Hartlepool pub owner joins by-election race and pledges to donate half MP's salary to food banks

Adam Gaines, who runs Rosie’s pub on Hartlepool Marina, has announced he will be standing as an independent candidate in the upcoming Parliamentary by-election to become Hartlepool MP.

Mr Gaines, 37, said he wants to help tackle the issue of child food poverty and address the troubles faced by people unable to afford feeding themselves and their families in Hartlepool.

He said: “Some of the customers of my pub Rosie’s have unfortunately been made destitute by the lockdowns and are using food banks to feed their kids.

“This deeply troubles me and highlights the essential work the food banks are doing because without them people would starve.

“I’ve pledged to give at least half the MP salary to food banks to help support them because I know they are struggling with the increased demand.”

Mr Gaines, originally from Washington, is also planning to stand as a candidate in the Headland and Harbour ward in the Hartlepool Borough Council local elections.

He added he believes causes of poverty in Hartlepool include “failed regeneration vanity projects”, a lack of investment in businesses and cuts in funding from the Government.

He said: “I don’t think they realise how bad the problem is.

“We need a driven voice in both local and national government to address issues head on and drive change.

“I aim to try to end child food poverty by enabling people to get a local education and attracting more jobs to Hartlepool.”

Mr Gaines said he believes a key role of an MP should be to drive investment into the area and that he would like to bring a university to Hartlepool.

He said: “I can confidently drive investment and job creation as I’ve done it myself in Hartlepool.

“It’s critical that Hartlepool gets a fully-fledged uni with a strong range of courses.

“It’s fallen behind other local centres such as Durham, Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Newcastle that have driven their local economy using universities.”

The by-election is to take place on Thursday, May 6, after the resignation of Mike Hill as Hartlepool MP last month.

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