We put five questions to the MP candidates for Witney to gain a bit more insight into their plans.

Charlie Maynard is Lib Dem parliamentary candidate and a previous chair of Witney to Oxford Transport Group which campaigned for a new rail link.

Why you decided to stand?

My wife Sophie and I both care about people and like being useful. We volunteer locally and have had both Syrian and Ukrainian refugees living with our family. I was Chair of the Witney Oxford Transport Group which is focused on finding solutions to A40 traffic problems by restoring the Witney rail line.

Over time, however, we realized that the biggest challenges we face need political solutions.

Unforced errors: My biggest frustration with the Conservative government has been over the mismanagement of the economy - austerity, a hard Brexit, the Truss mini-budget—have left the country without the money to properly fund public services and infrastructure.

Q: What is your main topic of interest in Witney?

Stopping sewage going into our rivers ASAP and making sure Thames Water shareholders and creditors pay for the infrastructure upgrades, not residents through huge bill rises.

The regulators, OfWat and the Environment Agency, have been asleep at the wheel. Since the Lib Dems took leadership of WODC, we have changed the rules so that new housing will require sewage capacity upgrades to match increases in population.

We would abolish OfWat and replace it with a regulator that has the power to take action. Thames Water is headed for bankruptcy. I want to use my background in finance to help chart a better, fairer, more sustainable solution for our water sector.

Q: What is the biggest issue facing the nation right now?

The crisis in the NHS: without basic health how can we sort out everything else?

Lib Dem leader, Ed Davey, is absolutely right on this: it can’t be sorted out without also sorting out social care.

The NHS needs more money invested it, but it’s not just a question of money, it’s a question of organisation. Locally, I’d like to see Witney’s community hospital area developed so that for routine treatments, we don’t always need to go all the way to the hospitals in Oxford.

Q: Tell us two interesting facts about you

I broke my neck aged 18 by diving into the sea and completely misjudging the depth of the water. We were on holiday and I went to a local doctor who wrongly diagnosed me, so I walked around for a week with a broken neck.

I studied geography at university and our house is filled with Ordnance Survey maps which I use to find new footpaths to run or hike along. I’m a keen swimmer - last weekend I swam the Lock to Lock 4km from Eynsham to Kings Lock. My whole family enjoy playing football - out of the five of us, I’m the only one who has not played for the Witney Vikings!