Fylde Hustings: Mini-manifestos

Blackpool Gazette

The Blackpool Gazette, Lancashire Post and Blackpool Lead invited the candidates standing for the Fylde constituency at the upcoming general election to a hustings in which they fielded questions from voters.    The candidates standing for election on 4th July were each given time to answer questions from an audience at The Lowther Pavilion Theatre in Lytham.    Four out of the seven people on the ballot took part in the event with Cheryl Morrison (Alliance for Democracy and Freedom), Brendan Wilkinson (Green Party) and Brook Wimbury (Reform UK) all absent.  In order of appearance on stage:  ANNE AITKEN (Independent) TOM CALVER (Labour) MARK JEWELL (Liberal Democrats) ANDREW SNOWDEN (Conservative Party)

Transcript

00:00stage the candidates in alphabetical order from your left to right. We have Anne Aitken who's

00:06standing as an independent, Tom Calver who's here for the Labour Party, Mark Jewels for the Liberal

00:12Democrats and Andrew Snowden for the Conservative Party. Now there are seven candidates standing in

00:18the Fyre constituency at the general election. We did of course invite them all. Three of them

00:24unfortunately were unable to make it and send their apologies. They are Cheryl Morrison for

00:29the Alliance for Democracy and Freedom who is away on holiday, Brendan Wilkinson who had

00:34unforeseen personal circumstances at the last minute meant he was unable to attend and also

00:39Brooke Wimbrey who's standing for Reform UK and was unfortunately unable to make it due to a

00:44pre-arranged meeting. So we thought we'd start by giving each of you 90 seconds, sorry each of our

00:51candidates 90 seconds to make their pitch to the people of Fyre. So nice and simple in alphabetical

00:58order we will start with Anne Aitken. Anne your 90 seconds whenever you're ready. Start now. Hello

01:03thank you, welcome. I'm Anne Aitken. I'm not a politician. I'm also not the person who someone

01:10should stop me did you become a Tory councillor. I've never stood on the council. What I am is a

01:17nurse of 40 years, a resident of Fylde, a mother of three and a grandmother of two and a half with

01:24one on the way. The reason I'm here is because I love the Fylde. I've grown up with the farmers,

01:33I've grown up with the fishermen. I know what the issues are. I never put myself out as being a

01:39politician but I suppose what you could say I'm is a diplomat and that's what all mothers are and

01:45that's what all nurses are. I have retired from nursing but I've gone back two days because with

01:50no staff and I just thought what is happening to the NHS for my grandchildren and our children.

01:57So that's the reason I'm here today. I can't profess to answer all your questions but I have

02:02spoken to a lot of people in the Fylde and I've learned more in the last four weeks about the Fylde

02:07than I have in the six to two years that I've lived here. So thank you very much for welcoming me.

02:13And thank you very much for your time.

02:21Tom whenever you're ready your mighty seconds start now. Good evening I'm Tom Carver. I'm

02:26standing for Labour and a vote for Labour in the Fylde is a vote to reduce our NHS waiting lists

02:30which have risen 1,800 in the past year alone and to improve access to community health and

02:36dental care. It's a vote to reverse the decline in teacher numbers so all our children get a decent

02:41education and for more support for young people both at school and in the community.

02:46It's a vote for more police undoing cuts that mean 90% of crime now goes unsolved and a vote

02:52for economic stability tackling energy prices mortgage rates and spiring rents and it's a vote

02:58to end the disgusting practice of sewage dumping carried out by United Utilities choking our waters

03:04fouling our beaches. Now none of this is going to be easy or quick there's a difficult economic

03:09legacy that we'll have to overcome but we have the focus and the commitment to do it my leadership

03:15and me and if elected my job is going to be to use my knowledge and skills from over 20 years

03:21in public services to ensure we get our share of those new opportunities to challenge plans as well

03:27like the current wind farm infrastructure that threaten disruption and damage across

03:32this constituency and a vote for me is also a vote for integrity and transparency.

03:37You'll know what I'm doing, you'll know who I'm talking to, you'll know how I'm voting and I'll

03:41tell you why. There'll be no slush funds and no secrets. I won't be calling anyone at 3am because

03:47I've been locked in a room by bad people but if you call me I'll be there for you. Thank you.

03:53Hello my name is Mark Jewell and I am your local Democrat candidate. I am a Preston City

04:10Councillor representing an area that was within the Fylde constituency before the boundary changes.

04:15I live within that ward on the west side of Preston on the boundary with Fylde. I have worked

04:20for a local aerospace company for the past almost 39 years and know Fylde well. I've not been

04:25parachuted in. I'm incredibly proud to be standing as your local Democrat candidate. Our manifesto

04:32is bold, ambitious, fully costed plan to save the NHS and fix the care crisis. The Conservatives

04:39have plunged the NHS into crisis failing to deliver the new hospitals they promised and making

04:46people wait for an ambulance, weeks to see a GP or months for urgent cancer treatment.

04:52They have let people down and taken Fylde for granted for far too long. In May we had a by-election

04:59in the Fylde in an area of Kilbrimol where the Liberal Democrats narrowly lost to the Conservatives

05:04by just 41 votes. Labour did not even turn up and fill the candidate. Their website also identified

05:12Fylde as a non-battleground constituency. It is the Liberal Democrats who are challenging the

05:17Conservatives here. I want to bring integrity as Fylde's MP and stand for a fair deal for Fylde.

05:24Thank you. Mark, thank you very much indeed. And finally Andrew Sloan from the Conservative Party.

05:31Andrew whenever you're ready, away you go. Good evening everybody. It is fantastic to be here

05:36and it is humbling to be representing an area in this election for the Conservative Party that I

05:43have known my whole life. In fact one of the first pieces of casework I will get if I am elected is

05:49this MP. It's from my dad who used to be one of the professional cricketers at St Anne's Cricket

05:54Club. He's deeply perturbed that he's only on the record board in the clubhouse for one season.

06:00His view is he turned up the second season, he might have been rubbish but he actually

06:04came along and should be on it as well. And as Police Commissioner and as County Councillor and

06:10Lead Member for Highways and Transport I've been working as part of Fylde and delivering

06:15investments for Fylde for the last seven years. People don't have to believe promises in leaflets

06:21from me because I delivered the things I promised to Fylde. When I was elected as Police and Crime

06:26Commissioner I said I would reopen to the public the stations that had been closed including right

06:31here in Fylde which I did. I said I would put back the neighbourhood policing teams which had

06:36been removed from the more rural areas of the county including here in Fylde which I did.

06:44And I have delivered all my promises because I believe that local hard-working MPs should be in

06:50touch with the constituents they serve, should know the issues and should be out there and be

06:56visible. Since being selected as the candidate I've knocked on nearly 6,000 doors across the

07:02Fylde with my team. Andrew I'm going to have to stop you there so we get to be

07:05straight and scrupulous with the time on these opening claims.

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