Longden

Longden Division elects one Councillor.

Candidates:
Division Name Party Survey
Longden EVANS, Roger Arthur LD  
Longden HIGGINBOTTOM, Edward Arthur UKIP  
Longden ROBERTS, Catherine Angela Con (Did not respond)
1. Will you support sufficient funding to enable all Shropshire’s Public Health programmes to continue, and to allow the development and implementation of new programmes to improve the health of Shropshire people?

Name Party Q1
EVANS, Roger Arthur LD Yes
HIGGINBOTTOM, Edward Arthur UKIP Unsure
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment1
EVANS, Roger Arthur LD Broadly yes but this is an open question, who will determine which and what programmes to improve the health of Shropshire People. Shropshire should receive more and fairer funding for its services. I will join any campaign which has this as its aim.
HIGGINBOTTOM, Edward Arthur UKIP I am fully supportive of assisting the NHS to deliver the best possible services but feel that no prudent or sensible local election candidate could possibly commit themselves to any particular course of action until such time as they are fully conversant with the implications for the NHS, for the Council’s finances, and for the other Council services.
2. Will you support sufficient funding for health visiting in Shropshire to ensure the full implementation of NHS England’s recommended model: ‘The universal health visitor reviews’ – five mandated reviews?

Name Party Q2
EVANS, Roger Arthur LD Yes
HIGGINBOTTOM, Edward Arthur UKIP Unsure
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment2
EVANS, Roger Arthur LD Again yes but again do we agree with the NHS recommended model. Shropshire is a large rural area which has a widely dispersed, well spread out population.
HIGGINBOTTOM, Edward Arthur UKIP I am fully supportive of assisting the NHS to deliver the best possible services but feel that no prudent or sensible local election candidate could possibly commit themselves to any particular course of action until such time as they are fully conversant with the implications for the NHS, for the Council’s finances, and for the other Council services.
3. Will you support Shropshire Council commissioning and subsidising public transport sufficient to enable all patients without their own transport to access health services reliably?

Name Party Q3
EVANS, Roger Arthur LD Yes
HIGGINBOTTOM, Edward Arthur UKIP Unsure
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment3
EVANS, Roger Arthur LD Yet again broadly yes. The term all patients is very wide. What type of public transport is this referring to? Patients need to access treatment but where is it being given. Trains, buses or taxis. Do we included non-emergency ambulances? Should these be paid for by Shropshire Council
HIGGINBOTTOM, Edward Arthur UKIP I am fully supportive of assisting the NHS to deliver the best possible services but feel that no prudent or sensible local election candidate could possibly commit themselves to any particular course of action until such time as they are fully conversant with the implications for the NHS, for the Council’s finances, and for the other Council services.
4. Will you support the funding of Healthwatch at a level sufficient to fully exercise its statutory role, and do you agree that it should be able to determine its own programmes of work independent of any Council veto?

Name Party Q4
EVANS, Roger Arthur LD Yes
HIGGINBOTTOM, Edward Arthur UKIP Unsure
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment4
EVANS, Roger Arthur LD YES. Also would stop the banning of any councillor from being a Board Member of Healthwatch. Limit the number of Councillors yes. We should be working in partnership but Healthwatch should also be an independent body.
HIGGINBOTTOM, Edward Arthur UKIP I am fully supportive of assisting the NHS to deliver the best possible services but feel that no prudent or sensible local election candidate could possibly commit themselves to any particular course of action until such time as they are fully conversant with the implications for the NHS, for the Council’s finances, and for the other Council services.
5. Do you agree that the Health and Wellbeing Board should only apply the Better Care Fund on programmes that will improve health and wellbeing, rather than transferring the cost of provision from the NHS to the Council, voluntary organisations, and individual patients?

Name Party Q5
EVANS, Roger Arthur LD Yes
HIGGINBOTTOM, Edward Arthur UKIP Unsure
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment5
EVANS, Roger Arthur LD Need to see what the new government decision on this is. New ways of helping those in need has to be found. Will Health and Wellbeing Boards continue? Membership of the Shropshire Board should be extended to include opposition councillors so a cross party view is taken. All are then better informed and the decisions are supported by everyone. All residents will then represented on it. At the 2013 elections approximately 1/3 of residents voted Tory, 2/3 however voted for other representatives and they have no voice on this Board.
HIGGINBOTTOM, Edward Arthur UKIP I am fully supportive of assisting the NHS to deliver the best possible services but feel that no prudent or sensible local election candidate could possibly commit themselves to any particular course of action until such time as they are fully conversant with the implications for the NHS, for the Council’s finances, and for the other Council services.
6. Will you vote against endorsement of the current Shropshire Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) in which Shropshire Council is a partner?

Name Party Q6
EVANS, Roger Arthur LD Yes
HIGGINBOTTOM, Edward Arthur UKIP Unsure
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment6
EVANS, Roger Arthur LD YES. Conservatives have just let things happen. SC should have insisted on being involved right from the start.
HIGGINBOTTOM, Edward Arthur UKIP I am fully supportive of assisting the NHS to deliver the best possible services but feel that no prudent or sensible local election candidate could possibly commit themselves to any particular course of action until such time as they are fully conversant with the implications for the NHS, for the Council’s finances, and for the other Council services.
7. Will you vote against endorsement of future versions of the STP if it does not meet the following red lines: (a) no reduction of provision or access to in-County secondary care, including emergency care; (b) no reduction of hospital beds in either RSH or PRH unless bed occupancy rates have been running at 85% consistently for 12 months; (c) no reduction in acute/secondary care services that are being transferred to the community without high quality evidence based community provision being in place, fully operational, and proven to be successful; (d) no reduction in beds and service provision at our community hospitals; (e) a real increase in community mental health provision; (f) the continued provision of accessible Midwife-Led Maternity Units, in line with national guidance and with no reduction in current services; (g) a real improvement in ambulance provision to ensure NHS England target response times can be met across the County; (h) no increase in the fragmentation or privatisation of services?

Name Party Q7
EVANS, Roger Arthur LD Yes
HIGGINBOTTOM, Edward Arthur UKIP Unsure
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment7
EVANS, Roger Arthur LD Again Broadly Yes, many facets to this question though. Cost of health delivery in a large rural county needs to be better and fairer funded.
HIGGINBOTTOM, Edward Arthur UKIP I am fully supportive of assisting the NHS to deliver the best possible services but feel that no prudent or sensible local election candidate could possibly commit themselves to any particular course of action until such time as they are fully conversant with the implications for the NHS, for the Council’s finances, and for the other Council services.
8. If a member of the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee, or the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, will you ensure that there is full public consultation on any proposed changes to NHS service that might negatively impact any patients, and if such proposals are subsequently agreed by the relevant NHS body, will you vote to refer the proposals to the Secretary of State for Health?

Name Party Q8
EVANS, Roger Arthur LD Yes
HIGGINBOTTOM, Edward Arthur UKIP Unsure
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment8
EVANS, Roger Arthur LD YES was a member of the Community Health Council. Consultations carried out by the Conservatives have however failed to engage residents. I would ensure they are fully publicised and ensure the survey is available for everyone to fill in. A small participation rate is tantamount to a failure to consult.Finally all answers are given on the information available to me at this time.
HIGGINBOTTOM, Edward Arthur UKIP I am fully supportive of assisting the NHS to deliver the best possible services but feel that no prudent or sensible local election candidate could possibly commit themselves to any particular course of action until such time as they are fully conversant with the implications for the NHS, for the Council’s finances, and for the other Council services.