This polling week, CHAOS Radio is featuring each of the candidates standing in the 2024 general election here in the Newquay and St Austell constituency. Keep it CHAOS to read their views, plans, and priorities for our community.
There are two questions we need to ask ourselves before deciding who to vote for at this general election.
First, have things got any better over the last years of Conservative government?
Second, if you agree that the Conservatives need to go, who is best placed in our area to beat them and to stand up for St Austell and Newquay?
I have knocked on thousands of doors over the last few months and spoken to many local people but I am yet to find anyone who can tell me what is better now than it was nine years ago.
Everyone agrees that the Conservatives have broken our country and it is time for change.
In Cornwall, the choice is always clear: it is either the Liberal Democrats or the Conservatives who can win here.
Committed to Cornwall, I will fight for a better deal for our area.
We know the problems: we need to rescue the NHS, sort out social care for our older people and get more GPs and dentists.
We need to make sure we give our young people a chance to get good quality housing and that means more affordable homes – restricting second homes and properties lost to AirBnB – and we need to put our environment front and centre of what we do: stopping the discharge of sewage into our rivers and seas.
There is much to do. The Conservatives have failed.
Our voting system is also broken. Sadly it means that a vote for anyone other than the top two parties in our area will only help the Conservatives.
The Greens cannot win in our area, a vote for them will just help the Tories. Labour have not won this constituency since it was created in 2010.
The choice is clear, it is the Liberal Democrats or the Conservatives that will win here. Of course, the Lib Dems would change the voting system so that every vote counts but that is not the system we have now. Please use your vote wisely.
For many I am a familiar face in Newquay and St Austell, having spent more than 20 years campaigning on vital regional issues from clean water to responsible planning.
I have fought for our area as a magistrate, as Mayor of Newquay and as a town and Cornwall councillor.
It is my love for Cornwall that is at the heart of everything I do. It is time for change and we need someone who understands our area to deliver that change.
I pledge to fight day and night for a better deal for Cornwall and get more powers for our local community so we can make the right decisions for our future and not be left behind.
Please lend me your vote at this election and let’s send a clear message that Cornwall demands more and better.
We know we can do better than this. We know that we deserve better than this. It’s time for change.
For features of the other six candidates standing in the 2024 general election here in the Newquay and St Austell constituency, head on over to CHAOS Radio News.
CHAOS Radio were out and about in the local area last week, capturing a snapshot of the issues that matter to you most.
In a special election broadcast, we explore Education, Economy, Environment, Housing, Healthcare and, Social and Community Concerns; and contextualise these against the main parties’ manifestos to give you a greater perspective ahead of casting your vote.
Click HERE to learn more and to watch the broadcast back in full.
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