To support working people in Frome and East Somerset, Martin would back local businesses, which are the backbone of our local economy, through business rates and VAT reform, supporting employee wellbeing, and the creation of Virtual High Streets – you can read more about these measures here. Martin would also support other businesses of the right kind – sustainable, and those that properly support their workers – to base their offices in the constituency, and to recruit people locally. He would also push for a fair wage for key workers, and salaries that rise in line with inflation.

We feel strongly that the only candidate that will truly address the issues facing our constituency is Martin. We don’t believe that people should have to vote tactically – especially not when doing so leaves no chance of them being represented by someone they believe in. Martin Dimery has twice beaten the Liberal democrats by over 30% in Frome in Somerset elections and is a very high profile candidate. We have four Green councillors on Somerset Council from 6 Frome seats. We know there is a huge affinity for Green policies in this constituency.

We’ll hold developers to account, making sure that genuinely low-cost and affordable homes are a part of any plans (and we’ll make sure that any plans for development are in the right place, not on green spaces that need protecting). We’ll push for more social homes across the constituency. We’ll also make sure the community infrastructure is in place for new housing. We’re concerned that as things stand developers are allowed to chase the biggest profits and ignore local needs. Too many villages and towns have seen large-scale developments take place without the community infrastructure expanded alongside, such as GP surgeries, bus services, cycling and walking networks and nurseries and schools. We’ll also campaign for an end to Right to Buy, which reduces the amount of social housing available locally. The Green Party has a Right Homes, Right Place, Right Price charter to beat the housing crisis and ensure green spaces are protected: you can read more here.

Our view is that education must be fully inclusive. We know that access to SEND support has been a massive challenge for children and parents. Martin has been campaigning for this for some years; he personally intervened as a Somerset Councillor to try to prevent the redundancies of numerous SEND support staff in 2018 with some success. We believe government should be accountable for their failure to properly fund SEND provision, and local councils must listen to and include the experience of parents when determining the offer of support. Children deserve an education that they can thrive in.