Lib Dem Liz Simpson Responds to Ten Questions Posed By Tonbridge People - what do YOU think?

The Lib Dem Candidate Liz Simpson has responded to the top ten pre-election questions posed by Tonbridge People. 

Here are her answers:

1. Can you guarantee a grammar school place close to home for every child who passes the 11 plus?

 

I assume that this question relates to the difficulty some children in West Kent are having in accessing a Grammar School place locally. I am sure we have all seen the ridiculously long journeys some 11 years are expected to make to get to the appropriate school. All of the three main political parties oppose the building of any more Grammar Schools so we must ensure that Kent places in these schools go to Kent children.

It is not within the gift of an MP to guarantee grammar school places - that is the role of the local authority - in this case Kent County Council. At the last County Council meeting Sarah Hohler, the Conservative Cabinet Member for Education at the County Council, said that there were sufficient grammar school places for everyone in West Kent who needed one. Clearly though - there is a problem.

I believe it was changes introduced by a former Conservative Government that meant thatAcademy and Foundation schools were able to set their own admissions criteria. As a result some Academy and Foundation Grammar Schools have recently begun to choose their pupils by ranking them in order of their Eleven Plus mark. rather than nearness to the school. This means that children from West Kent have been losing out on a school place to a higher scoring child from Sussex.

If I were elected as your MP then I would work to change the law to ensure schools serve their own local communities first. I would also encourage the Kent County Council to put pressure on schools in West Kent to change their admission criteria to give priority to those selective pupils living nearest the schools - as a school in Gravesend has recently done.   This would also have the effect of school serving  their local community better which I think is crucial for the success of any school.  This would result in children living in Kent getting the places created for them, with Kent Council Tax payers money.　

2.  What will you do to improve our hospitals?We are exceptionally lucky to have a health service that is free at the point of delivery and every political party has committed to future improvements.  After years of neglect under the Conservatives with record waiting lists and dreadful cancer outcomes there have been improvements in the last few years – waiting lists have come down and cancer treatment is generally better.  But there are still many services that still seem to be starved of cash despite record spending.  I have worked in the NHS and like many people know that money is wasted left right and centre. I am looking forward to the opening of the new hospital at Pembury – the current hospitals at Pembury and Kent & Sussex are well past their sell by date.  But the new hospital is not an excuse to get rid of services needed at Maidstone, and  as your MP i would be fighting to keep full Maternity Services at Maidstone Hospital.  I believe removing it will endanger the lives of mothers giving birth.

There are concerns about how people are going to access the Pembury hospital – with poor road links, poor public transport and the likelihood of insufficient parking on site.  This would be a priority for me if elected on May 6th.

The Lib Dems have proposals to cut a huge amount of waste – cutting the size of the Department of Health in half, abolishing quangos such as Connecting for Health (has anyone even heard of that!), scrapping the Strategic Health Authorities and capping salaries of the top managers so that none earn more than the Prime Minister.  We would also cut back on the number of targets that medical staff are continually chasing, freeing them up to care for patients. In this way the money we saved from cutting back on bureaucracy could be used by medical staff to improve services for patients.  We will increase research and investment in dementia services, reduce dependency on medication by providing more counselling services to people with mental health problems, provide respite care for the many hard pressed carers and protect community services such as the cottage hospitals.

3. Will bin collections, library services and street cleaning be cut or improved?

These services are all provided by local councils. Tonbridge and Malling bin collections and street cleansing are the responsibility of the Borough Council and Library services the County Council. As an MP I would have little impact on those services - although I could well be part of the administration that was deciding on local government funding.One area that I would want to see improved is recycling. I am proud that it was the Lib Dems on Tonbridge and Malling who first introduced doorstep recycling of paper and cans (the green box scheme) – which the Conservatives described as “half baked and amateurish” when we first introduced it.  We then trialled green bin composting.  We were frustrated in our efforts to roll the scheme out – mainly by KCC’s inability to find anywhere to take the green waste for composting.  But it now covers the whole of Tonbridge and Malling and is held up as an example of good practice.  Liberal Democrats have a fantastic record across the country of leading on “green issues” and have done for many years.  If elected I would be looking for ways of working with local councils to increase the range of recycling.  Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council have not announced plans to make cuts to either bin collections or street cleansing - although there have been concerns about the future of plastics collections.

Kent County Council provides library services and it does seem that the way people use libraries has changed. Although book issues have risen, people use Libraries more and more for other services including accessing the internet.  Looking to the future eBooks are likely to become more and more popular – although I still prefer to read a real book!  It is important that councils keep the mobile library service running to provide facilities for those who cannot get to libraries.  People without access to the Internet should still be able to get those services via “libraries” – but it may be that we need to be more imaginative about where those “libraries” are – in Gateways for example as at Tenderden, so that residents can access a wide variety of services in one place.   I see a positive but different future for the library service if it is to remain relevant to the way people increasingly live their lives.

4. What will you do to improve children's services in Tonbridge?One of the things I most admire about Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg is his real commitment to improving children’s services - particularly education. I have many years experience as a school governor and see for myself the importance of a good start for all children regardless of their background. It cannot be right that in the 21st century a child’s chance of success in life still depends on their background. 

Under the Lib Dems, class sizes will be smaller, and there will be extra money to pay for more teachers, better discipline and catch up classes. Children will get the individual attention they need. Tuition fees will also be phased out so that anyone who gets the grades to go to university will be able to go whatever their background.

I am particularly concerned about the pressure that our social services department is under. There have been so many tragedies over the years across the country and still social workers have heavy case-loads, are understaffed and crippled with paper work; they often work without thanks and sometimes whatever they do is criticised - they are accused of either interfering too much or not taking action when they should. But it is true that in many cases childrens lives could have been saved if all the public services worked together , sharing their knowledge. If elected I would press for some major changes in the way social services are organised, forcing all services to work together,  with better sharing of information, better training, more resources and look for more partnership working with organisation such as the NSPCC.

5. Will petrol prices continue to rise? 

I do not have a crystal ball but the evidence so far is that prices will rise - whether as a result of fuel escalators, the whims of the producers or simply the law of supply and demand. It is a non-renewable resource and prices will rise as petrol becomes ever scarcer and more expensive to produce.

We need to be doing more to discourage reliance on the motor car. Public transport is hugely expensive compared to motoring - and as a result there is little incentive to reduce car usage. Public transport is unreliable, does not run at times or on routes convenient to most people. Until we do something about that people will not be able to reduce reliance on cars.

6. What will you do about the A21 widening scheme?

Generally speaking I and my fellow Liberal Democrats are not in favour of increasing road capacity and would prefer money to be spent on improving public transport. However, this particular road has a terrible accident record and will be used to access the new hospital, and so is much needed.

I will continue to support this project as I have done already at the Borough Council (along with my fellow Liberal Democrats). It is a Government scheme and it looks as if there will be a public enquiry.

I am also supporting the J5Slips campaign and visited recently with campaigners to show Catherine Bearder, Liberal Democrat MEP, the problem.  She too has lent her support to the campaign.  Provision of the slips would cut back congestion and pollution on the A25 dramatically and reduce journey times for people able to access the road directly. 

7. Will you improve the economy and boost trade on Tonbridge High Street?

Lib Dems have the ultimate financial expert in the shape of Vince Cable. If there is one man in the country who has the wisdom and knowledge to sort out the current crisis then it is Vince. He predicted all of the problems we are now facing and was laughed at by the other main parties. His plans will see an end to casino banking with banks being broken up so that they no longer wield so much power. Banks will be made to lend to businesses to encourage green technology to create lasting jobs. 

We would return business rates to local councils - and that would have an immediate beneficial impact on Tonbridge town centre.I support the Shop Local campaign which encourages people to spend more of their money in local shops, saving on petrol pollution, and keeping local jobs in local shops and on local farms.

Tonbridge really does have a lot going for it - it is a good tourist destination - the Castle, swimming pool, sports ground, Haysden County Park and the river. I used to love bringing my children over for a day out.

High Streets up and down the country have been really struggling to cope during the recession and there are empty units wherever you go. The Borough Council does have plans to regenerate Tonbridge and I hope they have a positive impact. I would like to see the High Street pedestrianised - at weekends at least. Many small towns have vibrant high streets - with smaller specialist shops, regular street markets, street entertainers, pavement cafes and so on. I know some people are against the idea of pedestrianisation but I think it would be worth a trial period at least.

8. Why is it worth voting for you?

Because I am born and bred in the constituency; because I brought up my family here and know and understand the lives of ordinary people; because I really care about my community. I have years of experience as a Borough Councillor and School Governor and I am known as a community champion.

I also represent a political party that believes in fairness - fairer taxes for all with the burden of taxes moved away from low paid workers and pensioners; a fair start for children regardless of their family background with smaller class sizes and additional money for schools in the most challenging areas; fair and transparent local politics with an end to sleaze and a change to the voting system so that every vote counts ; a fair green economy with jobs that last.

9. What are your 3 big promises and will you keep them?

In the previous answer I have spoken about the Liberal Democrat belief in fairness at the heart of all our policies - and I promise that I will continue to fight for greater fairness and for change that will make a real difference to our lives. Some of the big more local issues I intend to campaign on are: improvements to Tonbridge Town centre to make it an even better place to live, shop and work. campaign against unsuitable large scale developments such as Borough Green Freight Rail Depot (BIG) campaign for better public transport (including rail links to the City).

 Retaining full Maternity Services at Maidstone Hospital.I will stand up for all residents of Tonbridge and Malling and keep them all informed about what I am doing on their behalf using newsletters, the internet and email.

I will be open and honest and publish details of my expenses annually. I will not claim for a second home or rent a property either in Tonbridge and Malling or London. I will commute like everyone else has to. I will also continue to pay taxes in the UK .

10. Will you make yourself available to the people of Tonbridge after you have been voted in – or will nobody recognise you?

Of course! Residents deserve to have an MP who is accessible - after all it is you who pay the salaries and expenses. They should not just be visible at election time.

 I would continue to live in the Constituency ; this close to London there is no need for the MP to have a second home.  I will set up an office here which will be open at least five days per week. I will hold regular surgeries in easily accessible places. I will commute backwards and forwards to London - just like thousands of my fellow residents. I will also communicate regularly with residents via newsletters, emails, website etc.

As well as reporting back on what I have been doing - I will ask you to complete an annual survey about what matters to you. With all of the different media open to us now - there is no excuse for MPs to be remote from their constituents.

Email me on info@tonbridgeandmallinglibdems.org.uk.

Thank you Liz - and Tonbridge People, please tell us what you think of Liz Simpson's answers.