Cambridge is a great success. It has grown tremendously in recent decades. In just 20 years, the population has risen by 30%; vast amounts of investment money have poured into the city, but there are signs that it is becoming a victim of its own success, with overcrowding and congestion, and tremendous pressure on amenities, water resources and green spaces. Yet the major political parties seem to agree that Cambridge is ripe for massive development. The Conservatives speak of building "150,000 new homes", which, when you consider that Cambridge today has around 50,000 homes, gives you an idea of the scale of what they have in mind. Put simply: the small city we know and love would be turned into a metropolis of nearly a 600,000 people.

I don’t know if you realise what changes are required to turn a town of 140,000 into a city of 600,000, but I’m sure you can see that the quaint narrow streets, the green spaces you love, the easy access to the countryside and the laid-back lifestyle you enjoy will not be compatible with such a change. 600,000 people need roads, lots of wide roads, infrastructure, Water and sewage pipes, water treatment plants, car parking, supermarkets, shopping centres, warehouses, schools, clinics. All these must be put somewhere. Oh and water, which happens to be in short supply. Would you be prepared to accept water rationing, for the sake of seeing your city turned into another Leicester?

The question is, for whom is this being done, and why? It isn’t for you, that’s for sure. The residents of this city have little to gain from such plans, and a lot to lose, as politicians and developers exploit Cambridge’s international brand for excellence and quality of life, to build masses of houses and apartments and sell them at premium prices to outside investors. The result will be a despoliation of the one thing that makes Cambridge so attractive to residents and newcomers: its quality of life.

Meanwhile, there are many Cambridge residents who live in poor conditions due to the city’s high housing costs. New development should focus on schemes that improve the lives of these residents, not those that exploit the city’s reputation to make money for developers and institutions by catering to wealthy outsiders or foreign students:

1. I’ll push for the construction of new affordable housing, and for refurbishment and thermal insulation of existing council housing
2. I’ll oppose the construction of new luxury housing developments targeted at investors and high-income newcomers working in the tech and science fields, as well as student accommodation clearly designed to draw in foreign students to capitalise on sky-high tuition fees
3. let other cities share in Cambridge’s success. Many are crying out for investment
4. I’ll lobby against any plans to develop the Green Belt
5. let’s put the brakes on development around the fringes of Cambridge and in neighbouring villages, which degrade people’s environment and destroy the little remaining nature in the area
6. let’s stop destroying the city’s shopping facilities and other amenities to build trendy so-called "laboratories" funded by government grants and overseas capital
7. let’s protect our high streets from the ravages caused by e-commerce, by considering measures such as taxing delivery services or e-commerce operators, reversing recent government decisions on easing the planning process for rezoning, and investigating the feasibility of capping rents
8. let’s give local residents greater decision-making powers over large development schemes that might impact their quality of life during and after construction

The local government is trying to introduce a congestion charge that would mean people on low income and families must pay a tax on their freedom of movement or for going to work. I’ll campaign for people’s right to move around freely and go where they want, while advocating for measures designed to ensure that the city is not snared up in congestion:

1. I’ll oppose indiscriminate road charging to reduce congestion. You cannot tax people on low incomes for going to work or for visiting their elders or grandchildren
2. I’ll lobby for solutions that shift the burden onto the institutions whose activities create most of the congestion, and which are most capable of taking the lead in reducing it if they see this as being in their interest: the universities, private schools and the multinational companies in the science parks.
3. I’ll push for more investment in public transport, to take maximum advantage of the new railway stations in North and South Cambridge
4. let’s implement better links between connecting bus services
5. let’s increase timetable / ticketing integration between rail and bus
6. I’ll negotiate with private schools to lay on school bus shuttles from park & ride car parks to participating schools to reduce a major source of congestion in the city
7. let’s look into the feasibility of a tram system running into town along the main radial access roads

With increasing disparities in wealth and income, the ageing of our population, the weakening of social bonds, the erosion of communities, social exclusion, homelessness and crime caused by the rising cost of living, increasing reliance on technology, relentless consumerism, increasing isolation for the most vulnerable members of society and a constant influx of people arriving and departing the city, we all need to play a more active role in helping and watching out for each other, as opposed to delegating our civic responsibility and solidarity to city / county council officers or elected representatives.

Besides, given that people’s demand for council services is rising, at a time when the local council is becoming increasingly bureaucratic and ideological, the quality of the services provided by local government and the very capacity to provide such services are bound to fall short of expectations; the only solution I can see is to increase volunteering. Social reforms and rising standards of living have resulted in many people enjoying more time for leisure; some of that time could and should be dedicated to contributing to the well-being of the community:

1. I’ll push for measures to strengthen communities at street, neighbourhood, ward and city level
2. let’s pass by-laws to encourage and support well-run volunteering schemes: security patrols, litter picking rounds, help for vulnerable neighbours, alleviating the plight of the homeless, light infrastructure repairs
3. rather than sit at home watching TV or your mobile phone’s screen, come and contribute some of your precious time and skills to improve everyone’s lives!
4. let’s bolster local community support for victims of bullying, crime or poverty
5. let’s promote greater awareness of local issues, at all levels, from community associations to local government
6. let’s focus on raising people’s self-esteem through doing things rather than buying or owning things

We are facing an environmental crisis, both locally and globally. Locally, our river is being polluted and its water is over-used by increasing numbers of residents and careless leisure-seekers. Our green spaces, especially around the city, in the green belt, are under threat from over-use and development, with nothing left but tiny pockets of greenery. All this diminishes our quality of life and the attractiveness of our city. Are we to stand by while Cambridge and its surroundings are concreted over and its streams turned into open sewers, in the name of profit? The environment is not just the Amazon and Antarctic. The environment starts where we live. Something must be done, we must take a stand:

1. I’ll lobby for more protection for green spaces in and around the city, for instance by licensing volunteer wardens, and introducing a moratorium on development on the green belt
2. let’s invest in improved thermal insulation of council and housing association homes
3. let’s push for more electrification of public transport vehicles
4. let’s find ways for restaurants and shops to produce less waste - donations to food banks, etc.
5. let’s encourage people to recycle or upcycle more
6. let’s encourage people to think of self-worth in terms of personal achievements and helping others as opposed to possessions and consumption

Cambridge city council has been controlled by an absolute majority for so long, I fear that it has begun to lose accountability to residents. The quality of council services appears to be eroding, while council tax remains very high and the council speaks of borrowing more money and cutting services.

1. we need more oversight of council decision-making and of its spending on its own running costs
2. let’s seek more accountability for the council’s decisions, and let’s scrutinise links between local government and private businesses to ensure that they are always in the best interest of residents and consumers of local government services
3. let’s look at how the city’s universities might play a greater part in funding public amenities and services and solving some of the endemic problems affecting our city. Right now there is a sense that the university benefits while the residents pay the bills
4. I’ll push for a culture of service to residents rather than a culture of self-serving policies driven by ideology

I believe the most important challenge for government today is to ensure we have a sound and healthy society, where everyone feels that they have a place and a part to play, safe in the knowledge that their rights and interests are respected and adequately protected. British society faces great threats: from technology, ageing, rising socioeconomic inequality, ever-growing concentration of wealth, falling standards of living, poverty, increasing polarisation and alienation among certain groups, addiction to drugs and social networks, the uncontrolled proliferation of influential media, the effects of decades of unbridled consumerism, and foreign meddling. Faced with these divisive threats, my priority would be to push for measures to strengthen social cohesion, civic pride and a sense of belonging:

1. a culture of leadership at the top, of people who are prepared to take difficult decisions no matter what the cost to them, not just political hacks jockeying for position and prestige. Weak leadership is a danger to democracy, as it creates a power vacuum that has to be filled somehow
2. let’s educate our children to tolerate those who are different from them, to have mutual respect for one another, civic pride, a sense of belonging and responsibility
3. let’s look into introducing a form of national service after leaving school: for example, a year in the army, police, fire brigade, hospitals, schools, social services. This would help alleviate manpower shortages, would benefit the community and would strengthen young people’s self-confidence and sense of purpose, giving them ideas about what they might want to do next
4. let’s educate and incentivise people to cooperate and comply with policies designed to improve their lives, rather than compelling or taxing them to do so
5. let’s try to shift the economy’s focus less on consumerism, more on encouraging small to large-scale industrial production, local creativity, innovation, and community values
6. let’s try to provide a higher quality of life for those working in key support roles, such as in schools and hospitals, especially the lower-paid: nurses, porters, cleaners...
7. let’s legislate for less outsourcing, less agents and middle-men in the public sector; more quality, secure jobs for people who are serious about work
8. let’s provide more incentives for people to offer their skills and experience as self-employed traders or to open small businesses, with policies to help them compete against cheap imports, offshoring and outsourcing
9. let’s protect our high streets from the ravages caused by e-commerce, by considering measures such as taxing delivery services or e-commerce operators, reversing recent government decisions on easing the planning process for rezoning, and investigating the feasibility of capping rents
10. let’s encourage people to reduce their reliance on trendy new technology and interact more with other people
11. let’s encourage people, especially the young, to treat technology as a tool, not a way of life
12. let’s actively promote physical exercise, such as jogging, swimming, cycling, team sports, and better eating habits, for improved physical and mental health - including possibly a tax on unhealthy foods containing excessive sugar, to make chocolate, biscuits and sweets a luxury, instead of the cheapest option

The most potent tool for shaping society is education. With education, the state can integrate millions of people from all walks of life and from all origins, into the crucible we call British society. With education, we can prepare the next generations and give them the best possible chance to adapt and thrive in a changing world.

As a parent and former school governor, I know that we tend to do primary education rather well in this country. However, as children move up through the stages of the education system, the standards begin to fall. It is as though we don’t really know how to handle them any more, as they grow older.

Our public secondary schools struggle. Our university education system is a shambles. With the democratisation of further education, meaning that almost everyone can now go to university, much of the further education system in this country has become a boondoggle, a money-making machine, a drain on the resources of middle class and aspiring middle class families. Millions of young people are packed away from the labour force, at high cost, to spend several of their best years stacked in tower blocks housing hundreds of rooms stacked on top of one another, unproductive, most of them acquiring pointless knowledge that can only lead to low-paid paper-pushing jobs, saddled with huge debts. This is an utter travesty, a distortion of the purpose of universities.

Meanwhile, young people, from the moment they outgrow early childhood and start to become more aware of the world around them, are left to ponder a future that looks increasingly uncertain, rapid change, increasing obsolescence due to ever-encroaching technology, no job security, outdated attitudes about what constitutes a good or bad job, a sense of lack of purpose, of uselessness, rejection and belittlement, and little if any moral compass to deal with all these threats. Faced with such negativity and uncertainty, is it any wonder that they resort to drugs, computer games, online influencers and other means of escape?

When we finally begin to recognise that the problems that plague our societies, are of our own making, due to the way in which we deal with our own children, then we might start setting things right.

1. I believe that a major problem that affects older children, especially teenagers, and colours their outlook, is the uncertainty and instability they face when leaving school, with no sense of purpose and no clarity as to the way forward. Providing them with sensible options backed by a sound legal framework could help remedy this.
2. Let’s encourage more State and private sector support for degrees requiring university training: Medicine, Pharmacology, IT, Natural Sciences, Mathematics, Teaching, Nursing, Engineering, History and any others that are deemed necessary, up to a quota that is the estimated national intake requirement.
3. Let’s provide more support and shape parents and children’s opinions to encourage more of them to opt for vocational courses and apprenticeships in fields that are needed in the public or private sector: network engineers, telecom engineers, plumbers, electricians, builders, carpenters, metalworkers, CNC machine operators, firefighters, police officers, railway maintenance workers, train drivers, soldiers, sailors...
4. We need to tweak the flat-fee system which currently encourages universities to offer as many places as possible for trivial degrees to offset the cost of teaching more resource-intensive degrees such as lab-based courses. The damage this has done to our economy and society is shocking
5. The current system could be altered to provide greater incentives, such as better student loan terms, for those studying STEM and Medicine-related subjects, with conversely tougher terms offered to students planning to study non-essential subjects
6. In a changing world, we need to change middle-class attitudes towards manual skills
7. Though some will argue that in many cases, university keeps young people out of the unemployment statistics, there could be other ways to achieve that aim that are more constructive and beneficial all-round, such as introducing a form of national service

A transportation policy that recognises that cars are a dominant and flexible form of individual transportation that is deeply associated with people’s sense of personal freedom, and cannot therefore be done away with, unless suitably attractive alternatives are available. At the same time, we should be trying to offer such alternatives, focusing on rail as the form of urban and intercity transport that inspires the greatest confidence as well as being segregated from road transport:

1. let’s encourage the adoption and local production of electric cars and their components
2. let’s invest in the railway network as the cleanest and most reliable form of inter-city public transport, wherever this is practical
• priority to schemes of local importance, investing where there’s a pressing need, rather than betting the house on a handful of expensive prestige projects such as HS2
• electrification of the railway network
• prioritising the maintenance and upgrading of existing facilities over the construction of new infrastructure
• investing in people for a better service to passengers
• improved timetabling and intermodal connectivity

We want to attain zero emission status. But we need energy, a lot of energy, and we need it to be affordable for consumers, businesses and government agencies. We also need to improve our energy security: it’s no good surrendering our means of energy production to attain emission targets, if the outcome is damage to our economy and people who can’t afford to heat their homes. You want cheap, clean energy? I propose the following:

1. I’ll push for more subsidies for upgrading the thermal insulation of buildings, especially public housing
2. let’s increase the subsidies and simplify the certification processes for converting gas-powered heating systems to viable electric alternatives like heat pumps
3. let’s educate and encourage people to consume less and waste less
4. let’s develop an energy plan that encourages electricity production and promotes electricity as the preferred form of energy:
• focus on renewable energies, especially offshore wind and tidal, which we have plenty of in this country
• backed by nuclear power using modern, safe reactor designs - including the new small nuclear power stations concept developed in this country, if it proves cost-effective
• priority to local engineering solutions, innovation and industrial production
5. let’s plan for a resilient national electricity grid capable of meeting the projected increase in demand for electricity caused by the widespread adoption of electric heating and electric cars / public transportation
6. let’s aim for self-reliance in energy production

For centuries, Britain has played a leading role on the global stage. To continue being relevant in our changing world, we need to capitalise on our positive image abroad and establish ourselves as the most trusted and respected honest broker in the international community:

1. I’ll push for a foreign policy that focuses on avoiding unnecessary conflicts
2. let’s develop our reputation as a trusted neutral and honest broker, mediating disputes between third party states, rather than meddling in wars and conflicts that have little or nothing to do with our country
3. let’s up our game in providing humanitarian relief after natural disasters or large-scale conflicts, as a tool of soft diplomacy
4. let’s give priority to building relationships with our trading partners in the EU and Europe
5. let’s look for ways to partly reintegrate within the EU: free trade, freedom of movement, any other aspects that are in the interest of British citizens and our country’s economy, subject to retaining full sovereignty over our borders, our monetary policy and our legal system

The NHS is the one institution that is most vital and precious to our entire nation. We should therefore treat it as a national treasure and ensure (1) that the people who work in the NHS see it as an aspirational career, (2) that they are not hampered by red tape and burdensome management, and (3) that they have modern facilities to deliver the best possible care to patients:

1. if costs must be cut, let it be by making administration more efficient
2. although it might not always be possible to pay NHS employees what they are truly worth, they should be given incentives to make their jobs more attractive:
• greater job security
• better working conditions
• benefits and perks, such as priority access to low-cost housing, discounted transportation and food costs, exclusive subsidised holiday options
• all incentives to accrue based on time served, across the board, irrespective of grade/position

In an increasingly unstable world, we need to ensure that our country and our way of life are secure from foreign interference and aggression. Deterrence is still the best policy for avoiding military conflict, and avoiding conflict is absolutely the best defence policy for all of us. Intelligence lets us know the intentions and capabilities of our adversaries and potential enemies, so that we may pre-empt them or prepare for the worst. Research enables us to find answers to the threats posed by the increasing use of data, technology and miniaturisation in military weaponry. Speak softly and carry a big stick:

1. let’s keep a strong army and navy to protect our sovereignty and our interests worldwide
2. let’s continue being members of NATO and let’s explore even closer training and joint deployment agreements with our allies
3. let’s foster closer ties with defence contractors in Europe and further afield to work on the complex and resource-intensive defence procurement projects of the future
4. let’s focus on providing our forces with the best equipment to do their job and protect their lives
5. let’s encourage young people to consider starting their career in the Forces as a viable alternative to civvy street

I don’t want to make unrealistic promises of tax cuts: taxes redistribute income and enable government to provide services. Without taxes, there cannot be a functional society. The UK is a relatively low-tax country compared to other European States. However, one thing we should aim to improve is to alter certain taxes and tax rules that are perceived as unfair or interfering with people’s fundamental freedoms:

1. let’s look at making the inheritance tax more equitable, by eliminating some of the consequences of fiscal drag over the years: parents should be able to leave their main home to their children, free of interference from the taxman, whatever the value of that home
2. let’s look at striking a fairer balance between taxes levied on income and taxes levied on consumption
3. let’s look at tightening the rules on tax-exemption, especially trusts and charities, perhaps based on an assessment of the usefulness of such entities / the proportion of money raised spent on actual charity work versus corporate expenses
4. let’s consider the business case of imposing specific taxes on online shopping and delivery operators, in order to even the retail playing field and revive or at least protect the remnants of our high streets. The current depredation is causing us to lose a precious amenity, causing the closure of countless small businesses and a resulting in massive redistribution of our people’s incomes from their communities to powerful and wealthy operators, many of which are located abroad

Our country seems to be facing a serious ‘immigration problem’. This is one of the biggest political and social bugbears of our age. Most people are against it. It is upending our communities and way of life. And yet, regardless of which party is in power, it continues, unabated, with only token actions being taken. Why? Let me suggest a few reasons:

1. the collapse in birth rates in the UK means that in the future, the workforce won’t be big enough to pay our pensions;
2. as we all aspire for the middle-class ideal of a desk or computer-based job and send our children to university, there is a need for people to do the low-paid jobs we don’t want to do: deliverymen, restaurant workers, warehouse employees, hotel employees...
3. our addiction to consumerism, our pursuit of status and of an illusory standard of living, require us to import cheap goods from low-wage countries and to maintain a large, low-paid underclass to provide us with cheap services here, in the UK
4. the immigrants who come here to work for a pittance naturally also aspire for their children to live a middle-class life, so the supply of low-paid people must constantly be renewed for the system to continue functioning
5. solving the immigration problem requires a change in attitude: we need to be prepared to live more modestly, to buy less, and to make more things ourselves. Alternatively, let’s embrace our increasingly multicultural society and not worry about it