The best choice for Southend

Ashley Dalton and Julian Ware-Lane

Nominations are closed and we now know who is seeking to represent Southend at Westminster.

It boils down to a continuation of cuts to police number, under-funding of local schools, downgrading of accident and emergency provision at Southend University Hospital. If you think these are good things then you should vote for the Conservative candidates.

If you do not think the destruction of public services is a good idea then you have to vote for your Labour candidates. Vote for any of the other candidates just makes the Conservatives job easier.

It may not be fair (and I am a long-standing advocate for electoral reform) but this is the reality in the current first-past-the-post system.

For your hospital, your school, your police - vote for Ashley Dalton or Julian Ware-Lane.

Here are the candidates:

Rochford and Southend East

Ashley Dalton - Labour
James Duddridge - Conservative
Peter Gwizdala - Liberal Democrat
Simon Cross - Green
Neil Hookway - UKIP
Ron Woodley - Independent

Southend West

Julian Ware-Lane - Labour
David Amess - Conservative
Lucy Salek - Liberal Democrat
Dominic Ellis - Green
John Stansfield - UKIP
Tino Callaghan _ Southend Independent Association
Jason Pilley - Independent