General Election 2024

The General Election is an important way to raise the inequality issues that women face, with the people who wish to represent them.

“This election is critical for women’s rights. With nearly one quarter of all women polled undecided about their vote, political parties face a significant challenge. It’s all to play for, and the parties must demonstrate their commitment to women’s priorities at this election.”

The Fawcett Society

Here at Dorset Women CIC, we are at the forefront of holding leaders to account for the important issues that women face who live, work or visit this beautiful county.

So we have written to all parliamentary candidates and asked them THREE important questions. Their responses will be published as we receive them.

1. Violence Against Women and Girls

Violent crime has risen in the last year in Dorset and the rise in sexual violence in recent months is of particular concern for women.

The increase in violence against women and girls was of such great concern to the current government that it was declared a national emergency in 2023.

The activities being undertaken by the organisations with a duty to protect women and girls are not currently working to bring these numbers down.

The experience of violence is much worse for people from the LGBTQI+ communities of Dorset.

What will you do to tackle the culture of violence against women and girls, and LGBTQI+ people, to reduce sexual violence and to tackle hate crime, stalking and harassment in the workplace and at schools?

2. Women at Work and School

In Dorset women earn, on average, 15% less than their male counterparts.

Dorset has a unique employment profile that disadvantages women. Dorset has an unusually high number of companies in the engineering, finance and creative/digital industries employing a higher proportion of men than women and paying higher than average salaries.

Dorset is also dominated by companies in the hospitality, caring, retail and education industries employing a higher proportion of women than men and paying much lower salaries.

House prices are higher than the national average making Dorset officially an ‘unaffordable’ place to live for a single woman (but not a single man).

It is well documented that women, in particular young women and women returning to work after a career break, experience disproportionate barriers to employment than their male counterparts.

What will you do to ensure the women of Dorset experience fair employment and an equal opportunity to accumulate wealth as their male counterparts?

3. Women's Health

Dorset has some of the longest waiting times in the country for access to gynaecology appointments and diagnosis of conditions like endometriosis. At the same time, young women in Dorset experience some of the highest rates in the country of eating disorders and self-harm.

A very recent women’s health survey shows concerning levels of dissatisfaction about support for menopause, coil fitting and incontinence.

A Dorset Women’s Health project is starting to address these challenges for women but has only received one payment of funding that expires at the end of the year and no further funding is available.

Health inequalities are much worse if you are a woman from a racialised or minority ethnic community or live with a disability.

What will you do to prioritise funding of women’s health care? What difference do you propose to make to tackle the inequality of women’s health in Dorset?

And finally... The Dorset Women's Charter

Finally, will you pledge to promote the Dorset Women’s Charter and work with us to achieve the 10 Standards within it?

Candidate Responses

Simon Adams

WARD: North Dorset

PARTY: Independent

Regarding the culture of violence against women, girls, and LGBTQI+ people, as well as reducing sexual violence, hate crime, stalking, and harassment in the workplace and schools, I strongly believe that any form of physical attack or threat to life is unacceptable. It is crucial to address these issues from an early age and ensure there is an appropriate response in place for incidents. I am willing to discuss with you and your team to understand the beneficial actions for Dorset Women. I will then advocate for these changes locally, regionally, and nationally to create a safer environment for everyone in Dorset.

In terms of ensuring fair employment and equal opportunities for women in Dorset to accumulate wealth as their male counterparts, I am committed to supporting gender equality in employment. I believe that there should be no differences based on gender, and the gender pay gap should be closed. It is crucial to provide individuals with the necessary resources to enter employment and compete in their chosen roles or industries. I am fully supportive of all employment-related issues and will work towards achieving equal opportunities for women in Dorset

Addressing the funding of women’s healthcare and tackling the inequality of women’s health in Dorset is of great importance to me. As a husband and a father to a young daughter, I believe that everyone in the community should have access to appropriate medical treatment and support when needed. I am personally passionate about improving the NHS locally and ensuring it provides the necessary support with humility and dignity. I would appreciate further discussion with you to understand your perspectives on this matter, as I understand that some issues raised, such as mental health support, are sensitive and require immediate attention.

As a husband and father, I am fully supportive of the work you are doing. I genuinely understand the issues you have highlighted, and if elected as the independent candidate for North Dorset, I would be more than willing to further support your cause.

Joe Cronin

WARD: Poole

PARTY: Independent

I think we have to start with education. All boys should be taught from an early age that:

– violence against others is never acceptable

– That there are as many different men in the world as there are males.

– To be your own man and let others be who they are

– Respect others identities sexuality and opinions

Improve counselling services for all children: Referrals by parents, teachers for anger management and underlying issues of low self esteem, sexuality, identity, anxiety etc and teach children how to deal with their emotions anxieties

Violence is often learned behaviour – it is important to identify children at risk or asking why is this individual such an angry child

Boredom is also an issue – it is important to ensure all children have a passion/ interest in life be it bird watching, rambling, knitting, acting croquet, in odder to develop interests they need exposure to a variety of activities

Violence should never be condoned or tolerated at any age.

I have always thought men have never got their shop in order with regards how we react to each other, what makes a man, why do we treat each other so badly, why are certain men homophobic, why do certain men hate, why do we condone bad behaviour why haven’t we dealt with toxic masculinity etc. Things are improving and changing changing slowly.

Here I would have to put my hands up and say that this is one area I don’t have much to contribute to with regards solutions other than to say I agree it is very unfair. Maybe on returning to the workplace women should earn the same pay as colleagues the entered with them.

Better funding is part of the answer but we need to completely overhaul the NHS which is failing in all sorts of areas please see my webpage and aims ideas and pledges below

As a GP I am not sure if it is correct to talk about inequality, it’s just that women have a lot of sex specific medical needs such as the menopause, pregnancy, gynaecology contraception etc like all services these a under pressure. Really the prostate is the only male specific problem otherwise we do get the same treatment within the NHS

With regards anorexia bulimia first I think we should ever make an issue out of food for example eat all your greens, you are not getting up from the table unless etc

As everyone one knows psychiatric services for children are so poor as to be essentially non existent and there are virtually no counselling services. This applies to both girls and boys

Finally yes I pledge to promote the Dorset Women’s Charter and work with you to achieve the 10 standards within it and would be more than happy to work with you

https://www.joeindependentpoole.co.uk/

Neil Duncan-Jordan

WARD: Poole

PARTY: Labour

Labour plans to have a specialist rape and sexual offences team within every police force, and additional resources will be used to target prolific predators. We will also fast track rape cases and introduce domestic abuse experts in 999 control rooms. There will also be legal advice in every police force to advise victims. But we must also tackle the cause, so we will ensure schools tackle misogyny and teach young people about healthy relationships and consent. Labour will also use Stalking Protection Orders and give women the right to know the identity of online stalkers. Spiking will also be made a new criminal offence. As the father of two grown boys, I also absolutely recognise the importance of setting a positive example in behaviour to show how we need to treat each other.

I have worked as a trade union full time officer for a number of years, representing mainly women in the NHS, local government and care sector. Low pay – particularly suffered by women – will be addressed by strengthening sector-wide pay bargaining, exploitative contracts will be ended and we will make work more family friendly. Stronger trade unions will also be key to tackling discrimination, inequality and insecurity in the workplace. The minimum wage will become a real living wage, flexible working will be a right from day one and contracts and hours can better accommodate school terms. I have represented many women and recognise that the balance within the workplace needs to be adjusted to bring about greater fairness

Alongside many proposals to rebuild the NHS, such as reducing waiting lists, improving access to dentistry and employing 8500 new mental health staff, Labour will ensure that trusts that are failing on maternity care get more support and close the maternal mortality gap in Black and Asian pregnancies. We will also digitise the Red Book record of children’s health. Labour also plans to trial Neighbourhood Health Centres which bring together doctors, district nurses, physios, palliative care and mental health professionals under one roof. Labour will also tackle the social inequalities in health between rich and poor and prioritise women’s health as part of the NHS reforms. For example, this will include more support for those going through the menopause.

I am also happy to add my support to the Charter’s principles that you have proposed.

Tobias Ellwood

WARD: Bournemouth East

PARTY: Conservative

For all campaign related queries I aim to respond as soon as possible. Please note however that during the election period I am receiving extremely high volumes of correspondence.

Tom Hayes

WARD: Bournemouth East

PARTY: Labour

Thank you for your email. This is an automatic acknowledgement and I have not yet had a chance to read your message. As a parliamentary candidate I have no staff team and I receive many emails every day. Please don’t be disappointed if you do not receive an immediate reply.

I will respond as soon as I can and I always want to reply to residents first. I aim to respond quickly and efficiently, but complex issues may take time. I also try to prioritise those people with the most serious and urgent requests.

Joanna Howard

WARD: Christchurch

PARTY: Labour

Thank you very much for taking the time to get in touch. I am reading all the emails I receive.

I am the only person managing this inbox, I do not have a team assisting me with this. As a candidate I am a volunteer. I continue to work and look after my young family as well. While I hope to be able to reply in detail, I might not be able to do so and for that I do apologise.

If you would like to read about Labour’s Missions you can do so here: https://labour.org.uk/missions/. Please also keep an eye out for Labour’s manifesto which is due shortly as well.

Thank you very much for taking the time to get in touch. I am reading all the emails I receive.

If you would like to read about Labour’s Missions you can do so here: https://labour.org.uk/missions/. Please also keep an eye out for Labour’s manifesto which is due shortly as well.

Thank you very much for taking the time to get in touch. I am reading all the emails I receive.

If you would like to read about Labour’s Missions you can do so here: https://labour.org.uk/missions/. Please also keep an eye out for Labour’s manifesto which is due shortly as well.

Thank you very much for taking the time to get in touch. I am reading all the emails I receive.

If you would like to read about Labour’s Missions you can do so here: https://labour.org.uk/missions/. Please also keep an eye out for Labour’s manifesto which is due shortly as well.

Gary Jackson

WARD: North Dorset

PARTY: Liberal Democrats

You will understand that this is a particularly busy time. It is not possible for Gary, therefore, to consider in detail and respond to the matter you have raised and he has asked me to reply to you on his behalf.

You will find the Liberal Democrat vision for this issue is set out in the relevant section of our manifesto, https://www.libdems.org.uk/manifesto and I would encourage you to consult this in the first instance. There is also a section of the Lib Dem membership called Women Lib Dems who take specialist interest in the progress of women in society and advise the Lib Dem policy team on women’s issues like the ones you raise in your letter.

If he is elected to represent North Dorset, Gary will be in a position to pay due attention to the points you have raised and will be able to tap in to the views and experience of Women Lib Dems. You will also have every opportunity to contact him further on this or any other topic.

Giovanna Lewis

WARD: South Dorset

PARTY: Independent

for a long time now I’ve wished I’d been educated about this as a young woman and been able to find my own ‘power’ much sooner in life. I’d have loved to have been instructed in self defence techniques and understand the power of saying no and believing it was possible, etc. So, I think we really should have a course of education and learning for all women and girls which can help empower them – alongside I believe a form of wider education for men too. Many, many years ago I came across an excellent, albeit it small, initiative where a couple of men who had been perpetrators of domestic violence against women were actively trying to reduce it in their communities and had set about offering support groups and one to one support to men involved in domestic viloence. It was extremely inspiring and, I believe, successful for men caught in the web of violence to have somewhere safe, trusting and helpful to go to help break their patterns of violence and blame.

As a Union member and someone who takes interest locally in the Trades Union Council (TUC) I always advocate that everyone should join a union first, look at what they offer, and use it as a force for improvement in their working lives and that of their colleagues.

I am a keen NHS campaigner and have campaigned for all people to receive better NHS services

If I were to be elected as your MP, I have a list of the organisations that have written to me about the excellent work and campaigning they do and you are now on that list. I plan to contact you all one by one and visit you one by one so as to really learn and understand all your needs and help it to add value to what I might be able to do on your behalf. I am sure all MP’s rely on organisations such as yours contacting and educating them.

Rosie Morell

WARD: South Dorset

PARTY: Everyone Is God

We are a new and highly radical political party that seeks to completely reconstruct society from the ground up. All our policies seek to get to the root cause of every major issue we have in society, and solve them permanently for ever. In most cases these policies are ground breaking and completely new in British politics. May we say that if you question our claims then we invite you to read our policies on our website and decide for yourself, we have over 30 of them. Many of the emails we receive relate to very specific issues, and we will most likely have a number of policies that relate to and address that issue in a fundamental way, although not dealing with specific issues. As we have explained it is completely beyond our resources as unpaid candidates to make hundreds of specific answers as much as we would love to be able to do this.

https://www.everyoneisgod.co.uk/

https://www.everyoneisgod.co.uk/policies

https://www.everyoneisgod.co.uk/

https://www.everyoneisgod.co.uk/policies

https://www.everyoneisgod.co.uk/

https://www.everyoneisgod.co.uk/policies

We will try to make direct contact with some of you after the general election, where invitations have been extended to further engage with you

Vikki Slade

WARD: Mid Dorset North Poole

PARTY: Liberal Democrats

You may be aware that under my leadership BCP Council has joined the white ribbon campaign and I have been challenging Dorset police around their record on trauma informed training and actions so that they take account of the needs of victims, especially women and girls. We would also ensure that the recommendations of Baroness Casey’s report are implemented and extended to all police forces as appropriate. We would also fully implement the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, with protections for all survivors regardless of nationality or immigration status.
We would also expand rape crisis centres to meet demand and extend funding for domestic violence services and embed Domestic Abuse specialists into each police force and into the 999 control centres and address the delays to justice that current exist.
Violence against women and girls is often linked to other social issues and so we have to ensure that women’s rights and opportunities are extended so that they have options around educatio, training, welfare and that the gender pay gap is eliminated.
We also need to address violence against young women through both gangs and modern slavery. This will involve taking a public health approach to the risk of gangs and violence and taking a multi agency approach to spot early signs of exploittion and give young women the confidence to speak out. We need to transfer the responsibility for modern slavery from the Home Office to local safeguarding agencies, reverse the recent rollback of protections for those who have experienced modern slavery and establish a powerful new Worker Protection Enforcement Authority to protect people in precarious work, with proactive intelligence-led enforcement of labour market standards and a firewall with immigration enforcement.
Online stalking, harrassment, revenge porn etc would become the responsibility of a new Online Crime Agency to effectively tackle illegal content and activity online so that community police can focus on being more present in our communities – raising the feeling of safety particularly in our town centres.

The industries in Dorset help to maintain the gender pay gap, because men historically work in the engineering sector and women in hospitality, retail and healthcare which tend to be lower paid sectors. Both sectors are hugely important to our community and our economy. I have seen some fantastic apprenticeship programmes which actively seek young women for engineering and manufacturing and I would want to see this attract funding and promotion. I was privileged to attend the Dorset Apprenticeships Awards and it was clear that the barriers are being broken down by many companies. We need to work with companies and schools to encourage young women to apply for these opportunities.

In care, the Lib Dems would increase the minimum wage in Care so that those working in the sector are better rewarded and trained. We know that the main caregivers – of children, parents and also of disabled relatives – are women and so our increase in Carers Allowance and access to free personal care would directly benefit more women. I launched a Mentoring Programme at BCP Council on International Womens Day this year to encourage women back into work after children, caring, prison, fleeing domestic abuse, health issues or any other reason. The matching is being done at the moment and I hope we can use it to encourage women not just into work but to boost their confidence and broaden their horizons

I was talking to a midwife trainer last week and she was explaining to me that black women are 4 x more likely to suffer the death of mother or baby in childbirth than white women. This often leads to black women requesting access to a black midwife because they feel that they would be safer with someone who appreciates this increased risk but some people in healthcare have dismissed this as ‘racism’. Firstly it is totally unacceptable that black women to have more risk, and we need to invest in research to find out why and change this but in the meantime we need to appreciate the feelings of the mother in labour and if we cannot provide what they have requested we need to offer genuine reassurance that their elevated risk is understood and that measures are in place. This is just an example and I will work to highlight these issues and reduce them. The Lib Dems are committed to increasing funding for cancer care and for mental health services, both areas of healthcare where women feel they are not getting a fair deal. I would be happy to work with NHS Dorset to review womens health issues and challenge them where the services are below national average or where complaints are increasing.

I have been directly involved in the project since its inception and support the aims of the organisation. If I am elected I will be very happy to work wtih you to uphold the standards and to help extend the range and impact of the Charter across our county.

I have worked proactively with 50-50 Parliament over several years, I have been vice chair of the Campaign for Gender Balance in the Lib Dems and I have been equality and diversity portfolio holder at BCP council so I hope this provides you assurance of my commitment to the improvement of opportunity and life chances for women and girls in Dorset

Jessica Toale

WARD: Bournemouth West

PARTY: Labour

This is an issue that is personal to me. When I was a teenager, Bournemouth was safe and thriving. My mum didn’t think twice about letting me get the bus or train into Bournemouth. Now I meet parents who don’t let their daughters go into the town centre because they fear for their safety. This problem is growing and for too long, violence against women and girls has been ignored.

Labour has a mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade and will use every government tool available to address the root causes of abuse and violence. We have committed to:

Introducing specialist rape and sexual offences teams in every police force.
Fast-tracking rape cases, with specialist courts at every Crown Court location in England and Wales, to address the shamefully low conviction rates.
Introduce domestic abuse experts in 999 control rooms and ensuring there is a legal advocate in every police force area to support victims
Strengthening hate crime legislation to protect the LGBTQI+ community
Ensuring schools address misogyny and teach young people about healthy relationships and consent and ensuring police forces have the powers they need to track and tackle the problem.
Strengthening the use of Stalking Protection Orders and giving women the right to know the identity of online stalkers.
Introducing a new criminal offence for spiking to help police better respond to this crime.
Strengthening the rights and protections available to women in co-habiting couples, as well as for whistleblowers in the workplace, including on sexual harassment.

I will work closely with Dorset Police to ensure they are taking this issue seriously and implementing the changes needed to address it fully.

Women’s equality is at the heart of all our missions, including our opportunity to break down barriers to opportunity at all stages. Our Make Work Pay agenda will transform the lives of working women including by:

Strengthening rights to equal pay, taking action to reduce the gender pay gap and establishing a new enforcement unit in the Equality and Human Rights Commission to tackle unequal pay.
Strengthening protections from maternity and menopause discrimination, including by requiring large employers to publish Menopause Action Plans and publishing guidance for small employers on measures to support women experiencing menopause at work.
Strengthening the rights and protections available to whistleblowers in the workplace, including on sexual harassment.

I am also excited by our plans to reform the Apprenticeship Levy, making it more flexible for employers and covering a broader range of training opportunities, for the potential it offers women looking to career change or come back into the workplace after having children get the support they need.

One of Labour’s missions is to ensure our NHS is fit for the future – in the short-term working to bring down NHS waiting times and improving access to GPs and NHS dentists and in the long-term reforming the service so that its puts more care in the community, focuses on preventative health and has the technology it needs to properly diagnose and treat patients.

As part of this health mission we want to address stark health inequalities that exist and tackle the social determinants of health, halving the gap between healthy life expectancy between the richest and the poorest.

Women’s health has been neglected for far too long. We will prioritise women’s health as part of our reform plans. Just recently I spoke to a local GP who said the NHS had rationed the number of IUD’s they were allowed to fit. Policies like this are not only detrimental to women’s health but have long-term impacts on individuals, families and our community.

We will also support maternity services and improve women’s experience of childbirth. This includes by robustly supporting trusts with failing maternity care services into rapid improvement, training thousands more midwives as part of the NHS Workforce Plan and setting an explicit target to close the Black and Asian maternal mortality gap.

I look forward to working with you after the election.

Michael Tomlinson

WARD: Mid Dorset and North Poole

PARTY: Conservative

Upholding law and order and justice is one of my key priorities. Whilst Solicitor General, I met with organisations and charities working with survivors of sexual abuse and violence, to champion their work and highlight how they can help people. I also spoke to Independent Sexual Violence Advocates about their work, and wrote for a national newspaper about tackling sexual violence (https://www.michaeltomlinson.org.uk/news/michael-writes-times-about-domestic-violence) I am pleased that Operation Soteria is being rolled out to more places, with prosecutors across the south-west helping to lead the way with a focus on joint working with the police and on early advice, and an enhanced service to victims.

See page 46 of our manifesto for more information: https://public.conservatives.com/static/documents/GE2024/Conservative-Manifesto-GE2024.pdf

Dorset has a wide employment sector, and promoting jobs and investment is one of my key priorities. I’m pleased to have played my part in encouraging our young people in employment – both through the All Party Parliamentary Group on Youth Employment, and closer to home providing a varied work experience program for school and university students here in Dorset. On the APPG we heard from organisations such as the Young Womens Trust, to hear directly from those who are not experiencing fair treatment in recruitment due to their sex.

Read our manifesto for more information: https://public.conservatives.com/static/documents/GE2024/Conservative-Manifesto-GE2024.pdf

I am proud to have been part of a government that implemented the very first women’s health strategy, which included reducing the cost of HRT for nearly half a million women. Clearly the situation in Dorset is challenging, and there is more to be done. We also brought in Baby Loss certificates, to support parents who have experienced a loss of pregnancy before 24 weeks.

See Page 44 our manifesto for more information: https://public.conservatives.com/static/documents/GE2024/Conservative-Manifesto-GE2024.pdf

If re-elected, I am happy to raise awareness of the work of Dorset Women CIC

Steve Unwin

WARD: Christchurch

PARTY: UKIP

These are some of the relevant policies we (the UK Independence Party [UKIP]) would implement:

• UKIP would return prosecutorial powers to police forces and their prosecution lawyers.
• UKIP would enforce the law of the land without exceptions for the accommodation of illegal foreign cultural practices.
• UKIP would ensure that the appointment of judges is based on the merit of legal experts and proven impartiality, with no extra, woke,
politically correct requirements.
• UKIP would scrap the Human Rights Act 1988 (HRA) which incorporates the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) into UK law and extends entitlements to foreign nationals. The ECHR makes it practically impossible to deport foreign criminals. The Party will make the UK
Supreme Court the final arbiter of English law and it will be guided solely by Statute enacted by our elected representatives.
• UKIP would uphold the principles of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ and that judgment in criminal cases must be based on objective evidence and not subjective feelings.
• UKIP would repeal all hate speech laws which undermine these fundamental principles and are designed to criminalise comments based on
whether a complainant feels offended.
• UKIP would introduce legislation that clarifies and enhances the rights and abilities of UK citizens to defend their person, family, and property from physical attack.

• UKIP would require sentences to be governed by one principle only: the need to punish the offender, so that the punishment fits the crime.
• UKIP would carry out a full review of sentencing of sex offenders and increase sentences for those convicted of rape or other sexual offences.
• UKIP would campaign for a YES/NO referendum to determine public support to reinstate the offence of capital punishment.
• UKIP would consider a YES decision by referendum as a mandate to exit the European Convention on Human Rights and repeal the Human Rights Act 1998 in order to implement the democratic decision of the UK electorate, and to choose by a further referendum which offenses qualify for that punishment

There is no magic wand here – my and my party’s approach is to encourage and incentivise our young people (women and men) to train in the areas skills are needed or pay well.

• UKIP would allow universities to charge fees which are no more than the economic cost of providing a given course. UKIP would ensure that qualifying students receive scholarships up to full fees for courses deemed of strategic importance to the economy.
• For courses of no strategic value or for which an overabundance of students enrol, repayment of fees will be required in the period following graduation.
• Universities will be required to publish the number of years post-graduation for an average student’s total earnings for each course to surpass those had they not attended university.
• Students who receive scholarships will be required to work in the same field in the UK for a British employer or for a British employer abroad
for twice the duration of their course, failing which repayment of fees will become due.
• Some vocational courses such as teaching and nursing will have fees paid by the state. Students will be required to work in the public
sector in their vocation for twice the course duration. UKIP would take more people out of income tax through our flat-tax system with a personal allowance of £20,000.
• UKIP would take more people out of income tax through our flat-tax system with a personal allowance of £20,000.

My party and I are concerned that health outcomes in the UK are worse (for women and men) than amongst our neighbouring countries.

• UKIP would require a commission to be set to investigate and draw comparisons with France and Germany to understand the reasons why the UK is falling behind in health provision.
• UKIP is firmly committed to the NHS as a service ‘free at the point of delivery’, and we would not consider privatisation. However, unlike the Labour Party and some other socialist-style parties (Greens/Lib Dems/Conservatives) we are not ideologically opposed as to the use of
some private enterprise either within it or to complement it where this can improve cost effectiveness or efficiency.
• UKIP would abolish prescription charges for residents across the UK. Prescription charges are already scrapped throughout Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but now only apply in England.
• UKIP would introduce a GCSE mental health course option. This would help people to help themselves and others.
• UKIP would encourage the recruitment of hospital doctors and GPs by waiving repayment of tuition fees while they work as medical health professionals in the NHS. This excludes administrators. After 20 years of service any debt would be cancelled.
• UKIP would prioritise training our own NHS workers, rather than relying on current immoral Establishment policy of getting our fat Imperial cheque book out to recruit medical staff already trained,
generally by much poorer countries.

Sorry, but I refuse to sign up to any third party manifestos. This General Election being at short notice, time is limited, and whilst I
have given as detailed a reply as I can, I will not be hold hostage to last-minute manifestos I have not had the chance to digest.

Julie Vivienne

WARD: Bournemouth West

PARTY: Christian People’s Alliance

I support all your three issues raised for the protection of actual women who are biologically women and equality for true women who are biologically women i.e born in a female body with a cervix and vagina etc. I do not however recognise so called “gender fluidity” or trans women who are actually biologically men as being women.

No response

Oliver Walters

WARD: Poole

PARTY: Liberal Democrats

Violence by men against women and girls is far too prevalent in our society. Too many women feel unsafe walking down their own streets.

The criminal justice system is failing women. Survivors aren’t supported properly and too many criminals get away with it. Too often, our society is letting women down.

Everything has to change. That’s why Liberal Democrats have committed to:
Make misogyny a hate crime, so it is treated as severely as crimes motivated by racial or religious hatred;
Ensure survivors of violence against women and girls are properly supported in the criminal justice process, including through mandatory training for police and prosecutors in understanding the impact of trauma on survivors;
Fully implement the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence;
Expand the number of refuges and rape crisis centres to meet demand; an ensure sustainable funding for services to support survivors of domestic abuse.
Liberal Democrats are committed to fighting for both gender equality and equality for all LGBT+ people. We believe in the safety, dignity and wellbeing of every individual.

The Liberal Democrats believe that the current gender recognition process is too bureaucratic and intrusive. The Conservative Government recognised this too in 2018, when they brought forward proposals to reform the process to make it easier for trans people to gain legal recognition of their gender. We continue to support those proposals

Liberal Democrats believe that people should have secure jobs, with proper rights and fair pay. We are calling for:

A powerful new Worker Protection Enforcement Authority that would unify the responsibilities currently spread across three agencies (enforcing the minimum wage, tackling modern slavery and protecting agency workers)
Fixing the broken Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) system by:
Making SSP available to the more than one million workers earning less than £123 a week, most of whom are women.
Aligning the rate of SSP with the National Minimum Wage.
Making payments available from the first day of missing work rather than the fourth.
A 20% higher minimum wage for people on zero-hour contracts at times of normal demand to compensate them for the uncertainty of fluctuating hours of work. The majority of people who are on zero hours contracts are women and BME women are more likely still to be on a zero hour contract.
Liberal Democrat MP, Munira Wilson, has spearheaded a revolutionary new parental leave and childcare policy – helping more mothers return to the workplace should they want to, and fighting against the gender pay gap. I would absolutely support this policy and any others that make the employment rights for women stronger should I be elected as an MP.

People right across the country are struggling to get a GP appointment when they need one. The Conservatives have neglected local health services and plunged them into a crisis which has led to millions waiting longer than the Government’s own target of 2 weeks. That’s not good enough, and people are suffering as a result. You should be able to see your GP when you need to.

The lack of access to GPs means more people going into A&E or needing an ambulance. By guaranteeing a GP appointment when people need it, we will reduce the pressure on hospitals and paramedics, saving crucial time and money elsewhere in the NHS.

Liberal Democrats would give everyone the right to see a GP or the most appropriate practice staff member within seven days, or within 24 hours if they urgently need to by:
Increasing the number of full-time equivalent GPs by 8,000, half by boosting recruitment and half from retaining more experienced GPs.
Freeing up GPs’ time by giving more prescribing rights and public health advisory services to qualified pharmacists, nurse practitioners and paramedics.
Introducing a universal 24/7 GP booking system.
Removing top-down bureaucracy to let practices hire the staff they need and invest in training.
Should I be elected, or in my current role as a councillor on BCP I would be more than happy to meet with your group in order to discuss how better we can support the health of women in Poole and the wider Dorset area.

I would happily work to promote your charter if elected an MP or in my current role as a councillor.

Sarah Ward

WARD: Poole

PARTY: Green

Firstly I want to make it clear that all women, whether assigned female at birth, or trans can expect full, representation and support from me as their MP. I have a proud track record of campaigning and standing up for trans rights. I am a woman, who has raised 3 daughters and so feel I know and understand very well the challenges facing women in home, work and in their private and social lives. Sadly both myself, my daughters and most women I know have been subjected to some form of harassment, abuse and at worse violent hate crime in our lives. The Green Party recognises this is a growing problem and needs urgent action. More Green MPs would:

Campaign to end violence against women and girls.
Scrap the Police, Crime Sentencing and Courts Act, the Public Order Act and other legislation that erodes the right to protest and free expression.
Campaign for the right of self-identification for trans and non-binary people.
Scrap the Prevent programme and tackle hate crime, misogyny, Islamophobia and antisemitism. Seek to restore trust and confidence in the police.
Repair and renew our crumbling court system with a £2.5bn investment.

Again, as a part-time worker and unpaid carer, (both circumstances absolutely linked to my being a woman) I am acutely aware of the gender inequality that can affect women significantly more than men in the workplace. As the MP for Poole I will champion the rights and needs of women in the workplace by highlighting these issues and pushing for more measure to reduce this inequality and bring parity. With more Green MP’s in parliament we would push for:

Repeal of current anti-union legislation and its replacement with a positive Charter of Workers’ Rights, with the right to strike at its heart along with a legal obligation for all employers to recognise trade unions.
A maximum 10:1 pay ratio for all private- and public-sector organisations.
An increase in the minimum wage to £15 an hour, no matter your age, with the costs to small businesses offset by reducing their National Insurance payments.
Equal employment rights for all workers from their first day of employment, including those working in the ‘gig economy’ and on zero-hours contracts. Gig employers that repeatedly break employment, data protection or tax law will be denied licences to operate.
A move to a four-day working week.

I have a personal interest in this area as a woman with a long term chronic health condition which took over two years and eventually a private consultation with a specialist to diagnose and with all three of my daughters with conditions which again, were not assessed and diagnosed until years after symptoms had been having a significant effect on their lives. I am very clear from all these personal experiences, and those I have heard from both friends and in a professional capacity that women’s health requires significant attention and investment to tackle the inequality and often gender bias that exists. If elected I will champion this work for the Women of Poole, and more Green MP’s will push for:

Significant and much needed investment in our NHS that will address waiting lists, access to GP’s and access to dentistry as well as bringing mental health services into parity with physical health – all of which will benefit women significantly. https://greenparty.org.uk/about/our-manifesto/building-a-fairer-healthier-country/

Whilst all the manifesto pledges would be beneficial for all, it is without doubt that many would also help to close that inequality gap that exists and also address the more oppressive and harmful impacts that sadly still come with being a woman in 2024.

David Warden

WARD: Bournemouth West

PARTY: SDP

The SDP does not promote identity-based crime policy. Resources in front-line policing will be significantly increased with a focus on the highest-crime neighbourhoods. Police will have one metric only: the reduction and detection of crime in their neighbourhood. Sentences for repeat offences and violent crime will be doubled. Because most crime is committed by habitual criminals, anyone who is convicted of three serious offences over the age of 18 will serve a minimum of ten years in jail.

The SDP does not promote identity-based employment policy. Public sector organisations will select on merit, and strive to attract the best available talent regardless of identity, place of birth, or upbringing.

The SDP does not promote identity-based health policy as such. However, we do of course recognise that men and women have different health needs and these must be addressed appropriately by the NHS.

I regret I am unable to pledge to promote the Dorset Women’s Charter. The SDP does not promote identity politics or contested concepts such as ‘equity’. Our political programme is based on equality, respect, fairness and merit.

Marcus White

WARD: West Dorset

PARTY: Everyone Is God

https://www.everyoneisgod.co.uk/

https://www.everyoneisgod.co.uk/policies

https://www.everyoneisgod.co.uk/

https://www.everyoneisgod.co.uk/policies

https://www.everyoneisgod.co.uk/

https://www.everyoneisgod.co.uk/policies

We will try to make direct contact with some of you after the general election, where invitations have been extended to further engage with you

Dorset Women

Dorset Women CIC