Our election candidates have answered our final questions on election day.
At the Journal we asked each of Salisbury's election candidates some questions in the lead-up to the general election on July 4.
Read them below:
- Barney Norris from the Green Party
- Victoria Charleston from the Liberal Democrats
- Julian Malins KC from Reform UK
- Climate Party's Chris Harwood
- Conservative MP John Glen.
- Labour's Matt Aldridge
- Indpendent King Arthur Pendragon
To mark election day, we have asked each candidate five more questions. If you're struggling with who to vote for, maybe this will help.
We asked each one the same questions which addressed child safety, youth clubs, sports provisions, and what they would do on day one.
John Glen - Conservative
What would you and your party do to protect children online?
As the internet becomes an increasingly integral part of our daily lives, I believe it is imperative that action is taken to ensure users are protected online.
The recent Online Safety Act makes the UK the safest place in the world to go online. The legislation gives adults control over what they see and engage with online. It also ensures that children are protected, by allowing parents to see and act on the dangers sites pose to young people.
In January 2024, new offences contained in the Online Safety Act came into force. As such, abusers, trolls, and predators online can face jail sentences for a whole range of new offences. These new criminal offences will protect people from a wide range of abuse and harm online, including threatening messages, ‘revenge porn’, and sending fake news with malicious intent.
A new false communications offence will bring internet trolls to justice by outlawing the intentional sending of false information that could cause psychological or physical harm to users online.
I think that this is a good start but we can do more by recognising that it is never too early to start ensuring that our children receive age-appropriate warnings about the dangers of the internet, so that they are as cautious and streetwise in their online lives as they should be in their real lives.
A recent study has shown that almost 2,000 children's centres have closed down in the UK since 2010. What facilities would you like to open in this constituency, and how would you fund them?
I recognise that some people miss the old Sure Start centres but they had serious failings in their design and delivery.
That is why the government responded to a National Audit Office study finding that Sure Start had failed to target the most disadvantaged families and was even unable to identify families needing support in the most disadvantaged 30 per cent of communities. In short, while those who sought it out enjoyed it, it did not reach the people who needed it most.
To address the shortcoming of the Sure Start scheme, the Government launched its Family Hubs programme, which support families at home and in local centres with everything from mental health to breastfeeding, and housing and debt services.
Family Hubs also join up services, ensuring that every family gets the right support at the right time. As part of that service, the Start for Life programme provides focused support during the crucial first 1,001 days of a child’s life.
Other facilities, like sports pitches and swimming pools, have also been in decline since 2010 - what could be done locally to encourage the next generation of Olympians and future Euros stars?
Access to sport and exercise is vital for both mental and physical health.
The School Sport and Activity Action Plan set out a range of measures to ensure that all children have access to high quality PE and sport sessions during the school week and opportunities to be physically active throughout the school day, to help them do the 60 minutes a day of physical exercise recommended by the Chief Medical Officer.
Lower participation levels in sport are linked to a whole range of negative outcomes and I welcome a whole raft of recent initiatives targeted at groups with the lowest participation levels, such as teenage girls and those with SEN.
Salisbury is blessed with some very good public facilities and it is vital that they are kept accessible and affordable.
We should also acknowledge and celebrate our wonderful clubs and their superb grassroots offerings, which involve thousands of children and adults in sport, including South Wilts, Salisbury Rugby Club and Phoenix All Stars.
Which unique feature is this area's greatest unsung asset? And how would you use it to improve the local economy?
One of the most important roles of an MP is to be a community champion. I see that as an opportunity to not only give my personal backing to local organisations but also to be Salisbury’s biggest cheerleader.
Of course, we should always strive to improve, but Salisbury is a special and beautiful place full of great people doing wonderfully innovative, creative and philanthropic work and you will never hear me talking it down.
I would say that Salisbury's greatest unsung asset is its rich and thriving charity sector, whose value to our identity and society is beyond price.
The vast and ever-growing list of organisations of which I am proud to be a patron or supporter includes Rise:61, The Bridge Project, Farley Music Festival, The Chalke History Festival, Salisbury Museum, South Wilts Cricket Club, Salisbury Playhouse, Salisbury Pantry and many more.
If elected, what local change will you make on day 1?
I would dearly love to press on with an ongoing project. When I was the Arts Minister, I learned first hand about the power of the arts to not just enrich lives but also galvanise and transform local economies and be a catalyst for positive change.
I am a huge supporter of the arts in Salisbury and recently secured funding to renew our Cultural Strategy.
One of my top local priorities if I am re-elected is to drive forward delivery of that Cultural Strategy, including a complete refresh of the Maltings and The Playhouse.
I think that the quality of our arts provision is hugely valuable to our local identity and widening access to and participation in music and the arts would enrich our quality of life. I would really love to have the opportunity to drive this potentially transformative project to completion.
Chris Harwood - The Climate Party
What would you and your party do to protect children online?
As a retired Computing teacher, I fully recognise the need to protect our young on-line. Both from harmful content and those who would hurt them. They need guidance in using the internet for educational and practical opportunities, and also for socialising and entertainment.
Schools need to be given resources for themed parents' evenings on what to do to protect their children. Parents need to be given the information and reassurance to advise their children on setting clear ground rules, who and how they communicate with, also on using parental controls, keeping screens and devices where they can be seen, and letting them enjoy and express themselves safely.
We need schools to provide and promote digital literacy programs that empower young users with the knowledge and skills to navigate online spaces safely and responsibly.
Government needs to work together with organisations like NSPCC who have already developed advice and guidance.
We need tougher laws for those who would prey on children on-line.
We need to educate children so that they know it is easy for someone to say something hurtful without realising how unpleasant that is to receive.
A recent study has shown that almost 2,000 children's centres have closed down in the UK since 2010. What facilities would you like to open in this constituency, and how would you fund them?
Reopen the closed children's centres! In this, as in so many other areas, Government needs to work with local councils and provide them with what they need to do their jobs. I would like to establish a "drop in and discuss" network, based on councils, across the constituency so that the Government is much more in contact with the people.
For the Climate Party, the funding answer is easy - UK Net Zero 2030 would generate enormous wealth, which would be used to tackle this and other problems.
Other facilities, like sports pitches and swimming pools have also been in decline since 2010 - what could be done locally to encourage the next generation of Olympians and future Euros stars?
It starts in schools. We need sports teachers trained in spotting, encouraging and developing those with potential. Sport is for everyone, (the BBC sport academy website lists 46 sports) and if everyone is encouraged it helps so many things.
Then we need to provide more training areas.
Which unique feature is this area's greatest unsung asset? And how would you use it to improve the local economy?
Very easy - Salisbury Cathedral and the historic areas around. The Cathedral is under-developed as a tourist attraction. I would want to increase that, but also add self-directed walking routes with activities and explanatory demonstrations of skills and how-it-works examples to explore the water meadows, the beautiful old buildings and the historic areas.
But the constituency is more than just the city. We have many beautiful walks and areas of historic interest. The point is that the superstructure for tourism needs to be developed.
We have a lot of farms in the constituency. Farm visits would be of interest to many. We should help farmers who would like to do that to develop suitable activities. Perhaps have a centralised "Book your farm visit" web site.
If elected, what local change will you make on day 1?
I would talk to the new Minister for Health about NHS dental care for children. The current situation is shameful. I would propose an emergency provision of extra children's dentistry; perhaps in the short term, provided in schools.
After that, the second most shameful situation, is sewage in rivers. BBC Countryfile recently provided an analysis of the situation. It is not going to be easy, it is not going to be cheap. But it must be corrected.
Julian Malins - Reform UK
What would you and your party do to protect children online?
I do regard this as very much a parental responsibility. Certain sites are wicked such as those which encourage self-harm, and these are gradually being taken down under existing legislation. I think it worrisome that introduction of digital Identification would infringe on our hard-won freedoms. I also feel that this could be used by governments to increase yet further our surveillance society. Reform UK will promote Child friendly app restricted smart phones.
A recent study has shown that almost 2,000 children's centres have closed down in the UK since 2010. What facilities would you like to open in this constituency, and how would you fund them?
As a matter of history, the selling of playing fields began under the John Major Conservative government (1992-97). There is no funding to reverse this, but it must be stopped. There are in fact a wide range of children’s and young people’s organisations available for young people to join, and schools and parents should encourage this. On a national level there is a crisis in so many children being bought up in a household without a father, Reform UK are keen to make provisions to support families with tax incentives to stick together. Sadly in Salisbury the City Council appear to be struggling to make their accounts add up, but this is very much under their jurisdiction.
Other facilities, like sports pitches and swimming pools have also been in decline since 2010 - what could be done locally to encourage the next generation of Olympians and future Euros stars?
We could start as Reform UK will by cutting out gender and race lessons in school, thereby giving more time for sport.
Which unique feature is this area's greatest unsung asset? And how would you use it to improve the local economy?
Salisbury has a high number of independent retailers and traders in our City and Reform UK’s policy to remove rates to many of the SME businesses will make it far more attractive to grow this offering to benefit from our existing tourist draws. Reinvigorating this part of the City will help bring cash in from national and international tourists and improve all of our revenues, services and wealth.
If elected, what local change will you make on day 1?
My first pledge in answer to this question at the beginning of the campaign was to ask the Home Secretary to free Julian Assange. However, this has already been achieved. Now my day 1 task would be to volunteer to be co-opted onto the finance committee of the City Council to bring the City finances into the black. Having served on the City of London Finance Committee this is well within my expertise.
Barney Norris - Green Party
What would you and your party do to protect children online?
The Green Party are proposing a digital bill of rights which will include strong independent regulation of social media companies. Within this framework, we will be evidence-led in considering the impact of social media on young people, and how it can be made safer in terms of the access young people have to it, and the content they are exposed to. We will give police more tools to support safeguarding, including making misogyny a hate crime so that gender-based online abuse and violence can be stamped out. We are also focused on investing in youth workers, embedded in schools and alongside police services, who can work as specialist support to young people as they navigate this environment.
A recent study has shown that almost 2,000 children's centres have closed down in the UK since 2010. What facilities would you like to open in this constituency, and how would you fund them?
Salisbury City Council have undertaken research within the city on where the local community would like to see more investment and more resources, and I’ve been fortunate to learn from Sarah Gregson, Head of Community Services, about the very real need for more community spaces on the outskirts of our city, such as in Bemerton Heath, Bishopdown and Old Sarum. I am conscious that there are effectively no places in the city for young people to go in their spare time at present besides coffee shops, and I would work with Wiltshire Creative to try and get the Arts Centre reopened as a place where young people could explore their creativity and to extend their existing programmes of activity in the east and west of the city to more young people. There is also a clear need to focus on opening more care centres for young children. But social isolation is an issue for every generation in this city, and an under acknowledged one - on new estates in Harnham, residents have nowhere to congregate, and in retirement homes people don’t have enough connections with the wider city. We need to open more community centres, and we need to be delivering programmes of activity that bring this city together. I think there is a clear need for a cultural organisation that could act as a buildingless ‘arts centre’ and deliver a communal experience that brings the different generations and communities sharing this city together.
Other facilities, like sports pitches and swimming pools have also been in decline since 2010 - what could be done locally to encourage the next generation of Olympians and future Euros stars?
The first thing to do is offer an iron-clad guarantee that school playing fields will be protected from development. The Greens are also committed to investing £5 billion into community sport and culture across the next parliament to support grass-roots participation. We’ll give local authorities agency to invest in local sports facilities and safeguard them for inclusive public use.
Which unique feature is this area's greatest unsung asset? And how would you use it to improve the local economy?
Many of our assets are sung from the rooftops - Stonehenge, the cathedral, the landscapes around our city - but I see unlimited cultural potential here. This is a great music city, and we should be so proud of that, but with our transport links, existing infrastructure and artistic heritage, it’s also ideally positioned to become the world’s leading centre for rural art and culture. Just as the Seamus Heaney Home Place is a beacon for cultural heritage in Northern Ireland, this city, which has inspired Constable, Turner, Herbert, Hardy, Trollope, Golding, Sayers, Naipaul, Ishiguro, Vikram Seth, Jilly Cooper and myself (very much bringing up the rear of that illustrious group!) should stake a claim as the English subconscious: the place people see when they close their eyes and think of what they love about their home. With the right leadership and investment, this can be where the world comes to engage with contemporary rural culture.
If elected, what local change will you make on day 1?
On July 5th, if I’m elected as MP for Salisbury, I’ll spend the morning in the hospital speaking to striking junior doctors and showing them I’m not going to rest till they get the support they need; over lunchtime, I’ll sit down with the NFU to discuss creating a dynamic new programme of schools engagement with our fantastic local farms; and in the afternoon I’ll be in Salisbury rail station, getting to grips with the work I’m going to need to do to transform our local rail infrastructure, get cars off our roads, free up our city from traffic and start taking radical steps towards tackling the climate crisis. I’ll spend the evening talking to the developers building the new estate in Harnham, asking them how they can reassure me that the development has been environmentally and socially thought through, and how we can work together to improve the situation if they can’t convince me that it is. Then I’d hope to have dinner with my good friend Gareth Machin, artistic director of Wiltshire Creative, asking him how I can help to unlock this city’s cultural potential.
Matt Aldridge - Labour
What would you and your party do to protect children online?
Children today grow up in a world of social media, uncounted TV channels, fake news and AI-generated content — and as a parent, I know these are influences we cannot expect children and parents to shoulder alone. That is why Labour is proposing such a comprehensive review of our school curriculum. Not just so that it is broader in scope to equip children with relevant skills for the future, but so that it actively nurtures the critical thinking they need to spot dangers, untruths and manipulation. Labour has also committed to ensuring our children are safely educated about violence, abuse, misogyny, healthy relationships and consent. To support this, Labour will place mental health professionals in every school in Salisbury, giving many more children access to early support and interventions.
A recent study has shown that almost 2,000 children's centres have closed down in the UK since 2010. What facilities would you like to open in this constituency, and how would you fund them?
Since the Coalition Government slashed funding to Sure Start centres, we have seen a regrettable decline in children’s centres, despite IFS studies showing Sure Start reduces infant hospitalisations, increases GCSE scores and cascades positive impacts throughout entire communities. Labour is trying to rebuild a secure pathway through childhood with several connecting policies, made possible by ending VAT relief for non-SEND private education (while allowing those institutions to maintain charity status tax reliefs). First, we will upgrade the empty space in as many of our 31 primary schools as possible to create brand new nurseries in Salisbury. Second, we will establish Young Futures Hubs, which will make sure every community has an open-access hub for children and young people with drop-in mental health support. These facilities will be supported by a review of parental leave to ensure it is flexible; strengthened regulation in children’s social care; and improved data sharing across children’s services to ensure no child falls through the cracks.
Other facilities, like sports pitches and swimming pools have also been in decline since 2010 - what could be done locally to encourage the next generation of Olympians and future Euros stars?
The austerity ushered in by the Coalition Government has directly impacted the children of Salisbury, many of whom have already grown up with decreasing access to sports and recreation facilities. Labour will give councils much longer-term (multi-year) funding settlements and put an end to competitive bidding. Along with the curriculum review I have already mentioned, which will expand student access to sport, music and the arts, I am also keen to bring together community groups, schools and facility/land owners to see where we could increase, upgrade or expand sports facilities here — particularly for rural kids. I was speaking to a school Director of Sport and his colleagues recently and they felt that half the battle is ensuring there are fixtures and tournaments scheduled, which feels like a simple way to expand access right off the bat (forgive me) while I work to bring together the funding needed for larger upgrades. As a partially-sighted person, I also want to ensure fair access and opportunities for all.
Which unique feature is this area's greatest unsung asset? And how would you use it to improve the local economy?
Sorry if this is corny, but Salisbury’s greatest unsung feature is its people. Without a doubt. This place is full of intelligent, innovative, hard-working people who have been let down and held back by a flatlining economy, punitive business rates, falling living standards and the highest tax burden in 70 years — and have still gone on to found iconic charities and social solutions. Imagine what we could do with a bit of support! Labour will stabilise the economy with tough fiscal rules, a lock on VAT, national insurance and income tax, and a cap on corporation tax, which will give our entrepreneurs and businesses the confidence to plan and invest in our local economy. I will setup a task force to bring local groups together, with the mission to get our local economy thriving again by revitalising our high streets, unleashing business, regenerating abandoned assets like the old City Hall, and attracting more tourist trade.
If elected, what local change will you make on day 1?
Since I’ve already mentioned starting a local economy task force, my next priority would be our NHS ecosystem. From primary care to social care, I will bring together key stakeholders to get a clearer snapshot of what needs urgent help in Salisbury — as well as what is working really well, so we can model success. I want to be careful in implementing our share of the 40,000 extra NHS appointments per week, so that it works for everyone, and look at where we can increase resources like cancer scanners. I am also keen to explore a Neighbourhood Care Service in Salisbury, where we could trial a new facility that brings together more types of care under one roof, which will provide more convenient care and take pressure off our hospital.
Victoria Charleston - Liberal Democrats
What would you and your party do to protect children online?
With two young children on my own, this is often on my mind. They’ll grow up in a world
where the digital space is an integral part of their lives, in education, leisure, and work.
How can I keep them safe? The Liberal Democrats plan to tackle this challenge from multiple angles. Preventative education in schools is key, but so too is education for parents as many of us lack the requisite knowledge to identify warning signs and be able to safeguard our kids online.
In parallel with this, we will strengthen legal protections. We will set up an independent
advocacy body for children’s safety online; introduce a Digital Bill of Rights to protect
everyone’s rights online, including the rights to privacy, free expression, and
participation without being subjected to harassment and abuse; and require social
media companies to publish reports setting out the action they have taken to address
online abuse against women and girls, and other groups who share a protected
characteristic.
A recent study has shown that almost 2,000 children's centres have closed down
in the UK since 2010. What facilities would you like to open in this constituency,
and how would you fund them?
In Salisbury and South Wiltshire our children’s and youth services have been decimated, and our kids are paying the price. My priorities are to address the underfunding and neglect of children’s mental health services, youth services, and youth justice services, including providing indoor, safe, welcoming spaces for young people to be able to socialise. In general, these are services which should be delivered by the local government. The responsibility of Parliament is to ensure that local government funding is sorted out so that stable, long-term financing is available, and local people can prioritise the facilities and services they need. We can fix the current local council funding crisis by providing multi-year settlements for local councils, establishing a long-term, cross-party agreement on social care, and increasing the supply of social housing, freeing up the budget for other activities our communities want and need.
Other facilities, like sports pitches and swimming pools, have also been in decline
since 2010 - what could be done locally to encourage the next generation of
Olympians and future Euros stars?
As with children’s services, this comes down to local councils' funding. We have to give local councils the money needed to build and manage these facilities, and schools the space to promote them. At the same time, it’s important to make participation in and enjoyment of sport accessible to everyone, for health and enjoyment, as well as for those who will have a career in sport. The Lib Dem manifesto commits to supporting campaigns which encourage diversity and inclusion in sport, protecting sports and arts funding via the National Lottery, expanding the list of sporting fixtures which must have live free-to-air coverage, and ensuring a sustainable future for football clubs.
Which unique feature is this area's greatest unsung asset? And how would you
use it to improve the local economy?
Without a doubt, our community’s greatest unsung asset is the volunteer community spirit. Everyone I meet in Salisbury and South Wiltshire volunteers in some capacity: running the nappy library and breastfeeding support groups; volunteering at Salisbury Playhouse or Studio Theatre; helping out at the food bank; raising money for the hospice or local school; or taking life-savings calls for the Samaritans. I would love to create a network of Salisbury volunteers and opportunities, sharing best practice, ideas, and growing the community spirit and civic pride. A recent report by Pro Bono Economics (PBE), commissioned by the Royal Voluntary Service, estimates productivity gains worth at least £4.6 billion each year, or £4,551 per volunteer, arising from volunteering by those in professional and managerial occupations. This is a major boost to our economy, but as importantly, it brings us together with the shared purpose of improving the place we live.
If elected, what local change will you make on day 1?
Day 1 will be about getting off on the right foot, making good on my commitment to be open and accessible to every single constituent, not just those who voted for me. My contact details will be widely available, and I will publish a list of MP surgery dates — not just in Salisbury but also in the villages — so that everyone who wants to meet me face to face to raise their issues can do so easily. This is why it is so important that an MP lives in the constituency they represent.
6. Finally, in 100 words, why should the people of Salisbury vote for you?
King Arthur Pendragon - Independent
What would you and your party do to protect children online?
As an Independent, I would support any and all moves by whatever Party comes up with the best ideas and oppose any legislation that did not protect our children online.
A recent study has shown that almost 2,000 children's centres have closed down in the UK since 2010. What facilities would you like to open in this constituency, and how would you fund them
Again I would support anyone and any reasonable way forward, whichever side of the House it came from, that sought to increase locally neeeded facilities. Funding such schemes is another problem as neither of the main parties liable to form the next government have anything but gaping holes in their budgets.
Other facilities, like sports pitches and swimming pools, have also been in decline since 2010 - what could be done locally to encourage the next generation of Olympians and future Euros stars?
As I have already said we need to get creative in order to raise funds because there's no spare cash in the public purse, but this is definitely something that would receive my support
Which unique feature is this area's greatest unsung asset? And how would you use it to improve the local economy?
All your readers know what my answer will be. The Stonehenge World Heritsge site. That is assuming UNESCO do not remove World Heritage status as they have suggested if the so called Stonehenge tunnel goes ahead.
If elected, what local change will you make on day 1?
To become the most easily approachable constituency MP Salisbury has ever had
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