infrastructure, buses & public transport, costs of caring for our elderly loved ones, lack of good school places, etc, can be traced to a lack of control we have over almost every aspect of our lives & business. From Bad Landlords to Bad Politicians, Yorkshire Folk never catch a break.

What is the biggest local issue facing Selby & Ainsty and what would you do about it?

The greatest issue facing folk is the economic crisis, lack of good buses and A&E Hospital treatment.

Selby War Memorial Hospital is only open 12 hours a day. The nearest 24hr hospital is in York. How many people have died on the way to York Hospital because of the distance.

I will work with the upcoming North Yorkshire Mayor and Local Councils to prioritise public transport locally and I will knock on the door of the Treasury Number 11 Downing Street every single day until they release funding to re-instate 24-hour service at Selby Hospital.

What caused the cost of living crisis?

The Cost of Living Crisis is a consequence of Bad Westminster Political Economy and Inept Governance, combined with the consequences of Yorkshire being forgotten in the wider British political picture because of our lack of Devolved Power and Money.

In Germany & France energy costs are a fraction of what Yorkshire people face because the energy utility companies are owned by the people, not foreign companies like in Britain.

Read More:

I would nationalise Foreign-owned Fossil Fuel Energy Companies in the North Sea- It's Yorkshire's Gas!

What about Net Zero, green energy and energy security?

Climate Crisis and Ecological Collapse is *THE* issue of the 21st century.

Britain must prepare for this calamity, and the key for that is to tackle the problems of energy production with level heads, not allowing the extreme risks of our present worldwide situation to scare of terrify us into inaction- or worse yet- foolish reactions like abolishing all fossil fuels immediately.

The richer we make ourselves in the next 40 years, the better able we all will be to protect ourselves and help the world with the international calamity of Ecological Collapse when it does arrive.

Domestic energy production of all kinds is fundamentally important to reduce people's energy bills.

READ MORE:

I do support eventual carbon neutrality by the 2050s. I will advocate a radical increase in Wind Turbine, Solar Panel, Heat Pump and house insulation production.

This must also be accompanied by new Technical & Vocational Green Energy Colleges to train up Yorkshire's children in the Green Jobs. To save Yorkshire's Environment we must engage in Public Works programmes  and re-tool our Economy to one based on Renewable Energy and a transition away from fossil fuels.

What would you tell the Covid Inquiry?

The Covid Pandemic and Lockdowns were dark days, difficult for us all.

I worked as a Retail Keyworker during that time, and it destroyed my mental health, but I continued to go to work because I wanted to serve my community.

The lockdowns were necessary but too extreme and poorly
managed. Sweden pursued a different strategy of limited lockdowns and social distancing for elderly people which kept their economy running while isolating those most vulnerable.

Children didn't see their friends for years, which has caused well reported social problems, developmental delays, and difficulties in education.

The economy was collapsed by a combination of terrible political-economy, business lockdowns, and limited support.

The use of vaccines was vital. However, I oppose mandates as you can't force people to do something they don't want to do. The firing of thousands of Nurses & Social Care Workers because they
refused to take an inoculation was very morally wrong, not to mention stupid when our NHS has a huge deficit in Healthcare workers.

READ MORE:

The NHS at 75: Something to celebrate?

The NHS is Sacred and I, unlike The Conservatives or West Streeting will
never work to Privatise Our NHS.
The biggest problem with Yorkshire's NHS is that we have no control over it, meaning we simply  don't have the money available to fund these parts of the NHS, unlike in Wales or Scotland, where prescription charges are free.

To save the NHS we must simply pay people more, or else they will move abroad and leave us behind.

What about the Housing crisis?

The housing crisis is primarily a result of Rampant Landlordism and
decades of failure to build Social Housing.

I believe Housing is a Human Right, not a Private Privilege. I will abolish No Fault Evictions.

I also want a radical programme of Social Housing Construction, with 5000 social houses built across Selby & Ainsty.

I also want rent controls for poorer families which will cap rents at an affordable level and stop yearly rent increases.

What about immigration?

Yorkshire has over 150,000 vacancies in fruit picking, hospitality, social care, NHS, construction.

These are jobs which many British born people don't want to do.

Migrant workers and asylum seekers need to be given 6 month-rolling work visas so that they can work and earn their keep, instead of being criminalised and locked into hotels by the London Government, at the taxpayers’ expense.


What is your final rallying call.

I am in this Election for Yorkshire. A Vote for Cllr Tyler Callum Wilson-Kerr, is a Vote of confidence for the Future of Yorkshire!