AHEAD of the general election we are giving our readers the chance to find out more about what their local candidates stand for.

We will be asking all the candidates in South and West Dorset about the issues that matter to voters in the county and trying to give the electorate an insight into their priorities before they go to the ballot box on Thursday, May 7.

Today we hear from West Dorset Conservative parliamentary candidate Oliver Letwin.

You can watch a video below.

How do you propose to make the voice of Dorset people heard in Parliament?

Over the years I have very regularly brought up issues in Parliament which are either specifically about West Dorset or about things that matter a lot to people in West Dorset like roads, schools, hospitals, flood defences and so on and if I’m re-elected I shall go on doing that.

Is enough being done at a national government level to support rural economies like Dorset?

A lot has been done to support rural economies and some of that is about direct Government investment in things like the Local Growth Deal. At the same time it’s about trying to make sure things that impede business and prosperity in West Dorset and other rural areas are overcome.

It’s also about recognising the special character of places like West Dorset.

How will you protect frontline services such as the NHS and policing in the county?

We in West Dorset have seen some very good performance by Dorset County Hospital and by primary care, the GP service and community services.

I have spent an enormous amount of time in the last 18 months working with Dorset County Hospital in particular, to make sure that we are protecting and enhancing those frontline services.

I have also worked with our new Police and Crime Commissioner and with the Chief Constable to make sure that policing is effective in West Dorset.

Actually both the performance of health services and the fall in crime locally shows at the moment shows both frontline services are holding up very well but you have to be constantly vigilant.

Recent years have seen cuts to many services in Dorset; would you expect to see more cuts or fewer during the next Parliament if your party is successful in the elections?

What has been remarkable in the last few years is that, while it’s certainly true that the financial situation this country faced in 2010 has meant we have had to reduce spending on some of our services, the quality of our frontline services has been maintained and we have not seen cuts in effectiveness.

We have seen very considerable increases in spending in some other things as well and would expect to see further increases, for example on apprenticeships.

Dorset, like much of the country, has an ageing population; what problems does this pose for Government and what do you propose to do to reflect the changing demographic?

The first point to make about the ageing population is that it hasn’t just been a challenge; it also creates various opportunities. There are an enormous number of people who are retired who live in West Dorset and who are actually holding up the community in many respects by doing an enormous amount of volunteer work. There are also increasing numbers of very elderly and frail people here in West Dorset, as there are elsewhere in the country, and that does pose a very considerable strain on adult services and NHS care of the elderly and I think it means we have to knit those services together and make sure we are using the resources effectively.

What would you do to improve the life chances and career opportunities of young people in Dorset?

You have got to start at the beginning, I think, and the improvement of childcare.

We already have excellent schools – we are very lucky in that respect – and we obviously need to maintain and improve those standards. The next thing is to make sure that every young person emerging from school, whatever their abilities or inclinations are, has the greatest possible chance to develop their potential.

University is not for everybody and there are many people for whom apprenticeships offer something enormously valuable.

When you have been out on the doorstep talking to voters, what has been the main issue raised by the electorate?

I get the sense that this is an election where, although people recognise things have got better since 2010, they are still concerned about the future and above all they want a sense that the next government will ensure their security. This is a time in our nation’s history where people have been through a pretty rough patch and as we emerge from it they are still concerned and still want to know somebody is going to make sure things don’t go wrong.

If you felt strongly about a local issue, would you be prepared to vote against your party line?

I believe that the most important thing about being an MP is trying to ensure the country is run in the right way. I think that is the thing that most helps our constituents.

I don’t think you can have an effective Government of any party if people who are elected under that party banner to serve in Parliament just make up their own mind on an ad hoc basis.

READERS’ QUESTIONS

What will your party do to make sure young people are engaged in politics? (Sarah Trott, aged 13)

I don’t think that political parties or Parliament or Government can in a democracy force people to be engaged in politics.

I think what we have to make sure is if young people want to engage in politics they have an opportunity to do so.

That’s why when I have been approached by young people in West Dorset who are interested in politics I have always taken that seriously.

If you had to make a choice between what’s right for our country’s economy, defence, the NHS, education or the unemployment rate, what would you prioritise first and why? (Nick Mason)

There is no conflict between what is good for any of those and good for the others in the sense that you can’t have a good NHS, good schools, strong defence or low unemployment rate and lots of jobs unless you have an economy that is prosperous.

That is the reason we have prioritised our long term economic plan because Britain in 2010 was heading towards a position where it wouldn’t have been able to afford to maintain schools, hospitals and defence and a large number of people were unemployed.

TOMORROW: Liberal Democrat candidate Ros Kayes