Your General Election June 8 2017 Round-up
As Brecon and Radnorshire go to the Vote tomorrow, FYITalgarth contacted each of the candidates for a summarising statement before the community goes to vote tomorrow. Here is what they had to say...
Chris Davies - Conservative & Unionist Party
“It has been my immense privilege to represent the people over Brecon & Radnorshire over the last two years.
My team and I have dealt with over 4000 constituency cases since 2015. I have worked hard to achieve my pledges on areas such as employment, which we have seen improve in Brecon and Radnorshire, with our constituency now having the lowest levels of unemployment in Wales.
Rural super-fast broadband access has risen from just over 40% to just under 70% over the past two years due to central Government investment I have pushed for.
I have battled to keep Brecon Barracks open at all costs and if given the chance to continue as your MP I will fight on to protect the Barracks’ future in the great military town of Brecon.
I hope the people of Brecon & Radnorshire will put their trust in me to remain as their MP as there is so much more I want to achieve for our beautiful constituency”.
https://youtu.be/cr9fkxgxi-c
James Gibson-Watt - Liberal Democrats
This election is your opportunity to elect a Member of Parliament for everyone. The polls have been suggesting the Conservatives will have a majority, knowing that we need to make sure we have a Member of Parliament who will get the job done. As a County Councillor and Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrat group I am proud to have stood up for everyone in the community I represent and beyond, opposing closures of day centres, schools and fighting for the provision of the Welsh medium education in Powys.
The Conservatives are hell bent on a hard brexit, coupled with the harshest possible austerity we have already seen their proposals for a dementia tax, cutting pensions and removing winter fuel payments. If elected I will be an MP for everyone, working with all our communities to protect the vital services that matter to all of us as the Conservatives continue their ideological program of austerity, running down our NHS, Schools and Social Services. Polls are open from 7am-10pm. You do not need your polling card to vote, you only need to give your name and address. This is your chance to be heard.
https://youtu.be/UE0lfe5Su_Y
Kate Heneghan - Plaid Cymru
I am from West Wales and have lived and worked in Powys for the past 26 years. I moved here in 1990 when my husband became a GP in Brecon.
I qualified as a Registered Nurse and Midwife in Wales in the 1980s. In 2012 I gained a Masters in Public Health from the Cardiff School of Medicine. I have always lived and worked in Wales and am passionate about our country.
I worked as a Senior Practitioner for the Local Public Health Team in Powys, based in Bronllys. I gained experience of working in partnership with many local organisations including the Local Health Board, Local Authority and Third Sector. I have a deep understanding of the rurality of the county and the challenges this can bring to local people.
I am standing to challenge Chris Davies’ record as MP and to help prevent Theresa May from winning a landslide victory. Under Conservative rule we have seen our public services decimated. Cuts to our welfare system have penalised the most vulnerable in our society; those who need our support the most. I pledge to fight for a social care system that is fit for the 21st Century and will look after our elderly.
I have four sons who were all educated in Brecon high school. I will fight to ensure all our young people have access to affordable housing and will aim to reverse cuts to vital housing support.
As someone who cares deeply about rural Wales I will fight to protect our farming and tourism from the practice of fracking for gas under the Beacons. On these issues and many others, Chris Davies has let us down badly.
Plaid Cymru has a positive post-Brexit plan. It is not about rerunning the referendum. Brexit will happen. It is about Wales and what happens to us after Brexit. People didn’t vote out to be worse off. We will secure the money promised pre Brexit - all £680 million/year, not a penny less. We will guarantee the rights of all EU citizens currently living and working in Wales. We will fight for the best deal for Welsh farmers and Welsh Industry. We will fight to ensure that £4.3 billion in public sector contracts are spent in Wales.
I am seriously worried about the economy here in Brecon and Radnorshire where we have the lowest wages in Wales and where according to recent UK Gov statistics the economy has consistently fallen since 2010 and currently sits well below that of the UK average.
Westminster has neglected our needs for generations, making us one of the poorest regions in Western Europe. Successive Tory and Labour governments have consistently prioritised investment in the South East of England at the expense of Wales. Plaid Cymru will not tolerate this neglect any longer. It is time to stand up for Wales.
I want to see small businesses in our towns thriving, giving a new lease of life to our high streets. To achieve this Plaid Cymru will: end the unfair business rates system by moving towards a turnover-based system; ensure a properly funded Welsh development Bank to invest in Welsh businesses; ensure access to a local bank by opening a publicly owned bank; and we will introduce a real, independently verified Living Wage.
https://youtu.be/_0plf7CbbBQ
Dan Lodge - Labour Party
'This election is vital because it will decide what sort of country we live in for the next five years. Theresa May wants a blank cheque to give tax cuts to the rich, and take from pensioners and those struggling to get by. Only Labour will stand up to Tory cuts aimed at Brecon and Radnorshire. Polling experts at Electoral Calculus have today put Labour in second place to Chris Davies, we've pulled ahead of the Lib Dems. Vote Labour, for the many not the few.'
https://youtu.be/MSGindJFifo
Peter Gilbert - UKIP
Unfortunately we have not had a personal comment from Mr Gilbert.
Polling stations will be open 7am until 10pm on polling day.
Did you know that 21% of voters didn’t vote in the 2015 UK general election because they didn’t have time to get to the polling station?
To vote at the UK general election you must be registered to vote and:
18 years of age or over on polling day
be a British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen
be resident at an address in the UK
(or a UK citizen living abroad who has been registered to vote in the UK in the last 15 years)
not be legally excluded from voting
The following cannot vote in a UK Parliament election:
members of the House of Lords
EU citizens (other than UK, Republic of Ireland, Cyprus and Malta) resident in the UK
anyone other than British, Irish and qualifying Commonwealth citizens
convicted persons detained in pursuance of their sentences, excluding contempt of court (though remand prisoners, unconvicted prisoners and civil prisoners can vote if they are on the electoral register)
anyone found guilty within the previous five years of corrupt or illegal practices in connection with an election
The UK general election uses the First Past The Post system.
You will receive one ballot paper.
You should mark an ‘X’ against the one candidate you want to elect to represent your constituency.
If you make a mistake you can ask the polling staff to give you another ballot paper.
When votes are counted, the candidate who receives the most votes is elected as MP for your constituency.
Voters in Northern Ireland, don't forget to bring a correct form of photo ID when you go to vote.
Many thanks to our colleagues from FYIBrecon for their video interviews.
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