Brexit and health set to be key battlegrounds in Shropshire, say election hopefuls
Brexit and health looked set to be the key battlegrounds in Shropshire as the county's politicians hit the campaign trail for the first December general election in almost a century.
At the moment all five of the county's seats are held by the Conservatives, with the most closely fought poll likely to be in Telford where Lucy Allan is defending a slender majority of 720.
She said Brexit would inevitably dominate the poll, but added that people would want to see a government focused on the NHS, schools and crime.
"We are a strong leave supporting area and many people will want to vote for a government that delivers Brexit," she said.
Last week she launched a crowd-funding campaign to mount a legal challenge to the controversial Future Fit hospital shake-up, which will see blue-light emergency services moved to Shrewsbury.
She described it as a decision taken by an 'unaccountable' NHS management.
"Government has given them £312m for improved hospital care and they have decided to spend the most part in Shrewsbury," she says.
"The Health Secretary has committed to some form of A&E at Telford, and let's hope the threat of legal action ensures that NHS management agrees to staff it 24/7 which at the moment they are refusing to do.”
Her opponent Katrina Gilman, described the traditionally Labour seat as a must-win for Labour.
She said Telford had voted strongly to leave the EU, and that result must be respected, although she was 'open to persuasion' about a second referendum on the final deal. She added that Telford must retain a full-time A and E service.
"The people of Telford cannot understand how a programme called Future Fit could come to the conclusion that the major population centre does not need these essential NHS services," she said.
Daniel Kawczynski defending the Shrewsbury and Atcham seat he has held since 2005, also believed health would be a major factor.
"For us in Shrewsbury, the most important thing is the Future Fit programme," he said. Mr Kawczynski said £320 million has been secured for improvements to hospital services, and that it was vital that this went ahead.
His challenger, Dr Laura Davies, will contest the seat despite having been subjected to a vote-of-no-confidence by her constituency party for her stance on Future Fit.
Dr Davies called for the existing hospitals at Telford and Shrewsbury to be replaced by a single 'super hospital' on a new site between the two towns. Official Labour policy is that both towns should retain a full A & E service.
Dr Davies said she would be fighting the election on raft of issues.
Tolerance
"This Christmas should be the last Christmas where people don't feel safe in their homes because of crime levels, it should be the last Christmas under-funding of the NHS means that elderly people are left lying on trolleys in A & E for days, it should be the last Christmas that people have to use food banks," she said.
Philip Dunne, who has held Ludlow since 2005, said Brexit would be the defining issue of the election, and each part must present a clear and credible vision of how to resolve the matter.
But he added: "It will not be the only issue. The public rightly expects us to tackle the important domestic challenges facing the country.
"The Prime Minister has committed to record NHS funding, increased fairer funding per pupil for our schools, and better connectivity for rural areas – building on our strong economy to pay for public services."
He will be challenged once more by Heather Kidd, who is fighting the seat for the Liberal Democrats for a third time.
She said: “South Shropshire has a strong liberal tradition of tolerance and openness which Brexit threatens to end.
"Our farmers, our tourist economy, our social care and our NHS are all put at risk by cutting our 40 years of links with Europe. This damaging madness has to be stopped."
