As an independent candidate from
East Worthing and Shoreham, I have the constituency’s best interests at heart.
I live in Worthing having moved from Shoreham around 10 years ago. My career so
far has, in the main, been in the public sector, as has my wife’s. Most of my
social circle is in and around the constituency, so I would hope that I have a
fair understanding of the day-to-day issues that most of the people of East
Worthing and Shoreham face.
Education
As a teacher who worked for 15
years in the state sector, spending some of that time as a staff representative
on a governing body, I recognise the current funding issues that are being
widely reported in the media. West Sussex has the fourth lowest funding per
student in the country. Although the current government is introducing a
“fairer funding formula” this has only meant that money has been siphoned away
from London and more evenly spread around the country. We keep being told that
there has never been more money spent on education, however the part that’s
left out in these statements is the record numbers of students and the record
high costs faced by schools. Schools need to be funded properly, as do all
public services, and pressure put on the government to tell the whole truth
about school funding rather than editing the inconvenient parts. I don’t want
my daughter in a class of 40+ being taught mathematics, science or any other
subject by an unqualified teacher because the school can’t afford to attract a
qualified one or a qualified one is not available. It would be nice to think
that an MP in one of the poorest funded school regions of the country would be
demanding that the schools which their voters’ children attend be properly
financed, yet we see a “fairer funding formula” that will lead to real terms
cuts, despite official government announcements. My time as a school staff
governor in one of East Worthing and Shoreham’s secondary schools showed me
exactly how tight the margins are for headteachers and your representative in
Westminster should be fighting yours and your family’s corner on this.
Young People
As a teacher I often hear
non-teachers bemoan the “young people of today”, invariably using the phrase “in
my day…” or something similar. We need to enthuse young people with a
curriculum that they can ALL engage with, which will then offer a future that
young people can ALL aspire to. Repeated political meddling in the curriculum
tends to plough a furrow along the lines of “well it worked for me so everyone
can do (suffer?) it” ideology and based upon rose-tinted memories of their own
schooling rather than actual evidence, something that there is now plenty of.
The half-true arguments from party politicians, toeing the party line, need
challenging in parliament and they are currently not being; the public are
being short-changed by many (not all, I should add) of these policies as
education secretaries attempt to make their mark whilst climbing the political
ladder. Do you blame young people for feeling a little pessimistic when their
education, something that hugely shapes their future, is a political play
thing? Someone needs to stand up for the many hardworking, decent young people
in East Worthing and Shoreham, as I don’t believe they are getting a fair deal
out of the political process at present.
Transport and Infrastructure
Every working day I drive almost
the entire length of the constituency. It takes me around 15 minutes in the
morning at 6am but at least four times that at 6pm. Funding was promised by the
Department of Transport to improve the transport infrastructure of the
constituency, but was withdrawn in March of this year, seemingly with no
opposition from our representatives in Westminster. This is not acceptable to
those of us who suffer the jams along the A27 and A259 each day. Have questions
been asked as to why this money was taken away? If so, then I must have missed
them. Could this be because East Worthing and Shoreham’s Member of Parliament
rarely experiences the congestion that his constituents suffer every day? Lucky
him; we do.
There is also the Southern Rail
debacle, one that seems to have become a party-political issue rather than one
that needs to be solved to save what remains of the work-life balance of those
whose family life and livelihoods depend upon a reliable rail network. This is
not a party-political issue it is a human issue that our political representatives
should be looking to help solve rather than push their political message.
Squabbling over political beliefs helps no-one, least of all the long-suffering
commuters from the Sussex coast.
Influence
I’d be naïve to think that I can
name every issue within East Worthing and Shoreham in this short piece and I
may not have exactly the same views as everyone in the constituency but I do
listen and am not averse to a different point of view or argument that might
change mine. Even if I don’t agree I can respect someone else’s opinion. A
Member of Parliament has huge influence in the corridors of power if they
choose to use it. Thousands of voters have entrusted that Member of Parliament
to use that influence for the good of the constituency to help resolve major
issues affecting the members of the community.
Ultimately this general election is
an opportunity for the people of East Worthing and Shoreham to vote for someone
who lives in their midst and therefore understands and shares their requirements,
worries and needs.
