The General Election is less than a week away and all the political parties are urging their supporters to vote. To help those of you who live in the Hereford and South Herefordshire constituency the Ross Gazette invited all the candidates to explain why they think you should vote for them.

Labour – Anna Coda

Labour has committed to spend an extra £45 billion on the NHS and social care over five years. Labour will stand up for older people and has made five key pledges to ensure older people have the security and dignity they deserve:

• Secure pensioner incomes with the Triple-Lock on state pensions.

• Protect the Winter Fuel Allowance and free bus passes for pensioners.

• An extra £45 billion for the NHS and social care.

• No rise in state pension age beyond 66.

• Justice for women born in the 1950s hit by five year rise in pension age.

The Tories really have it in for older people at this election. They want to ditch the triple-lock, take away winter-fuel payments for some pensioners and Theresa May’s been left back-peddling after the announcement of the Tory ‘dementia tax’ in their manifesto.

But the Prime Minister – despite the U-turn – hasn’t clarified the level of the cap above which older people would need to contribute towards their own social care. All voters have, is what is in the Tory manifesto. I’ve lost track of how many times the Prime Minster has changed her mind in this election – who is to say she wouldn’t change her mind about a cap?

The average cost of a house in Hereford & South Herefordshire is £174,000 – that would mean on average, under the Tories’ initial proposals, that a pensioner could be asked to pay up to £74,000 towards their own social care costs.

Only Labour is standing up for older people at this general election, whilst the Tories are taking pensioners for fools by thinking their votes are already in the bag.”Other candidatesTo read a statement from Lucy Hurds (Liberal Democrats), click here.To read a statement from Jim Kenyon (Independent), click here.To read a statement from Jesse Norman (Conservative), Click here.To read a statement from Gwyn Price (UKIP), click here.To read a statement from Diana Toynbee (Green), here.