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Paul Maynard

Working hard for Blackpool North & Cleveleys
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About Paul Maynard

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Paul Maynard
Paul Maynard
Paul Maynard
Paul Maynard
Paul Maynard
Paul Maynard

Ever since Mrs Thatcher visited the special school I attended in Winsford, Cheshire, at the age of 4, politics has always held a certain fascination for me.

I only went to the special school for some intensive physio, before transferring to the local village primary two years later. By the time I reached 21, I had got myself a first class degree from Oxford and started a career in management consultancy. Politics then seduced me yet again, and I worked for Dr Liam Fox as speechwriter and adviser.

People are the ones who really matter

So in a sense, I am precisely what lots of people now object to – someone who has been stuck in a Westminster bubble. I don’t see it that way. One reason I am proud to have represented Blackpool North & Cleveleys is because I have a passionate belief that what really matters in politics is not the shenanigans in the corridors of power, but rather the connection you make with the people you represent.

The pleasure in in serving as an MP is knowing that your effort and commitment is valued by your constituents, and nothing cheers me more than when a Labour voter says that they’re sorry they can’t vote for me, as they think I’ve worked really hard as a constituency MP.

Take people as you find them

Yes, I have cerebral palsy. It’s very mild, and doesn’t really affect how I live. It probably affects the way some people see me, and there will always be people who write you off because of it – but I’ve never let them stop me. Some of the reactions I have had, and which have appeared in the media, have surprised me. Having had it all my life, I don’t know any different anyway, and I always believe we should take people as we find them.

I reckon that these life experiences make an individual a better Member of Parliament. I have had a perspective no-one else has. I was surprised, for example, at the impact my maiden speech had – even Private Eye thought it the best maiden speech of the 2010 intake, the only example of an MP ever being glad to have appeared within its covers!

The reality of life

It was a real excitement for me to be elected the MP for Blackpool North and Cleveleys in 2010. Everybody has fond memories of Blackpool, it sometimes seems, but the reality of two seaside resorts with below-average incomes, reshaping their purpose in a changing economic landscape, is that I see daily reality of those for whom life doesn’t always work out as they wish it had, often through no fault of their own, and so am further inspired to keep working to change that.

My Mum is from Liverpool, and she can remember going up to Blackpool regularly. I remember the thrill as a little boy as we went up the M6 heading for the illuminations too. I dislike all this ‘flat cap and whippet’ caricature of being a ‘northerner’. But I am proud of my northern roots. I think we’re a lot more down to earth up here in the north – and that’s another quality that politicians need to learn to acquire in spades.

Campaigns
Paul's proposal for a light rail loop connecting the Fylde coast together

Paul Maynard's Light Rail Loop

I've put forward a bold proposal to expand the Fylde Coast's light rail network.  Using mothballed routes and convertible under-used rail lines, I want to see tram services deliver new connections for Thornton and Fleetwood and to vastly improve frequencies for South Fylde Passengers.

Artificial Intelligence | Department for Work and Pensions | Written Answers

DWP is continually exploring the use of all types of Artificial Intelligence and its potential to support the provision of more digital s

Department for Work and Pensions: Pay | Department for Work and Pensions | Written Answers

The following is based on the UK’s real living wage rates of £12.00 per hour and £13.15 per hour for London as of 14 November 2023.

Parliamentary Questions: Costs | Department for Work and Pensions | Written Answers

There is no formal methodology – each Written Parliamentary Question is judged on its own merits, including whether a response can reason

Workplace Pensions | Department for Work and Pensions | Written Answers

The overarching objective of the advice requirement is to ensure that members understand the financial implications of transferring to a

Question | Department for Transport | Written Answers

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress her Department has made on using geospatial data to support the expansion of t

Pension Credit | Department for Work and Pensions | Written Answers

The number of applications for Pension Credit that were received for each of the financial years April 2020 to March 2023 is shown in the

Allied Steel And Wire: Pensions | Department for Work and Pensions | Written Answers

The Secretary of State has not met with the former Allied Steel and Wire employees to discuss their pension campaign.

Cohabitation: Pensions | Department for Work and Pensions | Written Answers

There has been no recent assessment of the accessibility of information on a deceased partner’s State Pension for unmarried couples, wher

Pensioners: Northern Ireland | Department for Work and Pensions | Written Answers

Support for pensioners is a transferred matter in Northern Ireland and the responsibility of the Department for Communities.

Cohabitation: Pensions | Department for Work and Pensions | Written Answers

The Department has recently looked at cohabiting couples’ rights in relation to their deceased partner’s occupational pension more widely

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Paul Maynard Member of Parliament for Blackpool North and Cleveleys

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ConservativesPromoted by R Rendell on behalf of P Maynard MP both of BNCCA, 70 Red Bank Road, Bispham, FY2 9HY
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