George Cross for the NHS

10 Feb 2021
Eric feels the NHS should be awarded the George Cross, the UK's highest award for civilian gallantry, equal in status to the Victoria Cross.

He has written to the Queen and the Prime Minister with his suggestion as a way of recognizing the courage of NHS workers in the face of the Covid pandemic, over 200 of whom have given their lives after getting Covid19.

Eric lambasts graffiti vandals

11 Mar 2021
Eric has complained that vandalism is going unchecked and cites the damage to the Eden Bridge underpass.
The underpass is daubed with graffiti with the vandals' own 'tags' as well as misinformation about coronavirus among other things.

Eric issues a life saving warning

20 Nov 2020
Eric took the opportunity on World Pancreatic Day yesterday to issue a warning.
Shortly after retiring as Carlisle's MP ten years ago, he visited his GP for a routne asthma appointment and a chance remark saved his life.

Hotel on Staples site would preserve Turkish Baths

5 Oct 2019
Eric has suggested a hotel be built on James Street next to the Turkish baths.
He has submitted his idea to a consultation which has opened for the station and surrounding area.

Call for abuse inquiry

19 Sep 2019
Eric has asked Cumbria's Chief Constable to look at how police handled allegations of abuse at Garlands mental health hospital in 1998.
This stems from information arising from a police investigation into alleged abuse at Muckamore Abbey in Northern Ireland, and Eric wants to be reassured that should new information arise concerning Garlands the police in Cumbria would investigate thoroughly.

Eric pays tribute to the Duke

10 Apr 2021
Eric has paid his own tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh.
He recalls the time when, during a visit to a factory in Wigton, he met Prince Philip face to face.

Prince Philip, the expert carriage driver.

Gambling not the answer to empty shops

14 Dec 2020
Eric is opposing arcade plans for Carlisle city centre.
An international company has put forward plans to convert the former 'Yours' store in English Street into an adult gaming arcade.

Delay Cumbria reform plans, says Eric

30 Oct 2020
Eric has said that plans to abolish the six district councils in Cumbria and make the county council a unitary authority should be delayed because of the pandemic.
He argues that the local councils should be focusing on the pandemic rather than entering a complete reorganisation.

Flood defences not enough

10 Aug 2020
Eric has welcomed flood defences that protect parts of Carlisle, but says it's not enough.
He points out that even though Storm Desmond hit his area badly he says he and his neighbours still face another winter unprotected.

West Coast rail disruption

30 Nov 2019

Eric has published figures showing that trains on the west coast main line had been halted over seventy times since April 2014.
Recently a stretch of overhead power cable a quarter of a mile long was brought down on the line delaying trains for hours.

Train contract will reduce competition 20 Sep 2019
Eric has expressed his concern about the changes soon to affect the West Coast Main Line. He says that awarding the contract to First Group will remove competition. Virgin, who are losing the contract, have run the West Coast Line since 1997.

Tribute to Robin Burgess

26 Feb 2019
Eric paid tribute to Robin Burgess, the newspaperman who led the CN Group for three decades.
Mr Burgess died aged 68. The CN Group which he led publishes the local News & Star paper among others. He believed in a locally owned and locally published local press and was driven by a great sense of duty and loyalty to Carlisle and Cumbria.

Hospital bosses should "stop believing their own propaganda"

12 Oct 2018
Eric has entered the row about ward closures at Cumbrian hospitals.
Following the closure of the Aspen ward at the Cumberland Infirmary, Eric said the true motive was cutting because of the trust's £185 million deficit.

Where have all the Cop Shops gone?

30 Aug 2017
A wave of closures of police stations in Cumbria has attracted Eric's criticism.
He argues that if there was a need for a police station in the first place, there would have to be good reasons for its removal, and he suspects that in these cases, this is not the case.

Eric hits out at Hunters

15 May 2017
Eric is strongly critical of Tory moves to bring back fox hunting.
The Prime Minister has promised another vote on the issue, in an attempt to reverse the move by the Labour government a decade or more ago.

Monitor
this page

Carlisle Labour Party

This website should be viewable on all browsers at all settings. It is optimal at 1024x768. If you have problems viewing this site, please contact the Webmaster.

As of 1 Jan 2010 this website is not publicly funded

On behalf of Eric Martlew, 3 Chatsworth Square Carlisle Cumbria CA1 1HB

Homepage