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Latest News NHS Winchester

New dentist places for Winchester

Hampshire Health bosses are now planning a significant number of extra NHS dentist places in Winchester – including a new centre that will be open 7 days a week from 8 a.m. till 8 p.m.

Winchester’s Prospective Lib Dem MP, Martin Tod, met Hampshire health bosses in late October to get an update on plans following his campaign over the last 2 years for more dentist places.

Martin Tod commented:

“I’ve been pushing to get extra NHS dentist places for Winchester for over 2 years, so I’m very pleased to see this plan for a new centre.

“There’s a real need for these new places. There was a collapse in the number of people going to NHS dentists after Labour brought in a new contract for dentists in March 2007. The numbers are now recovering, but they’re still below what they were.”

In Martin Tod’s 2007 Health Survey, 43% of local people had problems finding a local NHS dentist. Even now, NHS places only rarely come available. In a survey by Mark Oaten in Summer 2009, 22% of people said they had not visited a dentist in the last year.

Mr Tod got national news coverage when he helped Winchester resident, Elizabeth Green, find a dentist after she felt forced to pull out two of her own teeth – and this was one of the things that led NHS bosses to look again at plans for Winchester.

To find the nearest NHS dentist or to get emergency care, call the Hampshire Dental Helpline on 0845 050 8345 or visit http://www.hampshiredentalhelpline.nhs.uk/.

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Latest News Nick Clegg

Martin Tod puts fairness at the heart of the Liberal Democrat campaign

The Liberal Democrats have announced they will fight the General Election on four key principles, designed to make Britain a fairer place.

Nick Clegg and Martin Tod

Martin Tod, Prospective Lib Dem MP for Winchester, has today set out his campaign priorities: fair taxes; a fair start for every child; fair, clean and local politics and a fair, green economy with jobs that last.

Martin Tod said:

“We are going into the election with a clear direction and a manifesto that is short, direct and to the point.

“We will introduce fairer taxes by closing loopholes for the richest, introducing a tax on mansions and tax cuts of up to £700 for everyone else.

“If your child is at school in Winchester, we are promising investment to help reduce class sizes, improve discipline and develop one-to-one tuition.

“We would also give local people the right to sack their MP. The Liberal Democrats are the only party committed to real change of our political system, flushing out big money and corrupt donors and reducing the number of MPs by 150.

“And we will rebuild the economy in every part of Britain in a way that promotes green technology and creates lasting jobs. We will put an end to casino banking, bring back competition and support local entrepreneurs to make sure Winchester businesses can find the investment they need.

“The coming months are a crucial time for politics and I will be using them to focus on these four priorities and get real change for Winchester.”

In his speech earlier the same day, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg said:

“David Cameron and Gordon Brown are playing the politics of the airbrush and the focus group.

“One doesn’t know what he believes. The other doesn’t know what to do with the power he clings to so desperately.

“I believe the country wants something different. The Liberal Democrats are different. We offer credibility where it’s needed. And hope for our common future.”

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Environment Latest News

Lib Dem Campaign Secures Funding for Park Home Pilot Study

The ongoing campaign by Winchesters Liberal Democrats has secured funding for a pilot study, on Park Home insulation and heating efficiency technologies, to be situated in Winchester.

The Winchester MP and Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidates for Winchester and the Meon Valley, Martin Tod and Liz Leffman, launched their Park Homes campaign in October and since then have contacted all Park Home residents within the constituency.

By bringing together National Energy Action and Winchester City Council they have been able to identify appropriate sites and start the ball rolling for a pilot study to get underway. It means that some Park Home residents in Flowerdown Park, Littleton, will soon be benefiting from new technologies aimed at reducing emissions, reducing bills and better insulating their homes.

The aim of the project is to demonstrate that low cost methods are available to help insulate Park Homes so that they may be included in Government schemes. At present Park Homes are classified in such a way that they are excluded from the vast majority of Government assistance to those in fuel poverty, such as Warm Front.

While Mark Oaten has been raising this issue in Parliament through Early Day Motions and in debates, locally discussions were under way to site one of the pilot studies taking place across the country within the Winchester constituency.

Mark Oaten commented:

“This is all about showing the Government that the technologies exist to help Park Home owners the same as any other home owner. Excluding them because of legal technicalities just isn’t fair.

“I’m pleased to say that there does appear to be some movement from the Governments side but this needs to happen faster. The latest cold snap reminds us all again, if that was needed, just how important it is to be able to afford to heat your home.

Martin Tod, PPC for Winchester, added:

“Winchester has one of the highest carbon footprints in the country so ensuring we can all do our bit to change this is vital. At the same time far too many people are still living in fuel poverty.

“So I am delighted that Winchester has now got the funding to take part in a pilot study for new insulation technologies. Lets hope that the Government sit up and take notice of the results and make the necessary changes to their schemes.

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Chandlers Ford Winchester

Making progress on ambulance numbers

I was very pleased to see that Will Hancock, the Chief Executive of the South Central Ambulance service, has admitted that there’s a problem with the number of ambulances we have in Hampshire.

Back in September, the Chairman of the Trust said something very similar when I challenged him at their Annual General Meeting (as reported in the Echo):

To achieve all our targets we need more ambulances, more crews and more money.

Having the problem recognised from the top is a good first step.  Now we need to see some action to fix it.

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Latest News Winchester

Winchester clock mystery solved

Enquiries by Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate, Martin Tod, have finally solved the mystery of the broken clock outside the old Guildhall (now Lloyds TSB bank) on Winchester High Street.

Martin Tod by the old Winchester Guildhall clock
The clock is one of the most recognisable sights on Winchester’s High Street. Over the summer, the glass on one side of the clock shattered and was originally thought to have been damaged by vandalism, but clock specialists, Smiths of Derby, brought in by the City Council’s insurers have concluded that the damage is the result of deterioration of the clock face.

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate, Martin Tod, uncovered the story when he wrote to the council asking when they intended to repair it and whether they could cover the broken side with bird-proof netting to prevent further damage:

“The Old Guildhall clock is a very recognisable and visible part of Winchester’s High Street. It’s important that it’s fixed sooner rather than later. Leaving something so visible unrepaired makes an unnecessarily poor impression and risks making people think we don’t care about our town.

I contacted the council to find out how quickly it could be fixed and what they were doing to stop further damage from birds and the weather while it remained open to the elements.

I’ve had tourists stop me in the street and ask why the town wasn’t getting the clock fixed. The last straw was when it looked like pigeons might be moving into it as well through the opening created when they removed the broken glass. It’s essential we look after our heritage. I’m glad it’s being fixed, but wish it could have been done sooner.”