Whitchurch North

Whitchurch North Division elects two Councillors.

Candidates:
Division Name Party Survey
Whitchurch North BIGGINS, Tom Con (Did not respond)
Whitchurch North JEPHCOTT, Benedict John Alexander LD  
Whitchurch North JONES, William Lloyd Grn  
Whitchurch North LEVER, Liz Grn  
Whitchurch North MULLOCK, Peggy 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
JEPHCOTT, Benedict John Alexander LD Yes
JONES, William Lloyd Grn Yes
LEVER, Liz Grn Yes
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment1
JEPHCOTT, Benedict John Alexander LD The government needs to ensure fair funding for Shropshire Council so that we have a chance to deliver the services we should.
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
JEPHCOTT, Benedict John Alexander LD Yes
JONES, William Lloyd Grn Yes
LEVER, Liz Grn Yes
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment2
JEPHCOTT, Benedict John Alexander LD As above.
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
JEPHCOTT, Benedict John Alexander LD Yes
JONES, William Lloyd Grn Yes
LEVER, Liz Grn Yes
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment3
JEPHCOTT, Benedict John Alexander LD Transport is important but value for money in commissioning is also a key consideration.
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
JEPHCOTT, Benedict John Alexander LD Yes
JONES, William Lloyd Grn Yes
LEVER, Liz Grn Yes
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment4
JEPHCOTT, Benedict John Alexander LD Yes
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
JEPHCOTT, Benedict John Alexander LD Yes
JONES, William Lloyd Grn Yes
LEVER, Liz Grn Yes
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment5
JEPHCOTT, Benedict John Alexander LD Yes
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
JEPHCOTT, Benedict John Alexander LD Yes
JONES, William Lloyd Grn Yes
LEVER, Liz Grn Yes
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment6
JEPHCOTT, Benedict John Alexander LD It is a figleaf for more cuts which are not justified by the evidence.
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
JEPHCOTT, Benedict John Alexander LD Unsure
JONES, William Lloyd Grn Yes
LEVER, Liz Grn Yes
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment7
JEPHCOTT, Benedict John Alexander LD This question relies on too many detailed conditions, though broadly I agree.
JONES, William Lloyd Grn Meeting all these red lines is vital and I will always vote against increased fragmentation and privatisation of NHS services. I believe that there is no place for profit in NHS.
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
JEPHCOTT, Benedict John Alexander LD Yes
JONES, William Lloyd Grn Yes
LEVER, Liz Grn Yes
Comments and explanations:

Name Party Comment8
JEPHCOTT, Benedict John Alexander LD Ultimately the Secretary of State is responsible but beyond that the problem is one of funding. We need all party agreement on an income related hypothecated NHS funding tax.
JONES, William Lloyd Grn I and the Green party support a fully and properly publicly funded NHS free at the point of need and I will vote accordingly locally, if elected. The Green party also supports the NHS Reinstatement bill.