Thornton wants more for Bridgwater
Labour candidate for Bridgwater & West Somerset, Oliver Thornton this morning set out his stall. In a statement outlining what he would like to see in the constituency he put rural issues at the top of the agenda.
He started with a comment on the tone of the campaign so far “We are faced with an environmental emergency and an uncertain future for our children. We must act with bold purpose, yet we are divided by the politics of fear and anger. Local people are searching for the hope that our own community can be a place of social justice, opportunity and prosperity.”
He went on to outline the issues he would prioritise if elected: “Under a Labour government I will bring skilled green jobs to our area, energy efficient homes and renewable energy. We can build the tidal barrier in the Parrett and return trees to the Exmoor and the Quantocks, protecting us from flooding.
Our £26bn NHS rescue plan means a return of lost services at Bridgwater & Minehead Community Hospitals. Our National Education Service means returning academies to local authority control, Sure Start for our young families and free tuition for our young people.
Public transport has been badly cut. I want to see a regular electric buses for the whole community, a Bridgwater bypass and a regular train service connecting Minehead to Taunton. Good transport is vital for our young, our old and our vulnerable, but it also creates jobs, tourism and commercial opportunities.
We have a significant social and affordable housing deficit, exasperated by Hinkley Point demand. I will deliver social and affordable homes for our community, designed not for private profits but for social cohesion and public wellbeing.”