Clive Johnson, Labour General Election Candidate for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, today called for investment in a new Further Education College in Sittingbourne.  Clive said, ‘I know from talking to young people, parents, and teachers as well as residents more generally, that local education is one of the key issues in this election.  We need to raise educational standards in local schools, both primary and secondary, and we need to bridge the skills gap.  The Oasis Academy, which continues in difficult circumstances, is key to the future of young people on Sheppey and it needs the support and investment which Labour’s plans for investment in local schools will bring, an extra £200,000 for this school alone.  I want to see a wider range of vocational education at the Oasis Academy with strong links to the successful Sheppey College and a new FE college in Sittingbourne.  I also want to see a new school in north Sittingbourne that is for 11-16 year olds, also working closely with a new FE college. All our young people need to have close links with the colleges from the age of 14 to ensure that they can take advantage of all the opportunities which these developments will bring.  Labour’s Green Industrial Revolution will provide the skilled jobs with decent pay that will give our young people the incentive to aim high.  In addition, encouraging island children to stay on the island for their education will relieve pressure on schools in Sittingbourne.

I know from my time working in FE how important this sector is in providing the skills which are needed by the local economy and ensuring that young people are ready to meet the needs of employers.  These changes are vital for young people locally. The local economy needs many more people with craft skills, in construction, engineering, social care and tourism.  Labour’s plans are exciting for Sittingbourne and Sheppey and I hope as MP to help transform the area into a prosperous and high skills economy, supported by an outstanding education system.’

Clive Johnson, Labour’s General Election Candidate for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, today welcomed the jobs that Labour’s manifesto plans for a Green Industrial Revolution will create.

Clive said, ‘Sittingbourne and Sheppey may have an MP who doesn’t believe he can make a difference to the constituency, but I am really passionate about improving the local economy and the lives of local people.  Labour’s Green Industrial Revolution will create jobs in engineering, manufacturing and housing, just the sort of jobs that our local economy needs.  Under a Labour government, we could be making wind turbines and solar panels, building zero-carbon homes and bringing existing homes up to improved standards.  I will fight to make sure we get our fair share of these skilled, well-paid and secure jobs.  The role of our MP is to fight for local people and that’s what I will do.  With our history of engineering, we are ideally placed to take advantage of these opportunities and they will boost our young people’s aspirations and give them local jobs that will mean they have a prosperous and secure future in the area.  Labour has plans for 320,000 climate apprenticeships and we have thousands of young people ideally placed to start their career in this new and exciting sector.  Labour’s plans for Local Development Boards means that investment can be targeted to areas of the country that have been left behind after years of Conservative neglect.  It’s been clear to me as I’ve been speaking to local residents that the future of the economy and the future of our young people are real concerns.  After nine years of Conservative austerity, the area  is ready and willing to take advantage of these new jobs.  There have been missed opportunities in the past and jobs have been lost or have not come.  The Sheerness steel mill closed in 2012 and Vesta took their wind turbine plant to Hull.  As Labour MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, I will make sure we do not make the same mistakes again.’

Labour Promises Support for Prison Officers At Breaking Point

Clive Johnson, Labour Candidate for Sittingbourne and Sheppey today expressed his support for the Prison Service and for Prison Officers

Clive said today, ‘I know from my conversations with prison officers how hard their lives have been made by years of Conservative austerity.  7,000 officers have been lost to the service since 2010 and the rate of staff leaving the service is unacceptably high.  The role they perform is vital to society, making a difference to the lives of prisoners and helping to protect us all, but government action over the last nine years has made their lives much more difficult.  Government action to buy out experienced and expensive staff has resulted in a hardworking but inexperienced workforce.  Staffing levels are unacceptably low and the violence that prison officers face in prisons is intolerable.  With 27 assaults on staff per day, our prisons are the most dangerous workplace in Western Europe.  In November, it was revealed that 125 improvised knives had been discovered at Swaleside Prison.  This Conservative record on the prison service is shameful.  Labour has promised to restore prison officer numbers to 2010 levels, end dangerous lone-working, tackle the maintenance backlog and review Conservative plans for the prison officers’ retirement age to be raised to 68, an absurd high age, given the physical and other challenges of the job.  Also, a Labour government will restore public services, in particular, the public and mental health and substance misuse support, which have been cut by the Conservative government.  The loss of those services has fuelled so many social problems, including the rise in the prison population.  It is time to end the assumption that we can dump all our social problems on prison officers and simply expect them to cope.  I’m proud that Labour will show the support prison officers desperately need and I will fight hard as MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey for them and for the vital service they provide.’

Labour Candidate Concerned about Health Delays in Sittingbourne and Sheppey

Clive Johnson, Labour Candidate for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, today expressed his level of concern at the worries that residents have of delays in obtaining prompt GP appointments and the often long waits for health treatment.

Clive said today, ‘I’ve spoken to increasing numbers of residents as we have been canvassing who are worried about access to health care.  They tell me that they can wait weeks for an appointment with their GP, leading to extended periods of discomfort or worry.  When they are seen and then require treatment, the waiting lists are growing, adding to anxiety.  It is a sorry picture.  We all admire the NHS, but it is starved of the investment it needs, there are thousands of staff vacancies and facilities and equipment need renewal.  I welcome the new medical school and I hope this will provide a supply of locally trained doctors in the future but this will take time to have an impact.  I taught English to people who wanted to train as nurses when I worked at MidKent College.  I thought it was a tragedy when the government ended the nurse’s bursary, contributing to the massive shortage of nurses which we see now across the service.  I’ve also supported campaigns locally to locate the Hyper Acute Stroke Unit locally, where the levels of need are highest.  I’m pleased to say, as the Labour candidate for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, that a Labour government will invest in the NHS to give patients modern, well-resourced services. We will increase expenditure across the health sector by an average 4.3% a year and our investments mean we deliver the standards of care that the people of Sittingbourne and Sheppey deserve.  Labour will also ensure that timescales for investigations and treatment are vigorously monitored and that patients will know who to contact when there are delays.’