Parliamentary candidates for Hemel Hempstead have said why you should vote for them.

Ahead of the General Election being held on December 12, candidates for Hemel Hempstead talked about themselves and why you should vote for them.

Here is what they had to say:

Mike Penning – Conservative

Watford Observer:

“The key issues for me in this election are Brexit, climate change and the hospital.

Parliament has got us into a real mess over Brexit. After three years of arguing, it has proved impossible to get Brexit done without a majority in Parliament. Although Labour and the LibDems voted to hold a referendum, because they didn't like the result, they have blocked us leaving the EU.

That’s why we need this general election. The country deserves a parliament that works for you.

I am fully supportive of the Prime Minister’s deal. It is all ready to go and then we can move on to negotiating our future long-term relationship with the EU. This is what really matters.

The Conservatives are committed to leaving the environment in a better state for the next generation. We will be the first major economy to end its contribution to global warming by bringing in new laws that will commit the UK to net zero emissions by 2050.

Locally, it is great news that Boris Johnson has promised new money for the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust. We now need to make sure that the Trust doesn’t waste it attempting to renovate the crumbling buildings at Watford. We need a new hospital on a new site to serve Hemel Hempstead, St Albans and Watford.

While every election is important this election is vital. Don’t lend your vote to another Party, because if you do you risk the catastrophe of a Corbyn-led government.”

Sammy Barry – Liberal Democrats

Watford Observer:

“I’m a Hemel girl, born and bred. I love this area, but like everyone else,

I got involved in doing youth work many years ago and have gone on to become a front-line youth worker. I see every day how cuts to local services have hit hardest those who need help the most; how families struggle to cope as the safety net of the benefits system has failed them; and how crime is sneaking into many lives. These are the realities that prompted me to stand for Local Council, and I was elected a Dacorum Councillor for Highfield. Now I want to represent Hemel in Westminster.

So what is my vision? Like the Lib Dems nationally, I am calling for immediate investment in our local services to improve provision across the board. But in particular, there are four areas that I really care about locally:

I believe strongly that a person’s mental wellbeing should be as important as their physical health and therefore there should be faster and better access to mental support.

I want to see better youth services so that our young people have meaningful things to do and can achieve their potential in safe and creative spaces.

On our environment, I firmly believe we are in a climate crisis. I want Hemel to be a beacon of good practice in protecting our planet for future generations: EV charging points, better public transport, eco-friendly construction and protection of our green spaces.

On our economy, I want to support the thriving business sector in Hemel, and make sure we all benefit. This means attracting new businesses, encouraging training links with education and promoting apprenticeship schemes.”

Sherief Hassan – Green Party

Watford Observer:

Sherief has lived and worked in Hemel Hempstead for over 20 years, raising his two children who were both born in Hemel Hospital. Sherief has been a committed campaigner in Hemel Hempstead since he first ran in local elections in 2012 and continued to support electoral reform and a move to a more sustainable environment by running in local elections since then, and being selected as the green Parliamentary candidate for Hemel Hempstead in 2017.

“Since then the Greens in Dacorum have gained town councillors in Berkhamsted, and the national parties has started to catch up with green promises, but no understanding of what that commitment actually means.”

He volunteers with Radio Dacorum, serves as a child protection officer at Boxmoor Playhouse and is on the committee of the Halsey Field Local Wildlife Site. He has also served as the teaching and learning governor at Potten End School for five years.

“Voting Green is more vital than ever. The target of 2050 for this country to be carbon neutral from the other parties is a denial of the serious situation that we are in.

“We have to make a commitment to pay back our environmental debt. The Green Party initiatives invest in the future. The green investment would open up the opportunity to revive our public transport systems in our growing towns in Hertfordshire and make them affordable.”

“We also have to a chance to fix our NHS. With one of the lowest hospital bed to population ratios in the country, the incumbent Conservative MP’s should be ashamed of their governments lack of vision or commitment to their promises.”

“We can’t wait for some miracle or pretend that the world is going to get better by itself. We owe it to our children to try to fix the damage we have inflicted, and we can do it by making our society a bit better along the way. This is our last chance to do this.

Nabila Ahmed – Labour

Watford Observer: Nabila Ahmed for Labour, South West HertfordshireNabila Ahmed for Labour, South West Hertfordshire

"A vote for Labour is important because people here in Hemel need a representative that will put them first. I will fight to properly fund our schools, invest in our NHS, tackle the climate crisis with a Green New Deal and build affordable homes for all.

There is a crisis in housing in Hemel Hempstead, rents are intolerably high and unaffordable for our young families. The waiting list for social housing remains stagnant as no new truly affordable homes are being built here, only 14 social homes last year.

The people of West Herts deserve to have a fully functioning health service. The current plans for part renovation of Watford Hospital are inadequate and Hemel Labour support the call for a new hospital. There are issues beyond that related to Mount Vernon Hospital, our cancer care and treatment facility, which is also crumbling and under threat.

Every school in Hemel has had devastating funding cuts relying on parents and parent groups to fund basic needs for the children.

Labour have a solution to these issues: we will fully fund the NHS. We will usher in a Green Industrial Revolution which will create 400 000 green jobs and we will properly fund our public services, so that our local communities get the support they need. Labour will also immediately introduce a £10 an hour minimum wage and we will build 1 million new homes over the next 5 years , half of which will be council homes so that young families can get the start in life they need.

This is why you need to vote Labour and for real change on 12th December."