Clwyd South: Mandy Jones – UK Independence Party

As part of Wrexham.com’s General Election 2015 coverage we invited all candidates from Clwyd South to take part in a written Q&A and present their own written biography:

Personal Statement:  My name is Mandy Jones and I wish to serve the people of Clwyd South and make your voices heard. I am all for the underdog and do not like any form of social injustice.
I was a Shepherd and Farm Contractor in Clwyd, for 14 years, it was hard work, but extremely rewarding. I brought my family up in the Corwen area and all of my grown up children, are fluent Welsh.
I attended Llysfasi College, for many years, studying Agriculture & Small Animal Care and attained Student of the Year in June 2000, specialising in Small Animal Care. I am also a qualified teacher in Adult Education and Special Needs, having studied at Yale, Wrexham.
Being passionate about all forms of wildlife, I used to run a rehabilitation programme for Birds of Prey, under a DOE Licence.
I am just an ordinary person, who has been through every day struggles, I want a new direction in my life and because I have those ordinary life-skills, I think they need to be incorporated and pushed to the fore, to fight for ordinary people, like you and me.
I have challenged myself throughout my life, I have pushed my children to achieve things, I believe in fighting for what you want and never giving up and that is how I want to serve my community, by fighting for the good of the people and putting them first.
I am passionate about getting the best deal for the people of South Clwyd :- “We need extra funding here, South Wales gets everything & North Wales gets the leftovers, I will fight for extra funding. UKIP is the only party that represents ordinary people, thus, being able to change things for the better, in South Clwyd & indeed, North Wales”

Each Candidate has also been invited to take part in a written Q&A…

What do you feel is the top local issue for this election and what is your policy on it?

UKIP will Remove Tuition Fees for students taking approved Degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine , on the condition, that those students, Live, Work and Pay Tax in the UK, for 5 years, after completion of their degrees. If we don’t have a Strong, Productive and Educated Workforce, then the whole of the UK will suffer, we need to get our students, ready for work industries, that we desperately need them for, in the NHS for example, then our communities can rebuild some, much needed services, through some home grown talent.

The town centre is a focus for the area, what policies do you and/or your party have to help regenerate it?

UKIP will Ensure, Big Corporations Pay Their Tax! UKIP will Save £9 Billion a Year by Leaving the EU, so we can put saved money, back into regenerating our towns and businesses. Outside the EU, we will have control over our own VAT, so some goods will have reduced VAT, or could even VAT exempt.

UKIP will End Toll Road Contracts and Scrap the (DCPC) for Lorry Drivers, thus increasing the viability of deliveries to towns, which in turn, will increase jobs in the transport sector, by removing unnecessary restrictions to drivers. Business Rates Will be Reduced by 20% if the Rateable Value of the Premises, is Less than £50,000. We will push all Local Authorities to offer at least 30 minutes Free Parking in town centres, to encourage shoppers and boost Local Businesses. UKIP will Repeal EU Regulations, which strangle UK Business Growth.

The current MP (Wrexham) was elected with just 24% of the electorate voting for him. Do you think this is a problem? What have you done to attract and encourage people to vote?

There is a big problem with voter apathy throughout the country, the same old parties with the same old promises and never doing what they promise, as they promise too much with no monetary backing. UKIP have a Fully Funded and Independently Audited Manifesto. We in UKIP, have been highly visible, in Wrexham Town Centre Market, for the last few weeks, first with our Trailer on Easter Saturday, then on Easter Monday and then Every consecutive Monday, up until the Election. I have also personally delivered about 14,000 leaflets, to homes in Clwyd South. We have also taken our trailer to Chirk Car Boot sale on four Sundays, to engage with voters and to let them know, UKIP is standing, both in Wrexham and in Clwyd South.

What are your views on how a Welsh town like Wrexham sits inside a Welsh Government and Westminster system and inside Europe?

I have formed an opinion from talking to local people about what They Think about Welsh Government. Most of them think that the Welsh Assembly should not exist. The Welsh Assembly is a massive waste of money in their view.
There was a new Welsh Assembly Building, built in Llandudno, at an enormous cost to the Tax Payer here in North Wales and it has never been used. South Wales seems to be the only existence in North Wales peoples eyes, South Wales gets all the cream and North Wales gets very little, North Wales people feel abandoned and left out by the Welsh Assembly, so in that case, I trust the people of North Wales, to give me an overall view on this matter, as this is what they think. As for Europe, I personally think that we need to get out, as it is not what we signed up for and is costing us billions, that could be better spent in the UK.

Where do you most strongly disagree with your party’s manifesto? (For the independents: What do you most strongly disagree with that the current government has done).

I don’t disagree with anything in my Party Manifesto. Only UKIP have a Fully Funded and Independently Audited Manifesto, out of all of the parties.

As an MP you may get the chance to bring in a new law via a Private Members bill; if you got this opportunity what law would you seek to bring in?

I would bring in a Law to have a complete ban, on anyone found being cruel to animals, it would be a life ban on keeping animals and also a prison sentence or tag, for at least two years.

Wrexham is due to become the home to one of the largest prisons in the UK? What is your stance on this?

It may bring in some jobs, but it will create havoc for the local hospitals, on expenditure for prison inmate care. The UK is very short on qualified prison staff. Some staff from certain prisons, are covering shifts in other prisons, right across the country, sometimes traveling up to 600 miles, to provide cover, as there is a chronic shortage of staff. I think it will be a detriment to Wrexham, as funds are so short, this prison is not going to encourage Tourism to the area, all I can say is, I am glad it is out of the main town.

The NHS is one of the main talking points heading into the General Election? What changes would you make to how the service is governed and delivered?

UKIP will return NHS management to Qualified Clinicians and cut upper management bureaucracy with their, over-inflated wages. Putting those saved funds, back into Front Line NHS Services.
UKIP is committed to keeping the NHS Free for UK Citizens.
UKIP will fund, 20,000 more Nurses, 8,000 more GP’s and 3,000 more Midwives.
We will Invest an extra £1.5 Billion into Mental Health and Dementia Services over the next five years.
UKIP will Increase Social Care Funding and Protect Day Care Centers, Home Care and Meals on Wheels.
UKIP will keep the Free Bus Pass, Winter Fuel Allowance, Free TV Licence, Free Prescriptions and Free Eye Tests for ALL Pensioners.
We will Scrap the Bedroom Tax and Increase the Carers Allowance by an extra £572.00 per year.
UKIP will Look After our War Veterans, by Issuing them with a Fast-Track Health Card, to Enable them to Gain Quick Access to Doctors and Mental Health Teams, if and when they require it.

What are your views on fracking and why?

UKIP would look at all the evidence of fracking, good and bad and put that vote to the people of the Local Community involved. Local People would then decide if they want Fracking or not in their Area. It is not up to Government to force this on people, so UKIP would let the people decide, in a free and fair, Local Referendum.
The TV asked me about this last week and totally omitted my explanation on everything they asked me, this was very Selective Reporting, my explanation is, as above, it would be put to a Vote, for Local People to decide. The Welsh Assembly have “Delayed Fracking” for now, which is GOOD, but it is only to get Peoples Votes on May 7th, after that time, they will Renage on their Stance, as usual.

What do you think makes you stand out from the other six candidates?

I am an Honest, down to earth, approachable person and would support All of the people, not just Some of them. I am a good listener and will always fight for the under dog.
I can also stick to our Manifesto Pledges, as they are all Fully Costed and Independently Audited.

What do you think to the diversity of the list of candidates for Wrexham?

Diversity is good, so everyone can have a voice.

Do you think you will have the power and or influence to deliver on your promises to the people of Wrexham, if so, why?

UKIP will be able to deliver for Clwyd South, as we have only pledged to do, what we can physically afford to do, no pie in the sky promises, no rash decisions to get voters-votes, in the last few weeks of campaigning.
We have stated what we will do for over 12 months now and have stuck to our outline plans, to deliver, to Clwyd South and the whole of the UK, what is in our Manifesto, Common Sense Policies, from UKIP, the Common Sense Party.