General Election in Fylde - the main party candidates and their statements

Today the hopefuls standing in Fylde for the Conservatives, Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Reform UK make their case.

Tom Calver (Labour)

A vote for Labour in Fylde is a vote to reduce our local NHS waiting lists, which have increased 1800 in the last year alone, and to address the shortage of GP and dental appointments.

It’s a vote to ensure our children get a decent education. We’ll reverse the decline in teacher numbers and the cuts that have seen our local schools worse off by hundreds of pounds per pupil.

It’s a vote for more police, undoing the Conservative cuts that mean 90% of crime now goes unsolved. We’ll bring back neighbourhood policing, so you know your local officers and they know your area.

And it’s a vote to end the disgusting practice of sewage dumping by United Utilities, that chokes our waters and fouls our beaches. Automatic fines and a ban on executive bonuses will concentrate their minds on cleaning up their act.

With a Labour MP working with a Labour government, we can ensure Fylde has a voice and shares in the benefits. It gives us more power and influence when it comes to issues like the current wind farm cabling plans, addressing flooding, or attracting new industries to deliver good jobs.

It won’t be easy or quick. We’ll have to overcome the tough economic legacy of 14 years of Conservative incompetence and infighting. But we have the focus and commitment to do it.

And a vote for Labour is a vote for integrity and transparency.

You’ll know what I’m doing, who I’m meeting, how I’m voting and why. There’ll be no slush funds and no secrets. I won’t be calling anyone at 3am because I’ve been locked in a room by bad men.

But when you call me, I’ll be there for you.

Mark Jewell (Liberal Democrat)

Mark Jewell is the Liberal Democrat candidate for Fylde. He is a Preston City Councillor representing an area formerly within the Fylde Constituency prior to the boundary changes. Mark has also been a Lancashire County Councillor (2009-2013) and has a strong record of standing up for his constituents and getting things done. His proudest achievement is getting his local boxing club rebuilt.

He has previously supported the campaign against fracking and agrees with local parish councils that the Morgan and Morecambe windfarm transmission lines, across Fylde, needs a rethink.

Mark is a strong supporter of renewable forms of energy, but solutions must also consider the impact on farming, businesses and livelihoods. Mark asserts that there are alternative solutions.

His top priorities for Fylde are putting an end to what he terms the Conservative scandal of sewage in our seas and waterways, urgent action to cut the cost of living and to cut waiting times for GP's and ambulances.

Mark finds it unacceptable that our beaches at St Annes are categorised as poor, because water companies have taken the benefits in bonuses without investing in the infrastructure to stop sewage flows out to sea. The Lib Dems would ban bosses’ bonuses until the problems are solved.

Mark said: "I am excited and proud to stand on the Liberal Democrat manifesto that puts the NHS and social care at its heart. As a father whose child suffered with anorexia, not understanding it, or my daughter, I have seen the inconsistencies of mental health provision across the region." The Liberal Democrats will improve early access to mental health services and challenge the damaging stigma about weight.

Mark has worked in Fylde for almost 40 years and will use his experience in project management and as a councillor to deliver on the issues that matter most to residents.

He added: "I'm standing to bring integrity to being your local MP and get a fair deal for Fylde."

Andrew Snowden (Conservative)

Standing for Parliament in an area I love, have known all my life, and have been as part of for the last seven years, is a true honour.

For the last seven years, as both Lancashire Police Commissioner and as the lead member for Highways and Transport on Lancashire County Council, I have already been delivering major investments for Fylde, and I would relish the opportunity to continue that work, as Fylde’s next MP.As Commissioner, I re-opened Fylde’s police station to the public, put back the dedicated neighbourhood team my Labour predecessor cut, funded the largest rural policing team in the country with a task force dedicated to Fylde, and have awarded nearly £100k in grants to local community causes across Fylde.While lead member for Highways and Transport, I was a part of the team that got the new Fylde major link roads into the construction phase, and led on the investment into new and improved bus routes across Fylde including the 75, 76, 77, 77A and the Fylde Villager service expansion.I will hit the ground running, rolling my sleeves up on everything from the concerns about the proposed offshore wind farm cabling and substation plans, the need for a railway loop to increase services from St Annes to half hourly, supporting our rural communities, continuing to get investment in infrastructure and into the town centres, and working with key sectors such as care, tourism, defence, agriculture and engineering to attract more jobs.I already have a strong track record of delivering the changes and investments people across Fylde want to see. People can trust that if they vote for me, I will fight for Fylde as I have been doing since 2017, and will work tirelessly for them here in Fylde and in Westminster.

Brook Wimbury (Reform UK)

My name is Brook Wimbury, I have worked as a self-employed plumbing and heating engineer for the last 23 years and have been a resident for 25 years here on the Fylde. Politics for me, like many, was little more than a passing interest and like many over a period, I became disillusioned with the "established" political system.

My job has allowed me to travel to all corners of the Fylde, enabling me to interact with many people in our community, not only fixing their plumbing and heating problems but listening to their concerns. I hear about the issues our senior citizens have and it worries me that not enough is being done to support them. I listen to our veterans and how they can be left to struggle. I am a veteran, and I am not blind to the problems they face.

Our failing infrastructures, the ever-worrying state of our environment and our NHS are all issues that the Fylde public want to see urgently fixed. I personally have a lot to owe to the NHS and I believe that it needs modernising to face an increasingly complex future. The only party to provide a practical solution to this is Reform UK.

The Fylde Constituency is a wonderful place and deserves better in the support that it receives. It has been let down by both of the main parties in the past. If elected as the Member of Parliament for Fylde I will remind those in Westminster of our amazing track record of excellence in our businesses, our over worked and underpaid agriculture sector workers and I will push for better funding and investment to enable a greater future for Fylde.

Brenden Wilkinson (Green Party)

There is an opportunity now more than ever to bring a huge shift in the political landscape. No longer do we need to "yo-yo" between blue and red. There is a strong alternative for your vote, and that is Green.The narrative sold to us is "work hard and you will be rewarded," yet we are struggling more than ever. For too long, there has been too much talking and not enough listening, and I intend to change this.We have all experienced a tough few years that have clearly shown the damages caused by underinvestment in our public services, NHS, and social care. We need to support our NHS more and stop blaming long waiting lists on immigration.Our caring system is being robbed by private companies and profit; this should not be how we care for our loved ones. Bringing wages in line with the living wage is still not enough. Let's go further and above the living wage. We need to show our support to those who care for the most vulnerable in our society.Our planet is experiencing a climate emergency that we cannot ignore. Our priorities have to be protecting our green belt and natural environment, penalising those who pollute our waterways, and welcoming a new generation of renewable energy and secure green jobs.Once again, a powerful alternative vote is available to you, and that is Green.

Other candidates running in Fylde are:

Anne Aitken (Independent)

Cheryl Morrison (Alliance for Democracy and Freedom)