‘I have always had a passion for helping people and trying to improve this city’

Mark Weston has been selected as the Tory parliamentary candidate for Bristol North West.

The councillor for Henbury & Brentry and local group leader will stand in the next General Election as the party’s hope of winning back the seat from Labour MP Darren Jones, who ousted Conservative Charlotte Leslie from power in May 2017.

Following his selection by members of Bristol and South Gloucestershire Conservative Federation, Weston has written a letter to potential constituents outlining his key priorities.

Here it is in full:

Dear Reader,

I moved to Bristol in 2005 and was elected to the city council the following year for the Henbury & Brentry Ward. I love Bristol. I love its energy, its green spaces, and above all, its sense of community.

It is a warm and friendly place that in many ways manages to feel like a small town and yet is one of the largest cities in England.

I may not be a Bristolian by birth, but I’m Bristolian by choice and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

I have always had a passion for helping people and trying to improve my neighbourhood and this city. A lot of us share this drive. We want to leave the city a better place than the one we inherited. We may disagree as to the shape and scale of these improvements, but that passionate diversity of debate is part of Bristol’s charm.

It was this desire to help that got me involved as a councillor and, following last week’s selection meeting, will carry me forward as the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Bristol North West. I have been campaigning for residents in north Bristol for over a decade on issues ranging from transport improvements to preventing our parks being sold off, from keeping open our libraries to securing buildings for community use.

If I were elected as your MP, my priority would be the economy, education and the NHS to give everyone the chance to fulfill their potential and get the support and care they deserve.

That means boosting the economy as unemployment continues to fall, a focus on rising standards in our local schools, and ensuring the NHS continues offering that top rate care that many of us come to rely on.

Yet, below this national snap shot there are things that I want to see locally here in north Bristol to improve our communities.

Previous Tory MP for Bristol North West Charlotte Leslie championed the Henbury Line

Tackling Congestion: 

For too long Bristol has ignored its railways lines. The mayor may talk about his passion for an underground, but at £4bn it simply isn’t feasible. We need to be doing more to take advantage of the large amount of existing ‘over ground’ track.

Our last Conservative MP, Charlotte Leslie, fought tooth and nail to get the Henbury Line plans approved, and the Henbury Spur is due to re-open in 2021. This is excellent – we want the Portway Park & Ride station re-opened and the Henbury Spur delivered – but with the continued building on our borders we need to be more ambitious.

I want us to look again at re-opening the full Henbury Loop complete with new stations at Horfield and Chittening. If we can connect the primary employment areas of Temple Meads, the Avonmouth Industrial Area and the manufacturing centres at Filton on the one loop line then it is a game changer in our efforts to tackle congestion.

Mark says he would protect local high streets from online and out of town retailers such as The Mall at Cribbs Causeway

Supporting local high streets: 

We all love our local high streets, but many of these local shopping centres are facing stiff competition, from the internet but also larger retail precincts like The Mall at Cribbs Causeway. I want to see more targeted support into these vital neighbourhood amenities and this will require a combination of both local and national effort.

Nationally, I believe we need a root and branch reform of our business rate systems so that local shops aren’t at a disadvantage against the online giants. Locally, we also need to ensure CCTV cameras help people feel safe when they are at the shops. We also need to ensure we have the right level of on and off street parking to boost trade by improving access and above all the area needs to look and feel welcoming for the community.

For far too long many of these areas have felt ignored and neglected. That needs to change.

Safer Communities: 

I want people to feel safe in their homes, in their parks, on their roads and across the whole community. I believe that the police do a phenomenal job, but that they are under strain which is why I have lobbied both the Police and Crime Commissioner over the number of vacancies in the Bristol PC establishment strength (and been assured that these are being filled, or will be shortly) and the Government itself over the issue of police funding.

I want that ‘thin blue line’ out in our communities keeping us safe – a police force supported by local residents, backed up by a robust justice system that is on the side of the victim, not the perpetrator.

The campaign ahead will be long and challenging, but I am looking forward to knocking on doors and listening to the concerns of local residents so I can go out and be their voice in Westminster.

Thank you for reading.

Mark Weston

Mark Weston is the Bristol Tory group leader and newly-selected parliamentary candidate for Bristol North West.