Burnham-On-Sea.com has invited the parliamentary candidates standing to become the area’s next MP at the General Election to give their views on local issues.
Burnham-On-Sea, Highbridge, Brean and Berrow will become part of the new Bridgwater and Burnham constituency when election day is held on July 4th. Voters will be heading to the polls to make their choice for a new MP.
In the first of several articles, we speak to the candidates below:
William Fagg, Reform UK
1. What will you offer residents in the Burnham-On-Sea area if elected as MP?
“I am an ordinary, hard-working tax paying person, and not a career politician with endless sound bites from focus groups and false promises they never intend to keep. My word is my bond, and the honour and privilege of my life would be to serve the good people of Burnham-On-Sea. Whilst local issues are important, national issues of excess taxation for low-income earners and pensioners, excess immigration numbers putting strain on our services, crime on our streets not being addressed due to an underfunded Police Force, Inadequate GP and Dental Appointments would be my focus to support my constituency. My previous experience in business, both Manufacturing and Service industries as a Head of Procurement I believe will be valuable in helping secure value for money without reducing service levels and to ensure that any funding provided to the constituency is not wasted.”
2. What do you see as the key local issues for voters in the Burnham-On-Sea area?
“A repetitive theme is Petty Crime and anti-social behaviour. People do not feel safe and an improvement in Frontline Policing is require which is why we are going to make an increase of 40,000 front-line officers over the 5 year parliament. The recent large number of travellers with a large number of vehicles that encamped on Cassis Close playing fields earlier in June is a typical example of an incident that causes considerable unrest but, on this occasion it was good to see Avon and Somerset Police swiftly responding and they should be commended for their action. The terrible state of our roads and the blight of multiple potholes that even when repaired reappear much too soon. Our plan to launch a national database for councils, contractors, government and utilities to ensure coordination of projects would lead to less road works, waste and delays.”
3. What will be the first thing you do if you are elected as MP?
“Address the issues in the question above – and by working with local stakeholders and businesses, identify the key areas where we need investment to develop the constituency from both a commercial and residential prospective and make strong representation and bid for funds to develop areas like Burnham seafront, more social housing for local people as a priority and subsidies to allow our farming community to concentrate on traditional livestock and food production and not “planting solar panels”. Focus on actions and funding required to improve our hospitals, medical centres and numbers of GPs to enable maximum GP waiting times 3 days. For a consultant, the time limit would be 3 weeks, and for an operation, 9 weeks, with an end goal of zero waiting list in two years.”
Ashley Fox, Conservative
1. What will you offer residents in the Burnham-On-Sea area if elected as MP?
“I will be an active MP and will always put my residents first. I will answer every letter and email I receive, hold regular surgeries and visit every part of this new and diverse constituency of Bridgwater.”
“I am a former solicitor and served as Somerset’s Member of the European Parliament. I have experience in both the public and private sectors. I will be a powerful advocate for Burnham and Highbridge and stand up for the people I represent. I stand for strong defence, control of our borders, support for the police, low taxes & sound public finances, the rule of law, personal freedom & responsibility, and excellent public services.”
2. What do you see as the key local issues for voters in the Burnham-On-Sea area?
“The number one concern that local residents have raised with me is anti-social behaviour, especially in Highbridge. They are also worried about the illegal traveller encampments which afflict Burnham every year. This harms local businesses and stops our young people using their playing fields. I want the Police and the Council to take robust action to clear these illegal encampments immediately.”
“People are also concerned with the time it takes to get GP appointments. Access to NHS dentists is another key issue. It is clear that the NHS dental contract isn’t fit for purpose. I want it changed to ensure more dentists will undertake NHS work.”
“The state of our roads and the huge number of potholes we suffer from is often brought up on doorsteps. People understand that this is Somerset Council’s responsibility. It is unfortunate that LibDem incompetence has brought the Council to the brink of bankruptcy.”
3. What will be the first thing you do if you are elected as MP?
“Many local people I have spoken to have said that Burnham’s seafront and High Street and Highbridge’s Market Street need to be made more attractive places to visit and spend time in. I believe we can make this happen with a successful bid for funds to improve our town.”
“I was delighted when Bridgwater was awarded £23.2M from the government’s Town Deal Initiative. This will help regenerate the docks, improve the high street and fund many other local initiatives.”
“So the first thing I will do if elected as your MP is to start the process of putting forward an excellent bid for Burnham & Highbridge. I will reach out to both the Town Council and the business community to ensure that the whole town works together to secure these vital funds. This will improve the quality of life of everyone in Burnham and Highbridge.”
Claire Sully, Liberal Democrat
1. What will you offer residents in the Burnham-on-Sea area if elected as MP?
“I will be a new voice for a new constituency, returning integrity and decency to politics, while working as hard as possible to deliver for residents of Burnham-On-Sea, Highbridge and Bridgwater. Better politics requires better politicians; MPs who’ll prioritise people and fight your corner in a time of need.”
“From saving crucial funding for Burnham-On-Sea’s RNLI service, to fixing the bus network and helping residents when ignored by both the Conservatives and Labour, I have worked tirelessly to help the community. This is what you’ll get if I’m elected as your next MP. Significant boundary changes mean a much changed political landscape in the constituency. Voters have a clear choice: it’s either me and the Liberal Democrats working hard for you or the Conservatives. Labour have not declared Bridgwater among their battleground seats and, on the evidence of the most recent local elections, will finish a distant third here.”
2. What do you see as the key local issues for voters in the Burnham-On-Sea area?
“Firstly, I’d say each individual has their own key issues unique to them. Your voice matters and there’s no issue too great or small with which residents can approach me. More broadly, the crippling cost-of-living crisis has affected everyone, while the NHS has been neglected. Better politics also requires better policies; while the Conservatives have mismanaged the economy and the NHS with devastating consequences, Keir Starmer’s Labour are uninspiring.”
“The Liberal Democrats have prudent policies for today’s issues, including up to £300/month for those affected by significant mortgage rate hikes and a pledge to recruit 8,000 more GPs. These are policies which make a real difference. In Burnham and Highbridge, we need to support local business. I’m already working on bringing funding to Burnham and Highbridge to boost the economy. Having successfully owned a business for 20 years, I understand the needs of local businesses for them to thrive.”
3. What will be the first thing you do if you are elected as MP?
“Continue with casework! I have heaps of emails from residents reaching out to me from Burnham, Highbridge and surrounding areas, and I’m so grateful for everyone’s support. I’m already working for local communities; just check my website to see that! A great MP is one that is great in their constituency, but there hasn’t been an active MP here for some time.”
“I’ll then treat myself to a Somerset Cider before knuckling down to make our area a place we can all be proud to live and work. There’s so much potential here. I’ll be working with Gravity, Agratas and Bridgwater & Taunton College to ensure billions of pounds in investment brings local jobs to local people and continuing to protect our treasured environment from destruction, as I am doing with Pawlett Hams Group. This is, without doubt, the most exciting constituency in the country and I’ll make sure everyone knows!”
Leigh Redman, Labour
1. What will you offer residents in the Burnham-on-Sea area if elected as MP?
“For too long the residents of the area have not had real representation in Westminster, I will change this. My commitments to you: A hard working and approachable MP. It will be my full time job. Burnham, Bridgwater and Surrounding Villages First. I will bring people together to help our community thrive. The area really is the working heart of Somerset.”
“Taking your concerns to Westminster. Our voices need to be heard in parliament. I will make sure this happens. I believe that residents know best, I am local, living just a mile from where I was born, my offer to residents is simple, I will listen as leader of a small group on Somerset Council, I have had to work hard to get things done. You’ve seen what good I can do as a local councillor, imagine what I will be able to do as your MP.”
2. What do you see as the key local issues for voters in the Burnham-On-Sea area?
“The area has been missed out! Bridgwater has a town deal, Glastonbury has a town deal, but Burnham & Highbridge nothing! That’s before we start to talk about the impact Hinkley Point C has had on property and rental prices. I will work to get proper regeneration and investment for the area, I would want decent shops, sensible infrastructure, there is no point having more affordable homes if there are not doctors or dentists, schools or nurseries.”
“I will continue the work I have already started, that is to get Burnham and Highbridge more from the Hinkley C fund, you are impacted as much as others. The area is a wonderful caring community, it needs a little help to make us great again, just look at the amazing Morland Community Hub and the work they are doing. Young, old, working or retired, there needs to be something for us all.”
3. What will be the first thing you do if you are elected as MP?
“I will need to understand how Westminster works, I will need to find a way to communicate to voters what is happening and how they can input, I will listen and build that into my work, I will find a local office, I will move my surgeries around our area. Once my team is set up and working well we will work hard to help residents with their issues. Then it’s about getting things put back or rebuilding, NHS, Education, crumbling schools, Dentists, Social care for old and young, Special educational needs and disabilities.”
“After 14 years of Tory neglect, the next government will have to rebuild. On 4th July you will have a simple choice. Vote Leigh Redman for Change or get 4 more year of the same neglect. This election your voice is important, you are choosing a voice for our communities and that voice is me.”
Pele Barnes, Somerset Unionist Party
1. What will you offer residents in the Burnham-On-Sea area if elected as MP?
“I will be offering a candidate who has real world experience in Bridgwater and Burnham-On-Sea, someone who can actually relate to working people. As a small business owner and former Royal Mail postman (cheese market trader across Somerset), I can see that this constituency really needs an overhaul to throw out the big three parties and pump investment into the small towns and help set up small businesses across the county, re-building the town centres and market life.”
2. What do you see as the key local issues for voters in the Burnham-On-Sea area?
“Having friends and family across Burnham-On-Sea and having worked in the town over a number of years there’s a serious need to revitalize the seafront, create social housing to provide families truly affordable housing, by creating landlord limits on rents.”
“And preservation of local wildlife, expanding green areas and beautifying the constituency with the goal of creating conservation areas, protection of species increases and natural parks for us to enjoy and study our local nature.”
3. What will be the first thing you do if you are elected as MP?
“If the public elect me as their new MP the first thing I would do would be to invite the public to a grand informal gathering where they can come talk face to face with myself and each other to exchange ideas on what we would like to see happen first in the new constituency.”
“This, to me, would help see the public have their voices heard much better, and I’d be a very easy person to get to know/work with to represent us in Parliament taking their voices to government, knowing I’m someone who is on their side, with no shareholders or benefactors to cosy up to.”
Charlie Graham, Green Party
1. What will you offer residents in the Burnham-On-Sea area if elected as MP?
“Excitement, with immense courage you’ve made the most extraordinary and necessary decision in UK political history. Real Hope and Real Change to a fairer society in tune with its environment, new local opportunities and a national government obliged to fund the services and protections demanded by you from your locally elected County, Town and Parish Councils, on issues most important to you, through a fair voting system, where every vote, even those who didn’t vote for me, counts.”
“Fair tax system, where those with enormous wealth will be asked to pay more, reversing the current bigger burden on lower incomes. The Bridgwater Constituency is on the Front Line of Climate Change, coastal erosion and inland flooding, threatens our communities, we will lead on Climate mitigation and adaption measures.”
“A Business environment that favours local entrepreneurs and workers, over offshore corporations with tax haven bank accounts.”
2. What do you see as the key local issues for voters in the Burnham-On-Sea area?
“Cost Of Living. Lower energy charges with renewables and insulation fitted for existing and new buildings. Minimum wage equalised and raised to £15 for over 16s. Raise universal credit by £40.”
“Safe Water. As a coastal area with a watery hinterland, immediate action to compel water companies to stop discharging sewage into our rivers and streams.”
“Health and Care: Fully funded, Integrated health and social care services meeting the needs of an aging population, protecting others and young people from physical and mental abuse.”
“Affordability and availability of housing. Rent controls, end no fault evictions, new and old houses to be adequately insulated, so every home is warm and safe. New developments will provide associated community services, infrastructure and their maintenance. 3-30-300 rule in urban planning.”
“Support for Agriculture, to ensure safe, healthy and nutritious food supplies, produced from a nature enhanced and poison free landscape.”
3. What will be the first thing you do if you are elected as MP?
Water is the thread on which our health and all life clings. Compel water companies to stop discharging sewage into our seas, rivers and streams.
The separate Wells and Mendip Hills constituency will include Brent Knoll, Burnham Without and local villages including Mark and Wedmore. Candidates are: Craig Clarke, Independent; Helen Himms, Reform Party; Joe Joseph, Labour Party; Abi McGuire, Independent; Tessa Munt, Liberal Democrat; Meg Powell-Chandler, Conservative; and Peter Welsh, Green Party
