WHO to vote for in the General Election on Thursday?

Neil Guild lays out why he thinks you should support him.

 

WHEN writing this piece I found myself returning to two words – potential and commitment.

A belief in the potential of the people and community I grew up in and chose to return to when I left the Army in 2007, and my commitment to Taunton Deane rooted in my history and will remain with me for life.

Taunton is a great place to work, live and bring up children but, in recent years, the spirit of optimism that once infused the area has ebbed.

A lack of ambition and foresight by those in power has led to a danger of our community simply becoming that place you drive past on the M5 on the way to somewhere else.

I believe we can recapture that past spirit.

Taunton Deane has much to offer families and businesses considering moving here.

It is blessed with a central location in the West Country and strong strategic transport links.

We already have great employers in both the private and public sectors, vibrant communities, good schools and a superb surrounding rural environment. There is much to build on.

However, there are barriers to achieving a positive future.

The past five years have seen diminishing living standards across the entire UK and Taunton Deane is not an exception to this with weak growth in pay, reduced public sector employment, increasing use of food banks and growing pressure on the local NHS.

There is a real choice to be made in this coming general election.

A Labour government would work for the whole UK to address these problems through protecting the NHS, setting a higher minimum wage, more power to local people, investment in sustainable energy, and a fairer economy that delivers for the majority and not just for the few.

However, national politics can only do so much; we need a better local politics that delivers for our community. That is why I chose to stand as a candidate.

I am not a professional politician – I work full time and have young children, with all the regular issues of schools, work and life that most people in Taunton Deane face.

But that gives me real insight and the strength to take action; a conviction that we need those who can to represent their community, deliver for the majority and unlock our collective potential.

That is my commitment to Taunton Deane.