Election 2017: Ealing Central and Acton Candidate Profile
Jon Ball will be fighting the seat for the Liberal Democrats
Ealing Central and Acton will be one of the most hotly contested seats in the forthcoming election and with candidates now all declared the choice in this seat is between Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats.
We have asked each candidate to write their personal manifesto.
Jon Ball will be fighting the seat for the Liberal Democrats:
Brexit
The Liberal Democrats are the only party challenging Conservative plans for a damaging hard Brexit. I campaigned vigorously for remain in the referendum and still believe passionately that Britain is better off in Europe.
Leaving the single market and going for a hard Brexit would hit jobs and investment locally. It would also be a disaster for the 13,000 adults living in this constituency who are citizens of other European countries.
As our next MP, I will fight the Conservatives’ disastrous hard Brexit – their choice to make Britain, London and Ealing poorer places. I will back a referendum on the terms of any deal where the people will get the final say whether to accept the deal or remaining in Europe. I will campaign tirelessly to protect jobs in Ealing and Acton.
Also, we must immediately guarantee the rights of EU citizens living in the UK – ending uncertainty for thousands of Ealing residents.
Health
I have consistently campaigned to save our local NHS services as they have been repeatedly threatened under Labour, Coalition and Conservative governments.
I continue to campaign to save Ealing Hospital and Charing Cross Hospital, which are being downgraded and both threatened with closure. This is not acceptable. Local people need comprehensive hospital services that are local and quick to get to. The Liberal Democrats would increase funding for health and social care services, including a penny on income tax to provide a £6 billion funding boost. £36.5 million of this would be used to plug funding gaps here in Ealing.
Education
Ealing’s schools are in crisis, with local schools likely to be forced to make teachers redundant and a desperate need for a new secondary school.
The Liberal Democrats will invest £35 million more in schools in Ealing borough including protecting the Pupil Premium to help the most disadvantaged children.
The Conservative government is slashing education funding, while spending billions on divisive plans to bring back grammar schools. The Liberal Democrats will reverse crippling Conservative school budget cuts and invest to ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed.
Housing/Planning
The shortage of genuinely affordable housing in Ealing is acute. Many people cannot find anywhere to live and young people often see no way to continue to live in Ealing. The Conservative government is redefining what is considered affordable to include flats offered at a small discount below the market rent or even ‘starter homes’ for sale for £450,000. These are not affordable in any normal sense. As a councilor, I have pushed for genuine affordable homes in Ealing and Acton.
The Liberal Democrats would introduce new Rent to Own and Help to Rent schemes to help more young people get a roof over their heads, especially in more expensive areas like Ealing. We would also give tenants first refusal to buy the home they are renting from a landlord who decides to sell during the tenancy.
Crossrail will save travel time for many Ealing and Acton residents, but it is causing a gold rush of major developments in our town centres, some of them entirely unsuitable. As MP, I will use my influence to work with developers to persuade them to take public views into account. It is scandalous that Ealing has been without a cinema for so long, and that the Dickens Yard shops still lie empty after all these years. The proposals at 9-42 The Broadway to destroy much of the remaining Victorian heritage in our town centre have rightly been withdrawn but residents need to be properly involved in what comes next.
Heathrow
I and the Liberal Democrats, locally and nationally, have fought Heathrow expansion for many years. A third runway would massively increase air pollution and noise in our area. Ealing’s Labour Council has dropped its opposition to a third runway but the Lib Dems and I are still fighting expansion.
I believe we must continue to protect the environment including tackling climate change, reducing death and disease from air pollution and preventing a third runway at Heathrow airport.
About me
I live in central Ealing and have been a community campaigner in Ealing and Acton for 25 years. I have been elected as a councillor for Ealing Common ward continuously since 2002. I enjoy helping local people and working with local groups campaigning on key issues for our community like protecting services at our localhospitals.
I successfully battled to save the Solace Centre for people with mental illness from the Labour-controlled council’s closure plan. I have fought for affordable housing andagainst inappropriate developments such as a 40-storey skyscraper in Ealing and The Oaks redevelopment in Acton.
A passionate pro-European, I campaigned hard to remain in Europe in the referendum and am still fighting against a damaging, hard Brexit.
I have a young son and am concerned about the air pollution implications for our area of a third runway at Heathrow airport.
Outside politics I work in the film and TV industry.
Contact details
Email: jon@ealinglibdems.org.uk
Facebook: facebook.com/jonball
Twitter: @jonball
Website: http://www.ealinglibdems.org.uk/
Nominated Candidates
John Ball (Liberal Democrat)
Rupa Huq ( Lab)
Joy Morrissey ( Conservative)
18th May 2017
