I'm proud to have been selected as the Green Party's candidate for Sleaford & North Hykeham.

Full statement

I've lived in Lincolnshire for many years, and know the constituency well. My personal interests include promoting the arts, especially poetry and music (I host a regular open mic night), and preserving our heritage. Our county has so much more to offer than just Lincoln and Stamford. Lincolnshire is a beautiful county but shares many of the problems experienced elsewhere in Britain. Our hospitals are struggling and understaffed. It's difficult to see a GP, and NHS dentistry is virtually extinct. Public transport links are poor. Our rivers and seas are polluted with sewage. Above all, we face the risks arising from global heating, with the likelihood of sea level rise, more extreme weather and more frequent flooding. But we can tackle these problems together. A Green-influenced government would introduce policies including: * a huge programme of home insulation to cut energy use and bills * cheaper and more reliable public transport, including the reopening of some rural rail stations * making sure the NHS is properly funded, and ending privatisation of services * bringing water companies back into public ownership Why is it that so many of the things we were able to afford in 2010, we're now told are unaffordable, despite record tax levels? The Green Party would make the super-rich pay more, and end subsidies to massively wealthy companies like banks and fossil fuel producers. Together we can do this.