Only half Rugby’s candidates are prepared to listen to the public on the NHS

The pressure group 38 degrees collected 1,249 signatures on a petition about the future of the NHS in Rugby and wanted to hand it over to the candidates for Parliament yesterday (Saturday, 25 April 2015).

But only half the candidates turned up for the presentation - our own Ed Goncalves and the Labour and Green candidates.

Where was UKIP? Where was TUSC?

Critically where was Mark Pawsey, the conservative candidate? Perhaps he didn't want to answer questions on how his party could claim to find the extra £8 billion the NHS chief executive says it needs whilst giving large tax cuts to the very richest in our society.

The Liberal Democrats have allowed for the extra £8 billion in their spending plans for the next Parliament.

The independent think tank The Institute for Fiscal Studies is critical of the way all parties have presented their plans for tax and spending in the next Parliament but agrees that the "Liberal Democrats have been more transparent about their fiscal plans" than either the Conservative or the Labour parties.