Over three hundred local residents packed into the United Church on Jewry Street on Tuesday 29th April, as the traditional main hustings event for the city was chaired by the Bishop of Winchester.
Each candidate opened with a 5-minute statement and Steve Brine highlighted his experience in the job and the security of a stable Conservative Government. But he used the opportunity to highlight his focus on the local NHS and his determination to see constituents remain fully informed about any changes to hosital services in Winchester.
"You should expect a responsible Member of Parliament to welcome a £160m Trust investment in local hospital services but to question robustly how that would work for us in Winchester", he said.
"That is why I organised and chaired two public meetings in this very room last year, one specifically on the subject of maternity services. These past five years I have immersed myself in truly understanding the issues at our acute Trust; trying to read the health economy across our entire area to see how that fits together in the context of a modern NHS for the long-term benefit of the people I represent.
"Leaflets in an election campaign with three word headlines are the easy part but from a Member of Parliament, you should expect much (much) more and you get that from me as you have for the past five years."
The full slate of candidates took to the panel, and responded to a range of questions on the economy, climate change, housing and our relationship with the European Union, alongside fracking which was opposed solely by the Green candidate Dr Michael Wilks, and the renewal of Trident, where Dr Wilks once again took a sole objection.
Speaking afterwards, Steve said: "Once again, Winchester turned out in force, and it was great to see so many familiar faces in the audience. This was a very well organised event, as ever for Churches Together, and it was a pleasure to be able to take part in what was at times a feisty debate.
"Of course, the next time I will see all the other candidates together will be on election night and it has been a pleasure to debate with them over the past few weeks, as this time we truly have plurality on our ballot papers."
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