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my campaigns
During the last three years or so as Cheltenham’s candidate I have tried to champion a number of local concerns on behalf of residents. Here are some key areas that have featured:
nhs
 I am a huge supporter of our National Health Service, there for us when we need it regardless of our ability to pay. My own life was saved by NHS surgeons in 1991 and I currently work as a Cancer charity director. Patient care in the NHS is therefore one of my top priorities and I am fighting for the retention of local services in the town. We have a first class hospital at present but there are concerns that we might lose services or see them fragmented across the county or beyond. I recently launched a major health survey across town to hear your opinions. I was delighted that David Cameron has pledged to increase spending on such an important asset.
save our small shops
 Cheltenham is famous throughout the region and beyond for our heritage of long-established small shops and businesses. Cheltenham has proved a centre of enterprise, of family businesses and independent traders. But this is steadily under threat as we lose our identity and our High Street becomes a Clone Town, like every other in Britain. We all; have a responsibility to ensure the survival of our independent shopping parades – and I want the Council to appoint a Retail Champion for our network of small shops. For more information please my dedicated site.
protect our green spaces
 Our green spaces in our town, renowned for being the Centre for the Cotswolds, are part of our cherished environment. They are the lungs of our community. But these are threatened – especially in parts of Leckhampton and Swindon Village, by the imposition of an additional 13,800 houses by 2026 by the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS). This regional tier of unelected and unaccountable Government, which sits outside of Gloucestershire, has been challenged by thousands of residents. I have been vociferous in my opposition to this imposition. The RSS will be abolished by a future Conservative Government, with powers for deciding house-building targets returned to locally elected Councils.
armed forces
 Our armed forces face almost unprecedented challenges abroad, facing a difficult enemy in extraordinary terrain. They deserve our whole-hearted support – and they have mine. I have given my pledge to the Royal British Legion to ‘do my bit’ and committed to their manifesto. And I am a keen supporter of Remembrance, selling Royal British Legion poppies annually as well as paying respect at our town’s Act and Festival of Remembrance. Gloucestershire has a long and distinguished record of service to our armed forces of which I am immensely proud.
keeping our amenities
 Alarmingly we have lost 52 public houses each and every week since January 2009; many of these have been in Cheltenham, stripping away strong and long-established community assets. Pubs are often the centre of a neighbourhood, important for social gatherings and neighbourliness. I am keen to support such establishments especially when local people are objecting to threatened closure.
And our Post Office network under this Government has been sorely diminished. Since 1997 we have lost ten sub Post Offices; we are down to 8 from 18. We cannot afford more Post Offices to close; they provide a key service to so many residents, especially elderly people and young families. I have petitioned strongly to maintain our network of Post Office branches since becoming Candidate.
the importance of education
 I spent more than 20 years as a secondary school teacher of history and politics. Giving young people a chance in life is one of my key priorities. Government does not have all the answers for our children’s needs. Headteachers, teachers, parents and governors should, in my view, have much more say about what happens in schools. That include what can be taught, how discipline is managed, and what rules about behaviour and uniform should prevail.
I am a governor of three of Cheltenham’s state schools and my commitment to support young people, whatever their aspirations, is key to my wanting to be a Member of Parliament.
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