Josh Dean, Labour candidate for Hertford and Stortford: ‘I’m committed to improving access to GPs, dentists and emergency care’
The main political parties have picked the candidates they hope will be MP for Hertford and Stortford after the next General Election. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has indicated he expects to go to the country “in the second half” of this year. The latest date for a poll is January 28, 2025.
In the meantime, the Indie has invited the Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green Party and Reform UK hopefuls to introduce themselves to our readers before the campaign proper begins. Over the coming months, with a column every two or three weeks, they will be trying to connect with the electorate.
Our brief to all five was “not to parrot your party’s national position, but take the opportunity to tell our readers – your voters – about your personal principles” and talk about local, national and international issues. We also included a caution not to ignore “the elephant in the room”, and to address controversies affecting their party openly and honestly.
Cllr Josh Dean, a member of Hertford Town Council, is the prospective parliamentary candidate for the Labour Party. He writes...
“I’m honoured to introduce myself as Labour’s parliamentary candidate in the community where I grew up and where I call home. I’m delighted to be invited to contribute by the Indie ahead of the General Election.
“It’s been a pleasure to speak to so many residents in our community since my selection as Labour’s candidate. It will come as no surprise to readers that one of the most important issues to local residents is the state of local NHS provision.
“The challenges facing NHS provision in our community are exemplified by the ongoing struggle of South Street Surgery to meet increased demand and the failure of Frontier Estates to build the promised health centre at Stortford Fields.
“Not only does this leave South Street Surgery without new premises and struggling to cope, but it also leaves those residents in Stortford Fields without the vital infrastructure they were promised and has a knock-on effect for residents across Bishop’s Stortford.
“It cannot be right for a developer to fail to honour an agreement meant for the community benefit. Developers need to act as stakeholders for the community, not just for their remote shareholders.
“If elected as your MP, supporting South Street Surgery and resolving the issues at Stortford Fields will be one of my top priorities.
“I will work with the next Labour government to get developers around the table with the NHS and local providers to engage in serious discussions to resolve this longstanding issue for our residents.
“I’m committed to improving access to GPs, dentists and emergency care across Hertford and Stortford.
“With Labour in power, we will provide more evening and weekend appointments so that you can get the care that you need when you need it, end the 8am appointment lottery and cut waiting times across our community.”
