Grayson says Hemel hospital and environment are his top priorities

9.32.26am BST (GMT +0100) Sun 11th Apr 2010

Dr Richard Grayson, Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Hemel Hempstead, set out his two key personal policy commitments today.

Speaking today about the messages he will be taking to local people over the next month, he said:

"The Liberal Democrats have a strong platform which will be announced in full next week. It's based on fair taxes, new jobs to make Britain greener, a fair chance for every child, and cleaning up politics. Within these themes, I think it is important for local people to know what really makes me tick and I am campaigning primarily on Hemel hospital and the environment.

"On the NHS, decisions about Hemel hospital have been made by unelected bureaucrats. Only the Liberal Democrats will put power on the NHS in the hands of locally elected people. They will have to listen to you, and you can kick them out if they don't. Under the Lib Dem plan for the NHS, elected Local Health Boards will take over the role of Primary Care Trust boards in commissioning care for local people. These key decision-makers will have a huge impact on local hospital services and will be much more able to represent local views. No other party will put local people in charge in a way that will allow them to save Hemel hospital.

"On the environment, the Liberal Democrats are by far the greenest of the main parties. I have been a member of Friends of the Earth for over twenty years. Unlike some, we are not recent converts to green policies. We have ambitious policies to boost public transport, make polluters pay for the damage they cause, and create a more sustainable economy to tackle climate change. In the current economic situation we are focusing on creating new jobs which will help the environment. Our Green Stimulus Plan will create 200,000 new jobs in areas like energy efficiency and renewable energy."