Reading West election candidates' mission statements ahead of general election

These statements of around 250 words could be one of your candidates’ last opportunities to win your vote on December 12.

If you are still undecided, or open to changing your mind, this is what they feel is most important and what they will fight for on your behalf in parliament.

There are six candidates in Reading West:

Rachel Eden, Labour Party

Meri O’Connell, Liberal Democrats

Alok Sharma, Conservative Party

Jamie Whitham, Green Party

Here are the candidates in alphabetic order with their pitch to you:

Rachel Eden, Labour Party

Reading West needs an MP, who is, passionate about our area and will stop the damage the extreme plans of Boris Johnson’s government.

This is my home, I run my business here, my children go to a local school and I am a councillor. I believe that we are a great community, but it could be even better.

In 2017, Labour very close to winning Reading West from the Conservatives.  Your vote will be crucial in deciding what happens here.

I have heard many people tell me how they feel let down by this Government, from the cuts to school funding and the lack of police to their inaction on climate change.

I also know that many people want Brexit to be resolved– not this mess the Conservatives created.  I will give you the final say on Brexit and I will campaign to remain.

On the December 12 your choice is between someone who has changed his views in order to benefit his career or an MP who will put Reading West first.

My promise to you is I will always stand up for our community.  As your MP, I would prioritise investing in our communities and our NHS.

But this election is also about the future of our planet.  I would push for the UK to lead the world in tackling climate change.

Together we can make real change happen – please make sure you vote on December 12.

Meri O’Connell, Liberal Democrats

I’ve lived in the Reading area all my life and am proud of its history, its diverse communities and its thriving economy.

I see how decisions made in Westminster directly affect people in our area, because I’m one of them.

My main priorities are to stop Brexit, to turn climate change talk into action, and to bring permanent change to our political system through voting reform.

Locally, we need to tackle Reading’s housing shortage, the state of our roads, and the crises in schools and social care funding.

Reading is a vibrant and prosperous place to live, and I will fight for it to stay that way.

I don’t want to see my friends and neighbours, who’ve brought their skills and families to our town, to feel that Britain no longer welcomes them.

Their contribution strengthen our communities and economy.

As a secondary school teacher and a local councillor, I’ve seen the damage the Conservatives have inflicted on our education, social care, and NHS.

More money needs to be spent, but politicians need to start being honest about how much the things we care about cost.

Neither the Tories nor Labour are being honest about the black hole that Brexit will leave in our finances – their spending promises amount to little more than wish lists.

I will campaign to use the £50 billion bonus from remaining to tackle inequality, improve our vital public services, strengthen the economy and put the climate emergency at the heart of every new policy.

Alok Sharma, Conservative Party

Since first being elected in 2010, I have taken up issues on behalf of tens of thousands of people across Reading West.

I helped to set up the Wren School and All Saints Junior School and also backed the expansion of Purley Primary and Wilson Primary.

I will continue to work to ensure that every child locally benefits from a superb education. Next year schools in Reading West will, on average, receive over five per cent more funding per pupil.

With patient groups I have ensured the future of the hydrotherapy pool at the Royal Berkshire Hospital and support an improvement of local NHS services, with the hospital set to receive funding to draw up plans to redevelop.

Working with local residents, I have campaigned successfully to deliver investment for local rail, road and flood defence projects, including more standard class seats between Reading and Paddington.

Having secured accessibility funding for Theale station, I am working to deliver new lifts at Tilehurst station.

I am grateful to local people for backing my campaign for a change in the law to tackle illegal encampments, this will now happen under a Conservative Government. And having lobbied the Home Secretary, I am pleased that 183 new officers have recently been announced for Thames Valley Police.

A vote for me and the Conservatives will mean that you continue to have a committed local champion in Parliament, a strong economy backing our public services and we finally get Brexit done, delivering on the Prime Minister’s new deal.

Jamie Whitham, Green Party

My name is Jamie Whitham and I’m one of the four Green Party councillors in Reading and candidate for Reading West.

In recent years more and more people are understanding that far from being just about the environment, the Green Party stands for a different way of doing politics and policies that can re-programme our economy for everyone rather than for big business and millionaires.

People know that Green politicians are different and can be trusted.

They also see that the country is in a total mess. Politics as usual hasn’t worked.

Legacy parties have failed us. Carbon emissions aren’t being cut fast enough, one in three children live in poverty and the Brexit fiasco continues. We need change.

That’s why the Green Party is growing rapidly – the number of Green councillors and MEPs nationally has more than doubled over last couple of years.

Our support keeps growing because only the Green Party has credible plan to sort out Brexit via a People’s Vote (where we would campaign to remain), to tackle climate change (with massive investment in renewables, insulation, transport and more) and to build a fairer Britain (with 100,000 council homes per year).

If you agree with me that decades of the same old ways of doing politics haven’t worked and that we need to re-programme our economy for the common good please consider voting for me and the Green Party on Thursday, December 12.