Erith and Thamesmead Election 2019 - Your candidates questioned

The constituency has been a Labour seat since its inception in 1997, with Teresa Pearce winning each of the last three elections.

But the polls predict a close battle for the seat after Pearce stepped down, and new comers make up all of the 2019 candidates, except for the Green Party candidate.

Erith and Thamesmead is a leave constituency, with 54.6% voting to leave the European Union

Abena Oppong-Asare - Labour

Biggest Issues: In your opinion, what are the three biggest issues facing Erith and Thamesmead?

Transport - Thamesmead is too often overlooked when it comes to public transport and I will work to put it on the map: I will fight our corner and campaign for the DLR to be extended to Thamesmead. I will also work with Sadiq Khan to improve local bus routes so we can all benefit from new transport links, including Crossrail.

Housing - The contrast between Labour-run Greenwich and the Tories in Bexley couldn’t be clearer. Where Greenwich has pledged 1,000 social houses, Bexley continues pushing for developments that strip out social housing completely. This is completely unacceptable and I will campaign for mixed developments that benefit our whole community.

Policing – The Conservatives have cut £1 billion from policing in London - a Labour Government will restore police numbers and bring back genuine community policing. But we also need a community response: as a councillor in Erith I work with police and residents to tackle drug dealing and anti-social behaviour.

Defining policy - What would you describe as your defining policy?

SE28 is the last postcode in London without a station. Given residents’ needs and the climate crisis, this cannot be justified. Thamesmead is too often forgotten and I’ll fight for improved public transport for our community.

As the new Labour candidate for the constituency, what are you hoping to achieve in this election?

I speak daily to people in Erith and Thamesmead and they tell me about the crushing impact of Tory austerity - I know exactly what they are going through. I hope to speak to as many residents as possible and stand up for them.

What is your favourite thing about the constituency?

My family lives in Erith and Thamesmead, and as a local councillor I have deep roots here. I love how vibrant and diverse our community is – it’s such a welcoming place and I’m proud to call it home.

Claudine Letsae - Green

Biggest issues

1. Poor and expensive public transport. 2. Unaffordable housing whether for rental, to buy, or social housing. 3 Poor air quality due to airport expansion and motorways including the soon-to-be-built Silvertown Tunnel.

Defining policy

Preserving green spaces, in particular the biodiversity that has developed over time in Erith and Thamesmead and protecting trees from felling when new developments are being carried out.

Local public services

I'd end the business levy and encourage entrepreneurships by offering free spaces for start-ups on the high streets shops that are empty. This would bring a thriving high street and provide alternative use of the spaces. I'd create alternative community spaces for democratic engagement, youth clubs and arts hubs, thus creating community cohesion.

Our services at the NHS hospitals have deteriorated over time due to PFI brought in under a Labour government, crippling the health service. We need local investment and integration of the NHS with social care to ensure a properly functioning system and re-establishment of primary care services that support local people, not the rationing of care as practised by the CCG's.Also, the repealing of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and ensuring that the secretary of state is responsible for health provision.

I also support bringing back schools under local authority management and banning schools or academies from excluding pupils or managed transfers that result in the current gang epidemic leading to knife crime. Working with communities and neighbourhood policing to bring back safe communities.

Brexit

My party is for remain but I for one respect the public vote and recognise that we should be implementing what the public voted for in 2016. It is sad to see the democratic ideals being shafted due to the stance of others that have decided those who voted to leave are less intelligent than them. I am a democrat and respect the vote.

What are you hoping to achieve in this election?

I think there is every opportunity for people to choose differently this time as the long-standing MP has stood down and it is all to play for. People have an opportunity to cast their vote in line with their principles and values, not from what has been the perceived leanings. Labour has not served the people of Erith and Thamesmead well, and they should choose change and opt for the Greens as their vote.

Favourite thing

Its diversity. It's an area that is green and has a long history of communities residing side by side in harmony.

Joe Robertson - Conservative

Joe Robertson, Conservative

Biggest issues

Schools, cost of living and Brexit are the things I am hearing on the door step. As a new father myself I want schools in our area to be the best they can be. That’s why, by 2021 we will be spending £4,000 for every primary school pupil in every primary school in and around Erith and Thamesmead. To boost the local economy we are investing in new apprenticeships and raising the national living wage to 10.50 per hour for all.

Defining policy

In this election Brexit is the defining issue because we are the only Party who have a deal ready to go. We will get Brexit done by January but only if we have enough Conservative MPs so Labour can’t block Brexit any longer.

Local public services

I work for a charity that supports our NHS and councils with community nursing. I am already working towards the Conservative Government target to get 50,000 more nurses in the NHS. I will also work cross-party to tackle the huge issues with social care. For small businesses we will cut business rates to help business invest and employ local people.

Brexit

I am the only candidate who wants to join Boris and get Brexit done by January. The majority of local residents voted to leave the EU and we need an MP who will finally respect this decision and get the job done without further delay. This will then allow us to focus on all the other things than matter in Erith and Thamesmead.

Favourite thing

It has got to be the people, my friends and neighbours and everyone I am seeking to represent. If I am allowed two things then I would also say the Abbey Woods which are right on my door step!

Sam Webber - Liberal Democrat

Biggest issues

A lack of affordable housing is a big issue for local people with insufficient homes for families in the area. Air quality, given how close we are to the Blackwall Tunnel, and the road network is also a big problem. Lots of residents have also contacted me about cuts to local school budgets and it is important that these shortages are addressed by your next MP.

Defining policy

The Liberal Democrats want to stop Brexit. Leaving the EU will affect our economy and mean less resources for local public services and businesses.

Local public services

Not leaving the EU would mean a significant Remain bonus for our economy. I hope a majority of local residents will agree that remaining in the EU is the best thing we can do to support local NHS services and hard-pressed businesses.

Brexit

My party's stance on Brexit is the best one for Erith and Thamesmead and will see more money for local public services including schools and the NHS.

Favourite thing

Local residents tell me the best thing about the constituency is how diverse and open it is. People from all over the world live and work in Erith and Thamesmead and I stand for a party that wants to continue that open and multi-cultural Britain and make it better still. To do that we need to remain in the EU.

Thomas Bright - Brexit Party

Biggest issues

The political class have horribly neglected my home of Erith and Thamesmead for years. I’ve grown up witnessing first-hand the underinvestment in our communities. And for years, I’ve heard the same promises from the same old political parties that have been broken time and time again. Erith and Thamesmead requires proper, long term reinvestment. We need our public spaces to be cared for and funded by local government, and local people should be the decision makers and not the political class.

We have a significant shortage of housing with thousands left waiting for housing allocation and others unable to buy homes due to their unaffordability. Finally, crime is on the increase in London and many local residents don’t feel that our streets are as safe and secure as they once were.

Defining policy

Our priority is to leave the European Union. After years of delay, it’s time to deliver the Brexit that 17.4m people voted for across the UK, along with 55% of Erith and Thamesmead’s voters in 2016. What sort of democratic society do we live in, if a few Parliamentarians can defy the expressed will of the people? We will embrace the opportunities that Brexit provides with our Brexit Booster plan.

Local public services

As a school teacher, I know the extent of hard work and commitment that those who work in our local public services show every day. But, for years, we’ve continually been let down by the same old parties and the political class.

In our schools, we believe parents should have more choice over the type of education their children receives and we should provide children with the knowledge and skills required for success in the 21st century. We will provide tax incentives for employers to take on more employers, and improve the process that enables employers to take on more apprentices by providing them with tax incentives to do so. We will also ensure that local councils are held to account over local cuts to our most vulnerable children’s services with further investment in this area.

Our NHS should always stay public with no further privatisation. There are also many successful independent, family-run, small businesses in Erith and Thamesmead. However, local businesses haven’t had the support and incentives they deserve by exempting small-income businesses of corporation tax.

Brexit

Brexit is an opportunity to take back control of our spending and divert the billions of pounds we send to the EU into our local towns and cities. For Erith and Thamesmead this means more local investment to regenerate our communities and public spaces as well as increases in funding for further transport links and local services that we rely on.

What you hope to achieve in this election?

The Tories have never won in Erith and Thamesmead. They never will. By standing in this election and in a Labour leave seat, they are simply jeopardising the prospect of a proper Brexit. The choice in this election is simple: for a real Brexit and to ensure that the Tories deliver on the EU referendum result of 2016, vote for the Brexit Party. A vote for any other party will ensure that Corbyn gets into government and will result in a Corbyn-supporting Labour MP in Erith and Thamesmead.

Favourite thing

Erith and Thamesmead is my home – I was born, raised and live here. It is a place of warmth and community, and the British values we share define us. It is the people of Erith and Thamesmead that makes it a place I do and will continue to call home.

Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on 12 December ('polling day').