NHS and social care are top priorities for Cumbrians - election survey

With just one week until polling day, we are today publishing a manifesto for Cumbria – telling prospective MPs exactly what we expect of them, should they be elected to represent us.

Hundreds of readers took part in our General Election Survey 2017, setting out their priorities and demands. The results of these online and in-paper questionnaires form the basis of the manifesto.

Of those who took part in the survey, 96 per cent said they would be voting in the General Election on June 8.

Nationally it has been largely billed as a battle between Theresa May’s Conservatives and Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour, with the polls suggesting the latter could be gaining ground.

That was reflected in our survey results, with 45 per cent of respondents saying they would be voting Labour.

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Click here for survey results at a glance (.pdf)

The Conservatives had 31 per cent of the votes, with other parties taking less than five per cent of the share.

However 16 per cent of respondents admitted they had yet to decide – suggesting that the battle for Cumbria is still very much to play for in the seven days that remain of the campaign.

So what can the candidates do to win their vote?

Our survey suggests they should be concentrating on the NHS and social care, with 42 per cent saying this is the number one issue they want their next MP to tackle after June 8.

Second on the list was Brexit, with 23 per cent of the vote, followed by the economy/jobs (12 per cent), then transport/infrastructure and education jointly (both 6 per cent) and welfare (5 per cent).

Locally, thousands of people across the county have strongly opposed plans to downgrade services and close beds.

This was reflected in the survey results, with 39 per cent saying they want the next Government to go back to the drawing board and come up with plans that are backed by the public.

Money was the key for 29 per cent of respondents, who called for Cumbria’s historic NHS debts to be written off and the county allowed to start again with a clean slate.

A further 21 per cent said social care must be improved, and 15 per cent said recruitment must be a priority.

However the one issue to divide the county was Brexit.

Click here for more survey results at a glance (.pdf)

Asked what they would most like to see from the upcoming negotiations, 39 per cent said less immigration would be top of their list. But a further 38 per cent said they still don’t want Brexit to go ahead.

A fifth of respondents said better trade deals was their priority for Brexit, with only three per cent focused on employment laws.

Another issue of key concern to Cumbrians is the future of the Moorside nuclear power station plan, with more than half (56 per cent) saying the next Government must make sure it goes ahead. However 23 per cent still want further assurances over safety, and 21 per cent saying the environmental risks are not worth it.

Transport infrastructure is another potential vote winner, with 56 per cent calling for key roads – including the A595, A66 and A69 – to be upgraded. The remaining respondents wanted an improved train service (21 per cent) and better bus services (21 per cent) as a priority.

Education is also a big issue in Cumbria, where some schools say they cannot afford basic equipment or staff due to real term funding cuts.

Of those who responded, 40 per cent demanded more funding to tackle these budget problems, while 31 per cent said teacher recruitment and retention had to be addressed, 18 per cent wanted less focus on stressful exams and 11 per cent keen to see a broader range of subjects offered.

There were also calls for greater support for employers, colleges and universities to help tackle skills gaps, more apprenticeships, increased investment and better housing opportunities.

Some have been calling for more powers to be devolved to Cumbria – a move backed by 46 per cent of respondents, while 31 per cent wanted a bigger role in the so-called Northern Powerhouse.

Nearly half of respondents backed calls to overhaul the local council structure, creating one or two authorities to run the whole county. A total of 49 per cent backed this idea, those only 17 per cent wanted to go as far as introducing elected mayors for Cumbria.

For the county’s economy, the vast majority felt there was still a lot more to be done, with better roads and transport (45 per cent).

Affordable housing was also a concern, with 69 per cent wanting more pressure to be put on developers and 23 per cent wanting tougher regulations on second homes.

The majority of respondents (72 per cent) also opposed zero-hours contracts, while only 36 per cent want cannabis legalised.