A series of features in the run-up to the Parliamentary election
The Ealing Southall seat covers Southall, Norwood Green, Dormer`s Wells and parts of Hanwell and West Ealing. Due to boundary changes it loses part of Greenford Broadway ward to Ealing North and parts of Ealing Broadway and Ealing Common to Ealing Central and Acton.
At Parliamentary level Ealing Southall has been solidly Labour – traditionally the Conservatives were in a distant second place, but in 2005 the Liberal Democrats narrowly overtook them. Following the death of Piara Khabra, at the time the oldest MP in the Commons, in 2007 Labour successfully held the seat in a by-election.
Read more here Uk Polling Report
With the election set for May 6th we asked three of the parliamentary candidates what they saw as the main issues for Ealing Southall.
Here is what they said:
Virendra Sharma Labour Party |
Gurcharan Singh Conservative Party Gurcharan Singh |
Nigel Bakhai Liberal Democrats |
Faced with the worst financial crisis in 60 years the Labour government has quietly got on with the job of protecting homes, jobs and businesses in Ealing Southall. Labour will secure the recovery; the Tories will send us back into recession. In these tough economic times Labour will protect our frontline services ring-fencing education, health and police budgets. Under Labour hospital waiting times are at there lowest levels since records began with a guarantee of treatment within 18 weeks. Labour has also introduced a two-week guarantee on cancer referrals that the Tories have said they will scrap. Locally there have been rumours about the possible closure of Ealing Hospital’s A & E Department but the Health Minister has said that no such plans exist. Labour has promised to protect frontline policing from budget cuts, a commitment the Tories have refused to match. Tory Mayor Boris Johnson has already started cutting Police officers on the beat this year. The Tory Mayor with the collusion of local Tories has also condemned Southall to permanent traffic grid-lock with his decision to approve the massive Southall Gasworks development. The Tories would change things for the worse – more unemployment, home repossessions and business failures. Labour will reduce the deficit fairly and secure local jobs, homes and businesses. A future, fair for all.
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The Labour administration has been nothing but disaster. They took us to illegal war in Iraq, presided over the longest and deepest recession with 3.2m unemployed of which youths account for nearly 28%, wasted billions on ID cards, and despite being at the helm for 13 long years, could not even control our borders with hundreds of people entering the UK unchecked. We can not afford to have a Labour Government again. We need a Change and there is no better place to start than Ealing Southall. Labour’s recovery plans include more taxes, like death tax, job tax, more tax on your inheritance and more debts, the Conservative plans are based on investment, cutting Labour’s waste and promise no cut in NHS budget. Under Conservative policies 7 out of 10 workers will be better off. My main priorities are • The future of Ealing Hospital I will strive not only to maintain services at Ealing Hospital but also to enhance them. I would like to see more uniformed police officer on the beat and explore all avenues to extend the Underground to Southall. Finally, I have been a resident of Southall since 1972; have been a Youth Services Manager providing services to young homeless. I have been a Councillor from Southall since 1982 and was Mayor for 2003/04 when I raised more than £35, 000 for charities which included Meadow House hospice. With these credentials, I offer myself as the Conservative Party Parliamentary candidate for Ealing Southall and look forward to receiving your support to bring about the CHANGE we all deserve.
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After 13 years of Gordon Brown's financial mismanagement, a Lib Dem Government will protect the economic recovery this year but reduce the budget deficit in the next parliament while protecting key public services. Lib Dem priorities will be to abolish taxes on the first £10,000 earned to help those on low incomes, provide an additional £2.5 billion to cut school class sizes, reverse the £16.4m cuts to the Met Police budget and increase police numbers to tackle gun and knife crime. West Ealing, Hanwell and Southall town centres all need regeneration, but while we need more social and affordable housing, we need sustainable communities instead of squeezing more homes and people on the Southall Gasworks site or on the Green Man Lane estate. Lib Dems will scrap plans for a third runway at Heathrow and fight against the proposed Southall power station. We will invest in renewable energy and low carbon technologies to combat climate change and provide jobs for the future. Finally, Ealing Southall is home to many different communities so it will be an important part of my work as an MP to raise international issues on behalf of my constituents as well as domestic concerns.
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April 7th, 2010