Meet your election candidates for Sleaford and North Hykeham​​​​​​​

The Sleaford Standard and Lincolnshireworld.com have invited all of them to provide an insight into themselves, their background, their track record, their views and policies.

Health services, roads and public transport look to be key areas they are campaigning on, as well as the environment and immigration.

Martin Blake

Green Party

I’m proud to have been selected as the Green Party’s candidate for Sleaford & North Hykeham. I’ve lived in Lincolnshire for many years, and know the constituency well.

My personal interests include promoting the arts, especially poetry and music (I host a regular open mic night), and preserving our heritage. Our county has so much more to offer.

Lincolnshire is a beautiful county but shares many of the problems experienced elsewhere in Britain. Our hospitals are struggling and understaffed. It’s difficult to see a GP, and NHS dentistry is virtually extinct. Public transport links are poor. Our rivers and seas are polluted with sewage. We face the risks arising from global heating, with the likelihood of sea level rise, more extreme weather and more frequent flooding.

But we can tackle these problems together. A Green-influenced government would introduce policies including: a huge programme of home insulation to cut energy use and bills; cheaper and more reliable public transport, including the reopening of some rural rail stations; making sure the NHS is properly funded, and ending privatisation of services: bringing water companies back into public ownership

Why is it that so many of the things we were able to afford in 2010, we’re now told are unaffordable, despite record tax levels? The Green Party would make the super-rich pay more, and end subsidies to massively wealthy companies, banks and fossil fuel producers

Benjamin Jackson

Reform Party

I was born and raised in Louth and educated at Caistor Grammar School until my A-levels.

Following this I graduated from Leeds University with a degree in Computer Science which started me on my career in IT. After working in Leeds for many years, followed by several more years in the London area, I returned home to Lincolnshire in 2014 and now live just outside Lincoln. I currently work for the University of Lincoln as a network engineer.

Like many of you I voted to leave the European Union, and I expected the politicians to carry out our orders without fuss. However they did not. That spurred me to join the Brexit Party in 2019 to campaign in the European Parliament elections, which we won, and later in the General Election of 2019.

I hoped that I would never have to campaign again because Boris should have led us into a period of stability and prosperity. But, sadly, things have not turned out like we all hoped. So, I applied to Reform UK to ensure the people have a choice of a candidate who truly believes in conservative and libertarian values.

I believe that free market economics are the only proven path to prosperity, central state control only causes poverty and misery. Our hard-won liberty and freedoms should not be given up, with freedom of speech being the most valuable and most at threat. And, of course, the colossal civilization-changing immigration into our nation must be heavily reduced and controlled.

Caroline Johnson

Conservative Party

It's the honour of my life to have represented Sleaford and North Hykeham since 2016. I've delivered millions of pounds of funding and made your voices heard in Westminster.

The North Hykeham Relief Road will be built next year - bringing enormous benefits. I was delighted to secure £110 million of funding to build this dual carriageway.

I am a children’s doctor and I have led successful healthcare campaigns in Parliament, including on NHS dentistry and the rise in teen vaping.

I’ve championed investment in our schools to provide the best learning environments, including the complete transformation of Sir William Robertson Academy in the School Rebuilding Programme.

As a farmer’s wife, I care deeply about our food security. I've campaigned against massive solar farms on swathes of Lincolnshire’s prime farmland. The Conservatives have been clear we will protect our best farmland. I am fully committed to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP. We enshrined the Armed Forces Covenant into law and introduced the Veteran ID card. I back measures to protect pensioners with the Triple Lock Plus, and deliver the largest ever expansion of free childcare for local families.

I have strongly supported tougher measures to tackle illegal immigration, including over the jurisdiction of foreign courts.

I've lived locally for over 20 years, raise my children locally and have family deeply rooted in Lincolnshire.​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Hanif Khan

Labour Party

I’m honoured to be the Labour Party parliamentary candidate for Sleaford and North Hykeham.

For decades Lincolnshire has been grossly underfunded – residents are desperate for the change that’s needed here.

If elected as MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham, I’ll start my Agenda for Change straightaway: safer streets and more police; get our NHS back on its feet; opportunities for young people; climate leadership and cheaper energy, greener, healthier and cleaner; rebuild the economy, transport and bring in Investment.

I’ll fight the Tories on their record – a record of decline that’s left people across our communities and across our country worse off and demoralised. I'll demand more affordable and social homes, fair funding, a hospital, skills training, infrastructure and social justice.

I am inspired to stand for Parliament by a deep-seated commitment to serve the community. From an early age I’ve been a volunteer for charities in the UK and abroad. This experience has been crucial in enabling me to connect with people.

I want to actively contribute to positive change. I was a councillor for eight years and that experience has shaped my understanding of what’s needed for the wellbeing of residents. The opportunity to address broader issues and make a lasting impact on a larger scale motivates me to continue my journey in public service, fostering a more inclusive and prosperous future for all.

Matthew Winnington

Liberal Democrats

Matthew is campaigning for a better deal for the communities that make up the Sleaford & North Hykeham constituency and wants the Conservative party to be kicked out of North Kesteven.

The Liberal Democrats say they have seen a revival in North Kesteven.

Liberal Democrat candidate Matthew Winnington is campaigning for action to save our NHS, tackle the cost of living crisis, and end the sewage scandal.

With his experience working as a civil servant and more recently in the charity sector, alongside being a senior councillor and cabinet member for adult social care and public health, Matthew can bring real change to Lincolnshire.

He said: “This election is a once-in-a-generation chance to kick the Conservatives out of power and finally deliver the change our area so desperately needs.

“It’s clear that only the Liberal Democrats can beat the Conservatives in Sleaford & North Hykeham, it’s neck and neck here and every vote will count.

“People are telling me they’re fed up with years of chaos and neglect under this out-of-touch Conservative government.

“After years of struggling to get a GP appointment, soaring rents and mortgages and our rivers being polluted by filthy sewage, it’s time for a change in Lincolnshire.

"My family has lived in this constituency for generations.

“As the next MP for Sleaford & North Hykeham, I will stand up for local health services, tackle the sewage scandal and be a strong voice for our community in Parliament.”

Robert Oates

Lincolnshire Independents

As a local resident I know first hand what our community needs.

As a Sleaford town councillor, I work to make the town an even better place.

As a North Kesteven District councillor I have supported many initiatives to improve our district for everyone.

But we suffer from underfunding of the NHS, schools, police, transport and more.

The Conservatives take your vote of granted. If elected, I will speak up in Parliament for Sleaford and North Hykeham to get our fair share of the national budget.

New houses are being built in our towns and villages without the necessary facilities such as GP practices, schools, shops, nurseries, and community halls. I will work for stronger planning laws to prevent that happening.

I support more renewable energy to lower your bills and combat climate change. But I oppose covering our farmland in solar industry to supply electricity for areas down south.

National party candidates are coming here from far and wide to make promises they cannot keep.

I make only one promise, if elected I will work for you not a party boss and make the case in Parliament for Sleaford and North Hykeham to get a better deal from government.

The last Parliament had more Independent MPs than Liberal Democrats, in the next there could be 100 Independent MPs.

If elected, I will collaborate with them to influence government and get the action needed for our communities.

Follow me on Facebook at Councillor Robert Oates.

Following changes to the parliamentary boundaries 16 parish areas within North Kesteven to the east and south of Sleaford now fall within the Grantham and Bourne constituency and three parish areas at the north of the district remain in the Lincoln constituency.

Newly located into the newly-formed Grantham and Bourne constituency are the parishes of Aswarby and Swarby, Aunsby and Dembleby, Burton Pedwardine and Burton Gorse, Culverthorpe and Kelby, Great Hale, Heckington, Helpringham, Little Hale, Newton and Haceby, Osbournby, Scredington, Silk Willoughby, Swaton, Threekingham, Walcot and Wilsford.

The eight candidates there are:

- Vipul Arvind Bechar – Labour Party

- Gareth Mark Davies – The Conservative Party

- Anne Elizabeth Gayfer – Green Party

- Alexander Lesle Mitchell – Social Democratic Party

- Charmaine Dawn Morgan – Lincolnshire Independents

- Mike Rudkin – Reform UK

- Ian Edward Selby – Independent

- John William Vincent – Liberal Democrats

Polling stations will be open on July 4 between 7am and 10am.

You will need to present one type of photo ID from the list of approved types. These include a valid photo driver’s licence, passport, older person’s bus pass and blue badge. For the full list visit: www.n-kesteven.gov/voterID People who do not have any of the authorised photo IDs can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate. Deadline for this is 5pm on Wednesday, June 26.

You can apply online for a proxy vote where someone votes on your behalf by 5pm on Wednesday June 26, at: www.n-kesteven.gov.uk/elections