By Lauren Monaghan, Junior Local Democracy Reporter
Having been held by the Conservatives since 2010, Broxtowe is a Nottinghamshire constituency watched closely by national campaigners – the result here has matched who has won overall control of the Government in every single election since the area in its current format was created in 1983.
The 2019 General Election saw the Conservative Darren Henry win around a 5,000-vote majority in this western Nottinghamshire seat.
Mr Henry won shortly after his predecessor, Anna Soubry, had defected from the Conservative party because of its pro-Brexit stance. She ran unsuccessfully as part of The Independent Group for Change.
The Conservative majority of 5,331 reflected a sharp increase from an 863 majority in the 2017 General Election.
Results in 2019 – Conservative HOLD – Darren Henry
Turnout: 75.7 per cent
Electorate: 73,052
Majority: 5,331
Questioning the candidates
Juliet Campbell – Labour
Why should people vote for you?
“I’ve got extensive experience working in the public sector, I understand how to design and deliver public services.
“I’ve spent decades working with the NHS with local government and what people want is leadership that will listen to them and design services that puts their needs first.
“That’s what you’ll get from labour and that’s what you’ll get from me.
“A person two weeks ago told me that she had to pull her own tooth out at home… and it’s because she couldn’t get an appointment with an NHS dentist.
“The Labour party has got a plan [to help the NHS] and we are ready to deliver that plan.”
What are the most important issues in Broxtowe?
“The resounding echo from across the constituency is that people want change.
“Change to how they access public services, how they get a GP appointment, dental appointment, improvement to our roads, improvement to our bus services, tackling the antisocial behaviour crisis, the housing crisis and cost of living crisis.
“People just want the best for their children and want them to have the best start in life.”
What has Broxtowe got going for it?
“Broxtowe is a diverse constituency and that vibrancy is felt across the whole place.
“It’s a great place to live and people are engaged and ambitious, but they have been held back.
“Labour will bring life back onto our high streets, put police back on our roads and make sure we design and build a youth service that is modern that young people can access.”
James Collis – Liberal Democrats
Why should people vote for you?
“My specialisation in the other work I do is on environmental legislation in the European Union.
“The national reason voting for Liberal Democrats is the more Liberal Democrat MPs that get elected… and the more votes for Liberal Democrats means we can put more pressure and support onto a likely Labour government to act more ambitiously on Europe and particularly on the climate and the cost of living crisis that is currently in their existing manifesto.
“These are the things, from talking to people on the doorsteps, that they really care about.”
What are the most important issues in Broxtowe?
“The things I have been hearing on the doorstep… are the NHS and cost of living and access to housing.
“Depending on the demographic that answers the door, these are the core issues that people really care about locally.”
What has Broxtowe got going for it?
“It’s got great transport connections.
“I particularly like the Beeston centre because you’re on the doorstep to all the cultural richness of Nottingham and yet you’ve got your own community and high street facilities.
“You’ve got several different community centres, all of which have their own subtly different needs and desires.”
Darren Henry – Conservative Party
Mr Henry did not attend the interview and instead sent a written statement.
Why should people vote for you?
“I hope when it comes to making a decision on who to vote for, people look at my track record here in Broxtowe.
“I have secured £21.1m for Stapleford, £16.5m for Kimberley, a new banking hub, lifts for Beeston train station and new funding for five schools.
“I have represented my constituents on every level and even changed the law following a constituency surgery with a bereaved father from Beeston.
“I am not done yet, it has been the honour of my life to serve Broxtowe and it would be a privilege to continue.”
What are the most important issues in Broxtowe?
“Locally, potholes are a major problem across the constituency and an issue I have been working with local stakeholders to tackle.
“Another issue that affects parts of Broxtowe is flooding.
“We have issues with antisocial behaviour, energy bills being too high, dentistry appointments and an issue I have long campaigned on is the lack of mental health support we have in the UK.”
What has Broxtowe got going for it?
“We have incredible small businesses such as Bake me a Wish in Stapleford, beautiful green spaces such as Bramcote park, incredible lunch spots like Canal Side Heritage Centre and much more.
“It is made up of various towns with their own histories and sense of community.
“My goal has always been to get Broxtowe new investment to make it the best possible place for our children and grandchildren to grow up.”
Teresa Needham – Green Party
Why should people vote for you?
“I’ve lived in Broxtowe pretty much my entire life.
“I live in Stapleford, I am a town councillor there and I used to be a school teacher and did my teacher training up in Eastwood, so I’ve got a really good understanding of the area.
“The Green party has got a fantastic manifesto, it’s bold, it’s ambitious and I think its the right thing for the people of Broxtowe.”
What are the most important issues in Broxtowe?
“[Eastwood] is a former mining community and when mining was stopped in the 1980s, no other industries came in to take place of that, so that area has got some of the highest levels of deprivation in the region.
“What’s needed there are new jobs, new opportunities that actually lift that area out of that deprivation cycle.
“In the south of the borough we’ve got the HS2 cancellation, so it’s quite a lot of land in the area around Toton that’s still in safeguarding and we need to have a plan for how we’re going to move forward and develop that to make proper use of jobs in a post-HS2 environment.”
What has Broxtowe got going for it?
“Broxtowe has got some fantastic people.
“I think it’s great that we are so close to two major universities because they add about £3.2b to the local economy.
“There’s a lot of skills and opportunities in the area and I think we need to do more to capitalise on that.
“We certainly need to do more for our young people because I know that they are finding it difficult to get housing and employment after finishing their studies.”
Joseph Oakley – Reform UK
Why should people vote for you?
“To show the two main parties that they’ve had enough, that they’ve had enough of a system that for far too long has taken them for granted.
“We don’t want to cut taxes for the big banks, we want to cut taxes for everyone and that will get the economy growing, that will bring back income to our country and allow people to have a sense of pride in their life.
“We’ve got a radical plan to fix the NHS… we’re investing £18b in it, but we’re investing that money in the staff.
“We need to stop them [staff] going abroad, brain drain, we’re going to wipe student fees if they’ve been in the NHS for 10 years, we’re going to abolish the basic income rate tax for all front line care staff, including social care, if they have worked in that sector for 10 years.”
What are the most important issues in Broxtowe?
“Simply, potholes… that’s something the MP really has to stand up for because we’ve seen huge cuts under the Conservative government to local councils.
“There used to be a parkrun in Beeston and sadly that’s just not been able to happen because of flooding, which so many people have been impacted by.
“A lot of people are concerned about high streets, they see boarded up shops and new shops opening when old shops could have been occupied before- we’ve got to stand up for our businesses.”
What has Broxtowe got going for it?
“There’s so much more of a community feel and we do have great access to things here and we’ve got to preserve that access.
“We’ve got fantastic bus routes here and having the tram as well is absolutely amazing.
“Also it’s a really beautiful district and I like the fact its not a huge city, you’ve got everything you need here and I feel much more at home here.”
Maqsood Syed – Workers Party of Britain
Why should people vote for you?
“I come from a strong IT background, we deal with complex problems using out of the box thinking to create simple solutions.
“I am not a career politician, I don’t think like one and this is my biggest advantage- a new perspective is all that is needed to tackle issues.
“I will work as a team player who’s open to new and constructive ideas from individuals, specialists groups and brainstorming sessions.
“I will focus towards finding solutions and fixing them with a more empathetic approach.”
What are the most important issues in Broxtowe?
“NHS dentistry is almost non-existent in Nottingham, it is the least-funded out of all NHS services.
“The Labour party offers to cut NHS waiting times by incentivising staff to carry out additional appointments.
“Expecting our already-stretched NHS staff to work overtime to bring waiting times under control will only degrade the quality of care and put the
mental health and physical wellbeing of the staff at risk.
“With so many councils going bankrupt… strategically investing in social
services, local businesses, education and industry building is key to addressing most problems.
“The cost of living crisis… I will support a rise in minimum wage that matches inflation and help tackle poverty and homelessness with increased funding to social housing and community building.”
What has Broxtowe got going for it?
“We have an abundance of green spaces and preserved conservation areas.
“Attenborough nature reserve, is an exceptional habitat for a wide range of wildlife.
“We have good community relationships, a variety of housing amenities, retail and business parks.
“The Toton and Chetwynd Barracks strategic development would help
create jobs, new housing, transport links, facilities and open spaces in the area and the Stapleford Town Fund is an excellent initiative to bring back leisure and sports to the community.”
John Doddy, standing as an Independent, attend the interview or provide a statement answering our questions.
