Election interviews - Caroline Johnson - Conservative - Battling for a fairer share

Having won the seat at a by-election in December for the Conservatives, Caroline Johnson said she had made some good progress with her aims in the short time she has had.

As a trained paediatrician she is keen to see Grantham A&E re-opened full-time. She said: “I am pleased they did listen to concerns about the gap in service from 8am to 9am and increased it by an hour in the interim but it doesn’t take away from the fact we need that service around the clock.” She awaits the result of the Secretary of State’s review.

She says she has met with local NHS bosses to suggest ways in which recruitment can be improved and pointed to smarter ways of working to maximise resources.

Mrs Johnson has met BT Openreach and the county council to speed up delivery of faster broadband for poorly connected areas. New legislation will ensure higher speeds by 2020.

On rural crime she has met with the Chief Constable and rural community leaders. She and other MPs are pushing for sentences to be a true deterrent and fairer funding to make sure police have enough resources in remote areas.

On business needs she said she has been talking to power network companies to ensure enough capacity for businesses to be based locally as well as for those wanting to supply biogas and solar energy. She has also been highlighting new avenues for exporting.

On education, Mrs Johnson’s aim is to make sure funding was fairer for all local schools and had made representations to the schools minister. On Brexit, as a local farmer’s wife, she has called upon Theresa May to ensure a level playing field for the agricultural economy in Europe.

○ The other candidates standing are Sally Chadd (UKIP), Jim Clarke, (Labour), Paul Coyne (Independent), Fiona McKenna (Green) and Ross Pepper (Liberal Democrats).