Why should people in Halesowen and Rowley Regis vote for you in the forthcoming election?  

I am proud to be Labour’s candidate for Halesowen and Rowley Regis. Labour has made many local people better off, but I know from talking to people on the doorstep that there is still more to do. I work hard, and I keep to my word. I don’t make promises I can’t keep, and I believe in honesty and fairness in everything I do.

I am not standing for election to see what I can get out of politics for myself. I want to help people and make a difference to our country. As MP for Halesowen & Rowley Regis, I will hold regular advice surgeries and will work hard with local people to get the best deal in Parliament for the constituency.

I am hard-working and compassionate and will fight for local people, wherever they live, to make sure that we get the jobs, prosperity and public services we need.

This election is a choice between Labour's commitment to build a future fair for all or the Tory threat to cut public services. It’s about whether we go forward, securing our economic recovery and protecting public services, or backwards to the days of Tory cuts and 3 million unemployed.

What do see as the single most important issue facing Halesowen and Rowley Regis?

We need to attract a significant number of new jobs, and better quality jobs, focusing on the key growth sectors in service industries and high technology manufacturing, including research and development facilities. We can build on our strengths and be part of a second industrial revolution.

There is also a need for enhanced training, skills and education so that our workforce can fully contribute to the creation of a modern economy.

What is your favourite aspect of Halesowen and Rowley Regis?

The friendly people.

How can the fortunes of the town centres in the constituency be improved?

Labour supported town centres through the recession providing Local Authorities with funding to help fill empty shops and Labour will continue to provide support to communities. It is important to work together with Councils, traders and local people to ensure our town centres thrive.

If your party won the election what would the impact be on Rowley Regis Hospital?

Rowley Hospital is safe. There have never been any plans to close it and Health Secretary, Andy Burnham confirmed on his recent visit that it has a bright future with a Labour Government. There are already plans to bring more services to the hospital, including Opthalmics. The ‘Save Rowley Hospital’ campaign run by the Conservatives is badly misleading voters.

If you win will you put pressure on Sandwell Council to ensure that the planning conditions are met concerning waste transfer stations and industrial plants in Cradley Heath?  

I am closely involved with planning in my current work and understand the reasons why planning consent often comes with conditions. I believe it is important for local communities that these conditions are upheld. Sandwell Labour Council has improved waste facilities for local people and now has recycling bins for every household.

Would you be happy voting against your party in the House of Commons over an issue which will have a negative effect on Halesowen? 

There are many ways to use influence in the House of Commons – not just by voting. I would do my utmost to use my influence in the first instance by lobbying Ministers, tabling EDMs, questions and debates to oppose measures that would have a negative effect on Halesowen and Rowley Regis. 

Which policies of the two other main party’s do you agree with?

As a candidate for the Labour Party I believe in our policies to create a future fair for all, and am not here to promote the policies of the other parties.

How will you vote if there is a free vote on overturning the ban on foxhunting?

I believe that killing for sport is wrong. I supported the ban on hunting and continue to do so.

Is immigration a problem in this constituency?

Immigration has been raised on the doorstep, often based on false information. Labour is overseeing the biggest changes to our immigration systems for decades, so that it is firm but fair and promotes and protects British values. Labour has introduced a points-based system so that people coming to Britain must have skills that can contribute to our economy.  

Are you pro-European Union or Anti-European Union?

I stood as a candidate in the European Elections in 2004 and am pro-European. Britain needs to be leading the EU with Labour, not on the sidelines with the Tories.

Would you have voted for the Iraq war if you were in Parliament at the time?  No, but the issue now is to fully support our troops and bring peace and security to the people of Iraq.

Would a hung parliament good for Britain?

A majority Labour Government would be better! A hung Parliament could lead to a lack of direction and decision-making, unsettling Britain’s international partners or our economy.

And......   How would you describe yourself in four words?

Hard-working, compassionate, feisty, fair.

What is your favourite film?

Mama Mia – my Christmas gift from my children!

What is your favourite album? Aretha Franklin – the best of

What is your favourite book? The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Who is your favourite fictional character?

Dorothea Brooke, from George Eliot’s Middlemarch