Wetherby and Easingwold: James Monaghan, Liberal Democrats

Boroughbridge, Spofforth and a large part of the Vale of York now fall within the new Wetherby and Easingwold constituency.

Here, Liberal Democrat candidate James Monaghan sets out his priorities in the latest of a series of policy statements written by the candidates standing for election in the constituency on July 4. 

The Liberal Democrats are fighting to get a better deal for the Wetherby and Easingwold constituency. We're demanding better access to GP and dental services, fighting for a fair deal for our NHS, and calling for real action to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.

I first joined the Liberal Democrats because I strongly believe in fairness, and that every child, no matter what their background, should have the same opportunities in life.

As a parent with two children in a local primary school, I think it is unacceptable that our North Yorkshire schools are in the bottom 10 for funding in the country. 

If elected I pledge to fight for a fair deal for schools and therefore more funding to support our hardworking teachers and our children. 

I am delighted that the Liberal Democrats have also pledged to have a dedicated qualified mental health professional in every primary and secondary school.

Housebuilding has been and will continue to be a big issue in the constituency. As a former chair of Knaresborough Civic Society, I am passionate about preserving our built heritage and the character of our towns and villages. I am no nimby, but I believe new housing should be built in sustainable locations with high-quality design, and be truly affordable if we want to sustain rural communities.

Like many Stray Ferret readers I have been disgusted that the Conservatives have allowed water companies to dump millions of tonnes of raw sewage into our rivers. Not a single river in the constituency is in good overall health. This is a scandal and if elected, I will hold the water companies to account to clean up our rivers.

I want to be a local champion for all communities across Wetherby and Easingwold. If elected I will campaign for the decentralisation of political and economic power to local government, so local communities across the constituency have more say on the issues that affect them. I will hold local in-person surgeries and make sure I regularly meet with local community groups.

The candidates for the Wetherby and Easingwold constituency are:

• John Hall, Yorkshire Party
• Mike Jordan, Reform UK
• James Monaghan, Liberal Democrats
• Ben Pickles, Labour
• Sir Alec Shelbrooke, Conservative
• Arnold Warneken, Green Party