Meet the General Election candidates bidding to be your MP in the Grantham and Bourne constituency
The candidates in the Grantham and Bourne constituency have made their pitch to you as they bid for your votes in the July 4 General Election.
Each candidate was offered the chance to provide 250 words.
Vipul Bechar - Labour Party
In 2019, I suffered an injury to my knee which left me unable to walk without assistance. Luckily I was able to continue working. After years on NHS waiting lists I finally was able to have my surgery at Grantham Hospital in 2022 and begin my recovery.
I know how important fixing the state of our NHS is. A Labour Government will unlock 40,000 extra appointments a week. This will transform people's lives and we can't afford for it not to happen.
I have a wealth of experience in supporting local government projects, from working alongside charities, schools and businesses to reduce poverty, to my current role in social care, ensuring vulnerable children get the support they need to thrive. I also have worked in the private sector, working and living internationally, so I know how important it is for Britain's economy to grow again after years of stagnation.
People are fed up with paying more taxes than ever, and in return receiving poorer quality services. Our towns are growing, but local infrastructure has not been keeping up with that growth. After 14 years of Conservative chaos, things are not working - the Labour party has a credible, fully costed plan that offers change.
I want to work with communities to transform how public services are run in our area. This can be done by being a focused, local, constituency MP who listens. I will be an MP that puts Grantham and Bourne first.
Gareth Davies - Conservative Party
It has been the privilege of my life to serve our incredible area as MP over the past four years. The progress we’ve made is testament to the strength of our communities, with every penny invested an important vote of confidence.
Grantham Hospital is back open 24/7 and millions have been spent to build new facilities and expand surgical capacity. We’ve also secured Lincolnshire’s first NHS Community Diagnostic Centre, which has provided over 80,000 tests since 2022 to support local GPs and hospitals.
Since 2019 our streets are safer, with 189 more Lincolnshire Police officers, crime down by 15% across Grantham and Bourne, and a dedicated Rural Crime Action Team to tackle offences outside our towns.
I continue to push for our stretch of the A1 to be further upgraded, securing £4.3 million in extra funding - among the most per mile in our region.
More of our schools are rated good or outstanding, and Grantham College provides first-class further education, not least through its new £2.6 million Institute of Technology.
I’ve played my part by highlighting each of these priorities in Parliament, as well as working with our local authorities to ensure joined-up local delivery.
Others may talk down our area or have very little to say about it at all – that’s no way to represent it, advocate for it, and improve it.
I will always speak up for Grantham, Bourne, and all our villages, to secure more investment, better services, and a brighter future.
Anne Gayfer - Green Party
Anne Gayfer has lived in this area for 25 years. She has stood for local elections and as parliamentary candidate for Grantham and Stamford in 2019.
Anne works with Green Party members locally to gather views and opinions in Grantham and Bourne, where the Green Party canvassed in the last district election (and won 4 seats on South Kesteven District Council).
She has a passion for the environment and volunteers with Grantham Rivercare, has set up and cared for an area in the park, making funding bids for 700 hedgerow trees and getting them all planted. Anne also comments on the Local Plan and other planning issues, raising concerns that residents have mentioned. She has helped residents when they get passed between various organisations, none of whom will get the job done.
If elected, Anne would be able to represent your views in Parliament. Unlike other Parties, Greens are not required to follow the Party line because they believe that they should be able to speak up for the people they represent. Anne is well qualified for this role, having worked in Whitehall, supporting Ministers in Government, both Conservative and Labour.
Anne’s local priority is for a better connected transport system, better for traffic and better for pedestrians and cyclists so that they feel safe to use our streets.
At the moment Anne works as policy coordinator for the Green Party, who have detailed and costed policies that are available in their manifesto.
Alexander Mitchell - Social Democratic Party
I have lived in this constituency (and its predecessor) for almost 14 years, since my wife and I moved here in 2010. We currently live in a rural village not far from Bourne with our three children.
In my 'day job', I am a physics teacher and head of department at a local state secondary school. I did my teacher training in London and then worked in a comprehensive school on the outskirts of London for a number of years before moving to Lincolnshire.
I am not a career politician and I had no experience of electoral politics before I joined the SDP in 2022. At that time, I had become disconnected from politics as there didn't seem to be a party that represented the things that I believed. When I found the SDP (a party that I had assumed had ceased to exist) and started to read about its policies, I realised that was not the case.
The SDP is a patriotic, democratic party that is centre-left on economic matters whilst being culturally and socially traditional. We believe that the division of political ideas into the two opposing camps of 'left' and 'right' is unhelpful in deciding a sensible programme. Instead, we combine elements from each of these camps into a synthesis that makes us unique amongst the parties on offer to the British electorate today.
If any readers would like to find out more about the SDP, or to download our manifesto, please visit our website at: www.sdp.org.uk
Charmaine Morgan - Lincolnshire Independents
I am proud to be a strong local Lincolnshire Independent candidate, who has been an active Councillor, campaigning with our community for our hospital and other services in our area for nearly 20 years.
‘Trickle down economics’ does not work. We must stop £billions leaking annually from our economy, introducing a fairer tax regime, requiring more from those who can afford to pay. Incomes, benefits and pensions have not risen to meet the overheads faced by many of us. Vital local services are degraded.
None of the main parties are offering real solutions, nor are they tackling record levels of inequality. They plan to squeeze service providers, such as our NHS, to deliver more, or target benefit claimants when they are at breaking point already. This is not sustainable, could worsen NHS pressures and will increase suffering.
We must improve national security, invest in our infrastructure and our people. I will call for new homes, including council housing, and, improving existing housing; fairer distribution and more funding for local Public Services & Councils; the restoration of local NHS & social care services; tighter regulation or renationalisation of utility companies; investment in childcare, apprenticeship schemes, further education and local businesses; balance protecting food security with sustainable energy provision; greater protection of wildlife habitat, local historic buildings, our natural landscape and cultural heritage.
I will work with all who share these concerns and aims. Please call 07398 156296 or email charmainemorgan50@gmail.com for more information.
Mike Rudkin - Reform UK
The Grantham and Bourne constituency area has been neglected by successive governments for decades.
I have lived in Lincolnshire for almost 31 years, and during that time I have seen our needs ignored and our infrastructure decay.
From the state of our roads, to the recent floods and then the imposition of Solar and Wind farms across our agricultural land; the state of our constituency has deteriorated and it is losing it’s identity.
Rural development has become the norm too, with many villages merging almost into urban sprawl, further impacting our crumbling infrastructure and vital farm land.
If elected, I want to see our rural culture as well as our town environments thrive. Our towns and large villages deserve better. Flood alleviation, decent roads, improved traffic flow around towns, proper town landscaping, and houses built where they are needed, not on farm land.
Our local health infrastructure has suffered too. From GP access to waiting lists, and the ongoing uncertainty of knowing if we will get/have/keep an A&E presence in Grantham.
Continually voting for either of the two main parties has not served us well. In fact the only people to benefit have been the politicians and those who have recently come into our country en masse.
We must get change soon, we must get what we deserve in Grantham and Bourne.
The time is now, the chance is here; don’t let it pass you by!
Vote for me and Reform UK.
Don’t just hope for it, vote for it!
Ian Selby - Independent
Grantham once had an Independent MP William Denis Kendall from 1942-50. Independents took control of the district council 12 months ago. In May Independents took control of the new Grantham Town Council. Let’s go the next step and win this parliamentary seat.
I’m a Lincolnshire Yellowbelly and proud of it. I’ve spent most of my life working and living in this area, and I love it here. I have a local connection and history with this constituency, like no other candidate. I therefore want the very best for us and I will fight for us.
I’m very proud of my record as a district councillor for nearly 29 years. I’m currently the Vice Chairman of the District Council and Chairman of the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
I fully intend to support the NHS 100%.
We can win. But we can only win with your support. Every single vote will count. It will count like never before.
Time after time we’ve had an MP that takes our vote for granted. We rarely see them from one election to the next, until they want our vote again! I have never ever taken my constituents for granted.
I pledge to do my utmost for this constituency. I have a proven track record of commitment, dedication and honesty. It’s my community, it’s your community, don’t let this golden opportunity pass us by, your vote is so important. I want to win it for you. Vote Independent on 4th July, which is incidentally Independence Day.
John Vincent - Liberal Democrats
An experienced campaigner, John is proud that the Liberal Democrats are focusing on health and social care in our election manifesto. As a former councillor, he understands the value of local services. "The Conservatives have taken our area for granted for too long. We demand a Fair Deal for the people of Grantham and Bourne, and surrounding villages.”
Educated at Coventry’s then Lanchester Polytechnic. John’s a chartered engineer who has travelled widely. “I’ve had the privilege of working across cultures and across the globe. That’s lived experience I’d take to Parliament when representing local people’s interests”.
John has experience in transport and engineering, safety regulation, aircraft accident investigation, research and innovation, crisis management, international relations, planning, policy, and legislation in both public and private sector.
His passion is nature and the environment. “I love to walk the country byways.” Climate change is real. “We need to improve the way we manage water. Controlling flooding. Reducing waste. Fixing the appalling sewage spills that have become commonplace.”
John grew-up on a family livestock farm on the border of Somerset, Dorset, and Wiltshire. “My brother now runs the farm. I trained as an engineer, as an apprentice with a great British company of the past.” John wants to see a renaissance in Britain’s agriculture, science, innovation, and engineering. Offering opportunities for young people.
“There’s so much potential in this country. Alas, we are so often let down by ideologically driven, unimaginative, dreadful politicians. I will fight for a fair deal for our community.”
