Policy Questions

Havent posted a blog in a while, have been so, so busy with work.  I have a new job and juggling this with the campaign has been hard - worthwhile - but hard!  Leafleting is going well and i am talking to dozens of voters every day.  Issues that are constantly cropping up included the AV referendum, both for and against, education and what Cardiff does for us.  Its nice to see that people are getting more and more engaged in the political process, hopefully im getting the chance to make people think a little differently!

The local paper, The Flintshire Chronicle, is running a very commendable set of articles in bringing politics home to the people of Flintshire.  They have asked the A&D and Delyn candidates from all parties a set of questions that will clarify party positions and give the readers the chance to hear from candidates.  This will continue in the run up to May 5th and this Thursday will be the first edition to print the answers!  Please see below and let me know what you think (there is a word limit of 200 if u think its brief:

If elected, what would you do to encourage more businesses to establish themselves in Flintshire, creating jobs and boosting the regional economy?

As a Welsh Liberal Democrat, I believe that getting Wales moving again economically should be one of the main aims of the Assembly Government. Under Labour, Wales has not fulfilled its potential. We are the least competitive nation in the UK, we have falling levels of business start ups and few internationally competitive businesses. We will change this by creating a Welsh stock exchange to allow capital to flow into fledgling Welsh businesses that cannot access it elsewhere. We must ensure that small businesses in Wales are encouraged to settle here by allowing the local councils to redevelop areas through business rates. This will drive regeneration of areas as well as creating jobs in them.

I also think it should be an aim of the next Assembly Government to reduce the bureaucratic red tape on small businesses so that they spend more time creating jobs for the people of Alyn & Deeside rather than jumping through hoops! Finally, I will campaign for setting up a Jobs and Growth Innovation Programme. This will help modernise the Welsh economy by establishing business mentoring schemes and will upgrade old manufacturing sites for new businesses in order to create jobs for Alyn & Deeside.

What will your party do to help young people in Flintshire get a foot on the housing ladder?

Being a relatively new home owner I understand the position first time buyers are in. Asking for huge deposits whilst facing wage freezes and uncertain financial futures is tough. We want to change that. The price of houses is largely down to a supply and demand issue. There are simply not enough houses being built and we would like to increase the amount of construction and the renovation of empty properties to fulfil the need. Estimates say we will need over 250,000 new homes by 2026. We will help authorities and housing associations to borrow cash and to use grants to turn properties into homes to rent. This influx of housing will decrease demand for homes and will ensure prices come down. Welsh Lib Dems will also support first time buyers in Wales by offering 'shared equity schemes'. This will enable people to partly own their homes making home ownership cheaper and a more realistic possibility.

Finally, this is linked to the wider economic question. We don't want people in Flintshire crippling themselves financially to afford mortgages. When we kickstart the economy we will ensure people have the security to make their payments, raise their living standards and be able to contribute to the wider economy by getting more skilled, better paid jobs!

What can be done to improve the standard of education in Flintshire and
Wales?

I feel that there are four things that we must do to improve the standard of education in Flintshire and Wales. Firstly, we need to ensure that teachers are given the correct training to ensure that they can deliver a first class service to our children. Secondly, we should reward the excellent teachers that we do have by extending pay flexibility so local education authorities can encourage higher standards from them. Thirdly, we need to reduce the curriculum in Wales. The Labour/Plaid coalition has made it mandatory for 6^th forms and colleges to offer at least 30 different subject courses. This has meant that local councils are forced to try and reorganise educational priorities which is not only expensive but means that schools may well focus on the quantities of courses over the quality! Finally, we need to close the massive funding gap that Labour have allowed on their watch. Welsh Liberal Democrats will introduce a Welsh pupil premium to target the most disadvantaged of our students with £2500 of extra funding - thats £3m extra in our area - to ensure that they are never left behind and will have the same opportunities as their cousins across the border in England.