Those elected must fight for our issues

In a sense, all the politicians promise the same thing: a future in which we’re all happy, healthy and wealthy. What differs is the route by which they propose to lead us there. Ultimately, of course, every politician wants power. But whatever the political complexion of those we choose to hand it to, what is it we in east Kent want?

An issue that unites us all is health – and particularly parlous state of the Kent and Canterbury Hospital, which has served us so many of us so well since the 1930s.

No one wants to see services cut, staff moved to the sites at Ashford and Margate and the closure of the Urgent Care Centre. Yet this is what we face.

What about our beleaguered, congested streets? They need sorting – and fast, especially as air quality levels are poor.

If our populations are to expand, then we need more roads. But don’t we, too, need leaders capable of persuading people to leave their cars at home more often? And doesn’t that then entail that better and cheaper public transport is required alongside extra cycle routes?

In Canterbury, the booming universities create work and wealth, but their growth is not without consequence. Long-term residents have seen their communities transformed into centres of student accommodation complete with problems of noise and mess that necessarily arise.

There are no quick fixes. But those we elect to represent us in three weeks must have the foresight and determination to stand for the people and the districts they represent in parliament.

That is why we have elections – and that is all we really want.