Dear Editor,

It was with interest that I read Jesse Norman’s letter, December 20th. For the record, I have absolutely no wish for people to despise or hate him, and none of my questions to him have had the intention of encouraging people to do so. Are constituents not allowed to question or challenge his voting record? I thought that we lived in a society where this was perfectly reasonable and citizens’ responsibility to contribute their opinions and support of alternative policies.

My concern is that at no point does Mr Norman explain how his votes are in the best interests of his constituents; nor does he address the concerns of the people he is supposed to represent. Even at the hustings, before the election in May, he avoided answering questions about the damage to public services that have been brought about by the austerity agenda, introduced by the Conservative / Liberal Democrat coalition, and then relentlessly pursued by this government. There is plenty of research that indicates the ‘cuts’ have saved little or no money, despite all of the hardship and suffering they have caused. Austerity is a political choice; Mr Norman appears repeatedly, to choose not to address the impact of these damaging policies on the lives of his constituents.

It is great that Mr Norman has helped to save PFI costs for our hospital trust. A question might be why he is the ‘only MP’ to have taken such action; I am sure this knowledge would be of concern to voters all over the country. I do, however, find it difficult to accept his sunny description of NHS funding. None of his figures take into account the increased use of the NHS, which far outstrips the ‘increase’ in funding. I know many people who work in the NHS in various roles, and I don’t think that any of them would recognise the picture he paints. Certainly, many patients are feeling the impact of overstretched services, whilst appreciating that staff are doing all they can to keep things going. The closure of the MIU in Ross is of great concern to many people.

I hope that the savvy readers of the Gazette will trust their own experiences and those of the vulnerable people in Ross, rather than the platitudes and evasions from our MP.

Margot Williams

Ross-on-Wye