Martin Tod, Liberal Democrat, Winchester

Name: Martin Tod

Candidate for: Winchester

Party: Liberal Democrat

Votes: 24,107

Profile:

THE man who wants to succeed Mark Oaten as the Liberal Democrat MP for Winchester said his first priority would be to give local people a "strong voice".

Martin Tod said he wanted Winchester to have a strong independent-minded MP standing up for it in parliament, and Britain to become a "fairer, greener and freer country".

He pledged to continue to live in Winchester and said he had a track record to show he can get results for local residents: campaigning successfully for more ambulances, more dentist places and to protect local bus services.

Mr Tod said: "We need a strong independent-minded MP who put our area first. We can't go back to having MPs who just obey their party bosses, even when it's wrong for local people.

"We also need to change the country. We've ended up with an unsustainable economy based on debt. We've not done enough to tackle climate change. Civil liberties have been eroded. We've become a more unequal country. This has to change."

Mr Tod said he wanted a fairer tax system by increasing allowances to £10,000, and a greener more sustainable economy.

He added there was a need for more investment early years education, as well as fair, transparent and more local politics.

He said: "Only a vote for the Liberal Democrats will ensure that Britain get the change it needs."

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