General election candidates in Warwick and Leamington put forward their reasons for why you should vote for them

We asked each candidate to submit about 300 words covering the following questions: What local issues are important to you? What ideas do you have for the local area? Why should people vote for you?

Here are the replies we received.

Louis Adam (Liberal Democrats)

The issue I have really seen affecting people in the constituency are wait times for doctors.

I myself had to wait nine hours in Warwick Hospital A&E for a bed this year, when I had appendicitis. The staff did everything they could to look after me but without the space I was stuck waiting, like many often are.

It’s situations like this that affects so many people in need. I want to see improvements in the capacity of hospital beds, but also more care facilities that people can afford, so that NHS services in the area are not overwhelmed.

I also plan to work proactively to make the Rivers Leam and Avon cleaner, healthier watercourses that we can all enjoy.

In 2023, one sewer storm overflow alone in the constituency spilled 96 times for a total of 1,172 hours, discharging into the River Avon. This cannot be allowed to continue.

Our natural surroundings are one of the things that make me love living in this area. We need to protect them and I plan to be a strong voice for local people and wildlife.

I will continue to be a local champion for my constituents.

Often people feel that they are not represented by politicians. I want to buck that trend, by being accessible and honest, working in peoples’ interests.

Nigel Clarke (Reform UK)

Net Zero has sent energy costs soaring. It is making us poorer and colder, damaging British industry and forcing drivers off the road. The cost of energy affects us all.

China produces 29% of global CO2 Emissions - The UK produces less than 1%. Under the Conservatives or Labour, over the next decade, your life is going to be massively affected by their obsessive pursuit of so-called “Net Zero”- trying to reduce the UK's 1% of CO2, down to 0% - will cost us many thousands of billions of pounds which we don't have, so will have to borrow. No more diesel or petrol cars, no more gas boilers, just permanently higher fuel and food bills. Reform UK rejects this madness. Net Zero is a wealth transfer.

The United Kingdom is broken. The decisions being made by government are seemingly devoid of common sense or logic. Voting Reform is the only way to stop clueless career politicians from ensuring the spiral decline of this once-great nation. Reform will be the change, enabling entrepreneurs and local small businesses to grow, reducing red tape, simplifying taxation and taking the lower paid out of taxation entirely (under £20k). We can build a more prosperous United Kingdom. Reform will be tough on crime, support the vulnerable and make work pay for everyone.

The challenges we face are vast. Our country is worse off, both financially and culturally. The economy is being wrecked by record high taxes, record high national debt, wasteful government spending and nanny state regulations. The unprecedented population explosion has pushed Britain to breaking point. There’s a housing crisis, a benefits crisis, record crime, record NHS waiting lists and wages are stagnating.

The two-party system and our out-of-touch political class will destroy our futures. Reform UK is the common sense choice for working people and a better future.

Laurie Steele (UK Independence Party (UKIP))

I’m a resident in Whitnash, born and raised in Warwickshire. After a career in public service spanning 22 years in retail and 24 as a bus driver, I am in touch with the public.

Ever-increasing pot holes, filthy, illegible road signs, along with overhanging tree branches, all make for hazardous journeys. I would like to challenge why councils are investing huge monies into new cycleways, when very few cyclists seem to be using them, while the highways are starved of any funding. I’m not opposed to cycle ways, but we must prioritise!

I’m also concerned for our High Streets and the difficulties faced by our local businesses. I would work towards getting 2 hours free parking to help attract customers back to the High Street. UKIP would abolish all business rates based on rentable value of the property and replace with a Local Tax based on 10% of business net profit.

Not a supporter of solar farms, I would like solar panels put on council buildings, car parks, new houses, anywhere, but on farmland. We need to grow our food to be as sustainable as possible and reduce reliance on food imports. This will reduce costs and offer food security.

The last few years in politics, has disillusioned the electorate. We have politicians whose pledges are too good to be true, which they are! Seen a phoenix rising from the ashes, but how many times has the phoenix risen, only to fly off and furnish their own nest? A vote for me, would bring integrity and common sense back into politics. I advocate equality for all and am not afraid to challenge and speak out. I would represent the views of the constituency and work to put an end to wokeism and the erosion of our freedom. People not politics!

James Uffindell (Conservative)

I’m not a career politician; I’m an action-orientated businessman who gets things done, and I am determined to deliver for local people across our communities. That means delivering on more police officers, increasing from the 320 we’ve recruited over the past eight years. Safer streets, cutting crime, cracking down on county lines, and reducing anti-social behaviour – that’s my plan for the police.I want to invest more in education: our schools, our students, and their futures. I’m delighted the Conservative-funded Oakley School will open this September; Myton School is getting a new upper school, and the Conservatives have promised an extra £2 billion for the schools’ budget.We have great health services here, but we can always do more: Warwick Hospital is getting a new surgical unit, and I’m supporting a new Wellbeing Hub with GP practice at the old Covent Garden site. Many families in our towns are in new and recent developments; it is a top priority for me to ensure that there is appropriate infrastructure in place: health centres, shops, and good roads.We are blessed to have great businesses here, large and small, and I’ll hold a Jobs Fair each year to help everyone in our area find a secure job as well as campaign for changes to business rates to help our high streets. I will put my efforts into tackling the big issues and bring big ideas.I’m backing the plans for a new community stadium for Leamington; will make sure the Country Park in Bishop’s Tachbrook opens as soon as possible and improve transport for our rural areas.Above all, I will listen to residents and always respond; I’ll discuss my ideas with local people and ensure their voices are heard. Warwick and Leamington deserve an MP who is on their side.

Matt Western (Labour)

The issues of local residents are what are important to me. I am out talking to residents on the doorstep every week and the cost of living is a huge concern for so many people - they’ve seen massive increases in their mortgages and rocketing rents, how much their food shop now costs, the household energy bills that grow ever larger.

Housing is another concern of mine. So many people locally simply cannot get on the housing ladder and we are not seeing the housing built that our communities need such as social and truly affordable housing. Too many people who move in our area or into a new home in our towns and villages find themselves on an estate with little to no amenities, no local schools, GPs, dentists and more. This is simply not acceptable and I would continue to push for housing which serves our communities, not the developers.

I am determined to bring stability to our economy. No ordinary person is able to budget or plan their future when the economy is unstable.

There are obvious issues locally that I know need addressing, such as NHS waiting lists, anti-social behaviour including knife crime and the difficulties so many of our schools face.

Finally, I know how concerned people are by the fragility of our town centres and I agree. We are lucky to have so many wonderful businesses in our towns and villages and they deserve to thrive.

I got into politics because I was angry, angry at how people were being let down. That passion for our communities to get the support they deserve is what has driven me to represent this constituency to the best of my ability the last seven years. I promise you that if re-elected, I would continue to work tirelessly for our towns and villages, they deserve no less.

Hema YellaPragada (Green Party)

The local issues important to me are:

Proper infrastructure

We've all seen how construction companies build houses here without proper infrastructure and then swan off with the profit leaving local people to live with the problems. I am fighting to change the balance so that transport, GPs’ surgeries and schools are guaranteed to be delivered.

Actually affordable housing

There’s little evidence that just building more houses in a particular area reduces house prices. I will fight for more not-for-profit housing associations that the Conservatives have starved of funding. They can provide genuinely affordable and well insulated houses to rent and buy.

My ideas for the local area:

I want a laser focus on jobs and skills in Warwick and Leamington as we work to reach net-zero. Our towns are home to many leading motoring and gaming industries, employing many people. Organisations like the Advanced Propulsion Centre, supported by the likes of Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin are finding it difficult to establish a sustainable UK supply chain to support net zero goals.

Why people should vote for me:

My goal has always been to have a positive influence, whether serving meals to the elderly through Sewa Day or supporting Bee Friendly and Clean Air Warwickshire. I am also a trustee of Women Stepping Out. I have the privilege of serving as a district councillor.

Within Warwick and Leamington the Greens have gone from five to nine district councillors since 2019. The Conservatives have collapsed from 12 to two. The Conservatives couldn’t win here in the last General Election and they’re really not going to now.

Unfortunately it looks like Labour won’t do enough.

It’s only a vote for the Green Party that will show Labour that they can’t get away with vague promises to rebuild our society, which feels so broken after years of neglect.