Historically a Labour seat but held by Conservative Anna Soubry since 2010, Broxtowe is one of the more unpredictable constituencies in Nottinghamshire.
Stretching from Kimberley to Beeston, the area includes rural villages and busy suburbs.
As such it is seen as a cross-section of Notts and Ms Soubry’s reputation as one of the Conservative party’s more outspoken members – and one less inclined to toe the party line – also makes it difficult to predict.
Five candidates are standing in 2017 – including Greg Marshall for Labour – replacing Nick Palmer – who had fought the seat for the party in every election since 1997.
Result in 2015: CONSERVATIVE HOLD – Anna Soubry
Majority: 4,287
Electorate: 71,961
Turnout: 74.4 per cent
Constituency boundary
Questioning the candidates
Tim Hallam – Liberal Democrats
Why should people vote for you?
The choice as I see it, which is being presented to people at the moment is between and incredibly austere and out of touch Conservative Party determined to pursue a hard Brexit, at all costs, and the Labour Party as I see it are complicit with that. They seem to be offering no alternative and no opposition. It’s time for new ideas and a new MP for Broxtowe – one that can make a real difference to the local area.
What local issue is most important in Broxtowe?
The main issue for me is education. I think our kids are being let down and overly tested – this isn’t resulting in a good foundation for our children to become the next generation that bails us out of the mess that the country has been got into.
What has the area most got going for it?
I love the fact it’s neither rich nor poor – there’s variety and diversity and it’s interesting. I love the people and the fact they all muck in together.
Fran Loi – UKIP
Why should people vote for you?
There’s only one candidate that represents Brexit – the other four candidates are all remainers and they voted to campaign to remain inside the EU. I also led the UKIP effort to leave the EU in June in the referendum.
What local issue is most important in Broxtowe?
The biggest one on the doorstep is Brexit – there’s no getting away from it. We currently have a remain MP but we are blessed with royalty in Nottinghamshire by having the Queen of Remain Anna Soubry. I am the Brexit candidate but other issues that are on the doorstep, particularly in Trowell, is HS2. It’s a vanity project, people don’t want it and they think they haven’t been consulted about it.
What has the area most got going for it?
Beeston town centre is very good but it’s also about the countryside – the Chilwell trail and some of the stately homes over there are really nice. It’s going to be blighted by that HS2 railway ploughing through it.
Greg Marshall – Labour
Why should people vote for you?
I’m from Broxtowe and I’m for Broxtowe. I have lived here all my life and have grown up here and I am a local councillor here. I feel like I have an affinity with the people here – I look at the people I work with and also those at the school gates and feel like one of them. I really want what’s best for Broxtowe, especially as we are facing some of the most difficult challenges we have seen for a generation, like the NHS and school cuts. I really want to protect education and do not want to see teaching staff reduced from a personal perspective and I also want more support available for our armed forces.
What local issue is most important in Broxtowe?
We are not immune from austerity. The most important issues surrounding the NHS and ensuring that school sizes aren’t ballooned. We want to see the town centres here thriving but again we are not immune from austerity. HS2 is an important issue as well – we have a fantastic economic opportunity on our doorstep and we are aware of the sensitive impacts this poses to the north of the constituency. I have experience of fighting hard for those who have seeked compensation before. I would ensure the residents of Trowell and further north are fully represented.
What has the area most got going for it?
It’s a fantastic place to live. It’s the middle of an economic highway. We have high skilled pharmaceuticals in Nottingham and we are in the middle of that. We have fantastic cultural heritage and a great community and that really makes me proud to be from Broxtowe.
Pat Morton – Green Party
Why should people vote for you?
There are so many things the Green Party offers from the environment, the green spaces that you see around us which are so important which could be at risk in the future. From the way things have gone so chaotically in the recent past and things that are happening with education, social care and the health service, the Green Party is the one party who is much more about bringing people together rather than dividing them up and then blaming the other side.
What local issue is most important in Broxtowe?
Health is top of everyone’s list along with social care with a population that are house holders that will be getting old and will be thinking I have invested in my home, and that’s for future generations. That’s changing because currently social care cannot move forward. At the other end, education is a big issue with so many vanity projects that are going on from the Tory party, like £2billion being spent on land for free schools when teachers and schools and headteachers are having to take decisions to get rid of teachers. It’s so stupid that they can’t even afford to employ those teachers so we will be spending a lot more in schools.
What has the area most got going for it?
The green spaces – I just love the areas that we’ve got as part of the industrial heritage of Broxtowe, so walking in the woods around here, DH Lawrence country, and the canal is one of my favourite spots with my dog when we walk in a morning – we saw a kingfisher there last week.
Anna Soubry – Conservative
Why should people vote for you?
Because I’m hard working and I get stuff done. If you vote for me, it is also a vote for Theresa May and we are leading with those capabilities to get a good deal for Brexit.
What local issue is most important in Broxtowe?
There are two big issues – jobs and growth. We want to get the best from HS2 coming to the area and we want more growth along the A610 corridor. We also want to make sure that local communities have a real say for the future and our neighbourhood forums have really improved.
What has the area most got going for it?
It’s undoubtedly the people. Sensible, hard working and they do good by their communities. The people need a Government they can trust not just to deliver on Brexit but to deliver a strong economy for generations to come. If you vote for anyone else, it is a vote for Jeremy Corbyn who doesn’t have the ability to deliver a strong economy. The Labour policy is to spend, tax and borrow and we have to then clear up their mess.
