In the run-up to the General Election on December 12, we are giving all the candidates in the two Oxford constituencies to opportunity to tell you, the electorate, why you should vote for them.

Louise Staite, Conservative Party candidate for Oxford East

Can you afford to vote Labour at this election? Can anyone? It is time for change in Oxford East so that everyone in Oxford gets the healthcare they need, the right start in life and lives on a street where they feel safe. Labour’s plans would bankrupt the economy and have a long-lasting, damaging effect on the country making these simple hopes many of us have for our families impossible to reach.

I have a plan for Oxford. I have spoken to so many of you who tell me that the issue that worries you the most is increasing crime and anti-social behaviour. By pledging to put 20,000 more officers on the streets we will get crime back under control. More police will make it easier to tackle county lines and get drugs off our streets, reduce knife crime, clampdown on hate crime and the theft of bicycles stolen from the city centre.

It is a great shame that Jeremy Corbyn and Labour have resorted to the same old lie they pedal at every election. Let me be clear though. Under a Conservative Government THE NHS IS NOT FOR SALE. Never has been and never will be. Through the record investment Boris Johnson has committed to the NHS – an additional £34bn each year by the end of the Parliament (£650 million a week extra if you prefer a side of the bus calculation!) Oxford’s hospitals will receive more money. The John Radcliffe will be one of the first in the country to get new cancer scanning technology – speeding up diagnosis. We’re also going to recruit more healthcare professionals – 50,000 nurses, 6,000 GPs, more physios, more pharmacists. And free hospital parking for those who need it most.

Oxford’s schools will receive additional funding. By levelling up funding across the country to £4,000 per primary school pupil and £5,000 per secondary school pupil all of Oxford’s children will benefit. Can it be right though that a city with one of the best Universities in the world has schools that have some of the worst results in the country. If you elect me as your MP, I will work with charities like Students4Students to get volunteers from Oxford University and Brookes into local schools to help children with reading and home work. We also know that it is our teachers who make the biggest impact on us at school. We all remember a brilliant teacher. This is why we will increase teachers’ pay and benefits to keep more of them in the profession – recognising the vital work they do.

There aren’t many people who work harder than small business owners. Opening early, closing late, seven days a week. I’m on your side. I know that small businesses are the life-blood of our community here in Oxford. Sadly, there are too many empty shops around Oxford – showing just how difficult it can be. If you vote for me on 12 December I will work with Boris Johnson to get the best deal for local shops, pubs and cinemas – reducing business rates and cutting red tape to strengthen our high streets and local communities.

Labour think business is the ‘real enemy’. Their crazy spending plans will destroy the economy. Thanks to the strong economy that the Conservatives have built over the last nine years of economic growth there are 20,000 more people in employment in Oxford East and 715 new business have opened.

Lastly, I will support Boris to get Brexit done. I know from speaking to so many of you that you’re fed up with hearing about Brexit and fed up with politicians arguing about it. Let’s get it done so we can focus on the things that really matter to you and your families. Cutting crime. Investing in our NHS. Increasing spending to all of Oxford’s schools. Supporting our local high streets and small businesses and making Oxford a great place to live for everyone.