Polling day is tomorrow. We sent the contenders to be member of parliament for Kensington & Bayswater five questions. Here are their answers…

Mona Adam – Green Party

1. How will you & your party engage with our communities to involve them in local politics?

As a Green councillor and Parliamentary candidate, I would play a pivotal role in making local politics more inclusive, transparent, and responsive to community needs. By actively engaging with the community, educating and empowering residents, and promoting environmental sustainability, you can foster a more participatory and vibrant political landscape in Kensington and Bayswater.

By implementing these strategies, I can ensure that my engagement with the community is not only effective but also builds a strong foundation for sustainable and inclusive local governance:

Multilingual Communication: Communication is available in multiple languages to cater to the diverse population.

Cultural Sensitivity: Organize events and discussions that respect and incorporate the cultural backgrounds of all community members.

Partnerships: Partner with local NGOs, community groups, and businesses to amplify efforts and reach more residents.

Joint Initiatives: Collaborate on projects that address common goals, such as environmental initiatives or community welfare programs.

Green Projects: Initiate and support local environmental projects like community gardens, recycling programs, and energy-saving initiatives.

Green Streets Initiative: Work with residents to create more pedestrian-friendly streets and increase green spaces.

Local Climate Action Plans: Develop community-driven climate action plans tailored to local needs and resources.

Promoting Green Values: I would like as only green councilor in RBKC to promote green’s values such as advocating for sustainable development, supporting renewable energy initiatives, prioritizing green spaces and biodiversity, and promoting eco-friendly policies that reduce carbon footprint and promote environmental justice.

2. Should the private sector be involved in health care provision in Britain? If so, to what extent?

Yes, the private sector should be involved in NHS health care provision in Britain, but only to a limited extent. Its role should be to enhance efficiency, reduce waiting times, and provide specialized or additional services while ensuring strong public oversight to maintain universal access and prevent inequities.

3. Grenfell Tower. Over seven years we have seen justice denied. What specific steps will you take to bring justice for the crime and to advocate for North Kensington’s affected residents?

As a Green Party, we will take specific steps to bring justice for the Grenfell Tower tragedy and advocate for the affected residents of North Kensington:

As a councilor and parliamentary candidate for the Green Party, we are committed to taking concrete actions to achieve justice for the victims and survivors of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, and to stand in solidarity with the residents of North Kensington:

• Mental Health and Support Services: Implementing comprehensive, long-term mental health and support services tailored to the specific needs of those affected.
• Housing and Safety Reforms:

• Nationwide Safety Audit: Conducting a thorough safety audit of high-rise buildings across the country to ensure compliance with fire safety regulations and advocating for the urgent removal of hazardous cladding.
• Fire Safety Legislation: Strengthening fire safety laws and regulations to prevent future tragedies, ensuring rigorous enforcement and regular inspections.
• Tenant Rights: Advocating for enhanced tenant rights and protections to prioritize their safety and well-being.

• Dedicated Task Force: Establishing a dedicated task force within the Green Party to continuously monitor and advocate for the needs of Grenfell survivors and the North Kensington community.

Our goal is to secure justice for the victims of Grenfell Tower, amplify their voices, and effectively address their needs.

4. Middle East. Does Israel have a right to do what it is doing in the Gaza Strip? Please elaborate.

No, Israel does not have the right to carry out its current actions. I decided to defect from the Labour Party to the Green Party, driven by my deep concern over the situation in Gaza.

I fully support the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the right of return for refugees, in accordance with UN resolutions and international law. An immediate ceasefire is crucial to stop the ongoing violence and address allegations of genocide. I am committed to ensuring that our parliament firmly opposes policies that perpetuate apartheid and human rights violations in Israel and Palestine and will advocate for accountability for those responsible for war crimes. Our foreign policy must be grounded in justice, equal rights, and respect for international law, promoting a just and lasting peace in the region.

The situation in Gaza is horrific. The bombing of schools and refugee camps and the way in which hospitals have been attacked and starved of equipment, power and urgent supplies. It’s unimaginable what people are going through in this avoidable crisis. 

Not only are women and girls facing catastrophic hunger, with almost no access to food, safe drinking water, functioning toilets or running water, many are giving birth without any medical equipment and support, and they’re struggling to access sanitary products. This is an added risk to their health and lives.

You may be aware that the Green Party has taken a strong stance and advocated for an immediate permanent ceasefire, an end to the sale of weapons to Israel, the safe return of hostages, the reinstatement of funding for UNRWA and an end to the illegal occupation. We have spoken out against the targeting of hospitals and tried to push the UK Government to show leadership and work with the international community to send a clear message to the Israeli authorities.

Former MP, Caroline Lucas, repeatedly pushed for humanitarian aid in Gaza and it is critical that this includes access to sanitary products. I fully support the UK aid for sexual and reproductive healthcare for women and girls in Gaza.

5. What do you love about Kensington/Bayswater? If you were advising a visitor on where to go during a short visit here, where would you recommend they go to get a feel for the area?

Ah, Kensington and Bayswater, the neighbourhoods that make even pigeons look posh! For a quick taste of their charm, start your day by getting lost in the whimsical streets of Notting Hill (yes, the one with the famous blue door). Then, strut down Portobello Road Market, where you can haggle for antiques or just pretend you’re in a Hugh Grant movie. Cap it off with a stroll through Kensington Gardens, where even the squirrels have a bit of attitude. Just remember, blend in by sipping tea like you’ve got a secret to keep—bonus points if you wear sunglasses indoors.

North Ken is a home to a mix of cultures, with significant Afro-Caribbean, Middle Eastern, and European communities. This diversity is reflected in local shops, markets, and restaurants, offering a wide array of global cuisines and products. The area has numerous community projects and centres, which foster a strong sense of belonging and provide various support services, cultural activities, and educational programs and several parks and gardens for relaxation. I am so proud to be a councilor is such united community.

♦

Felicity Buchan – Conservative

The Conservative candidate did not send answers to our questions.

♣

Marc Burca – Reform UK

1. How will you & your party engage with our communities to involve them in local politics?

Generally speaking, I don’t think people should be getting too involved with politics. I’d like people to concentrate on business, learning how to start up their own business because it’s these little businesses that make the huge businesses of the future. When you have your own business when you‘re young you learn that people don’t always pay you or they complain at you, it’s the school of Hard Knocks; people are nasty to you and you learn not to put all your eggs in one basket

At some of the youth clubs like Earls Court Youth Club and council schools like Chelsea Academy they try to look after the children and give them ambition with some of their programmes. My 17 year old is currently in the Lake District camping, it’s an important part of the education system at that age. I think we’ve got too many people involved in politics and with local politics if you’ve got your local councilor, then you speak to him. But the whole idea of creating large pressure groups is not one I support. Get on with life, look after your home.  

2. Should the private sector be involved in health care provision in Britain? If so, to what extent?

I can take this straight from Reform’s Contract. We don’t use the word ‘manifesto,’ a word comes from Karl Marx and Communism.

Reform would end doctor and nurse shortages. All frontline NHS and social care staff to pay zero basic rate tax for three years. This will help retain existing staff and attract many who have left to return. End

Training caps for all UK medical students. Write off student fees pro rata per year over 10 years of NHS service for all doctors, nurses and medical staff.

Use independent healthcare capacity. We will harness independent and not-for-profit health provision in the UK and overseas.

Tax Relief of 20% on all private healthcare and insurance. This will improve care for all by relieving pressure on the NHS. Those who rely on the NHS will enjoy faster, better care. Independent healthcare capacity will grow rapidly, providing competition and reducing costs.

Thereafter, we would put patients in charge with a new NHS voucher scheme. NHS patients will receive a voucher for private treatment if they can’t see a GP within three days. For a consultant it would be three weeks. For an operation, nine weeks. Services will always be free at the point of use.

Improve efficiency. Cut waste and unnecessary managers. Operating theatres must be open on weekends. Rotas must be planned further in advance. Nail down better prices using economies of scale. Review all NHS Private finance contracts for significant savings potential. Charge those who fail to attend medical appointments without notice.

Abolish the NHS Race and Health Observatory. Save A&Es. Cut waiting times with a campaign of ‘Pharmacy First, GP Second, A&E Last’. We will offer tax incentives for new pharmacies and those who employ more staff to assist in relieving pressure on A&Es.

Excess Deaths and Vaccine Harms. We would have a Public Inquiry. Excess deaths are nearly as high now as they were during the Covid pandemic and young people are over-represented in the excess deaths.

Doctor David bull is our joint Deputy Leader so he is involved in that side of things.

3. Grenfell Tower. Over seven years we have seen justice denied. What specific steps will you take to bring justice for the crime and to advocate for North Kensington’s affected residents?

We haven’t got a party policy on it so I’m speaking ‘off the record’ but I can tell you my thoughts which I gave to the hustings in the church on Kensington High Street. Basically my thoughts are: first Grenfell is not a national issue, it’s a local issue to local councilors.

I went to Grenfell Tower for the anniversary. Personally I’d like to see it pulled down ASAP. There should be a small park, a symbolic place, a nice monument for them. The wall with the flowers is very impressive, there might be a way of maintaining something as a permanent place for mourning.

The site can be used for social housing as there’s a desperate need for social housing and at the end of the day that’s one of the most valuable property sites in the whole of Europe. The people next to Grenfell Tower are living right next door to Westfield. I would love to live next to Westfield; I think most people in Britain would love to live next to Westfield. I don’t feel sorry for them for being in in in social housing in that area you know because that is a f***ing good place to be .

4. Middle East. Does Israel have a right to do what it is doing in the Gaza Strip? Please elaborate.

In 2005 I think it was that the Israeli government gave Gaza its independence. They moved thousands of Israelis out of Gaza, they gave it full independence and they chucked out the PLO and they put in Hamas which was a far more dangerous terrorist group. I think that instead of spending the billions they were given to actually look after the people, they had a dedicated policy of having wipe out the Israelis.

There is no peace with Hamas as they don’t want peace, they are indoctrinated about that. I’m not Jewish but I’ve seen indoctrination and I have enough Palestinian friends.

My solution is a very simple one. Basically we are facing the same situation as Britain faced after World War Two with the Nazis. The Nazis were fanatical, they were brainwashed for Hitler. These people were robots and you have the same situation with Hamas and I believe the solution is the same as the solution was after World War Two. I was in Germany in 1965 and there were lots of people with chopped off legs and arms but by and large as an Englishman there I was treated beautifully and there was no animosity and if you go through Germany in the 60s, 70s and 80s there was no great problem whatsoever.

There was a simple solution, that the Russians, the Brits and the Americans took over the country and those in the American and the British sectors lived in a free society. What happened in eastern Germany, that’s another matter. There was an unconditional surrender. There are 1.7 million Muslims living in Israel quite peacefully, quite happily and they don’t live a prosperous life in Gaza. In Gaza there are tunnels and indoctrinating children and living in poverty and all the money that they’re getting, they’re getting billions in aid, and it’s getting spent on war.

October the 7th was a declaration of war. You don’t go into a country and do what they did – the killing the killing of women and babies. To me it was very obvious that it was attack an attack on a pop festival. It was like a festival in Hyde Park. They were also showing off about what they did. What kind of person would show off about murdering children and women and raping them?

5. What do you love about Kensington/Bayswater? If you were advising a visitor on where to go during a short visit here, where would you recommend they go to get a feel for the area?

I think we’re very blessed in Kensington and Bayswater with the fantastic museums. You can see thousands of people daily, Summer and Winter, that go to the museums. Hyde Park is fantastic. We have a lot of people from the Middle East who come here and they’re all out there playing, everybody’s playing together and people are enjoying life and I think that is absolutely wonderful.

There are 15 underground stations in the constituency. I’m old enough to remember when everybody smoked on the top deck of a bus and every other compartment on the underground was smoking and you had obviously the pollution of the cigarettes and the smoke and also the fag ends. Now we’re living in a place where the underground works pretty efficiently and there’s very little pollution by comparison to how it used to be when I was young.  

A Kensington and Chelsea parking permit is probably the best car parking permit in the whole of London, we’ve got good access to Victoria station and Paddington station within the constituency and we can we can get out to Heathrow airport easily.

I like the fact that we’re very European in this area. I speak all these languages and I very often talk to foreigners especially if I think they’re slightly lost . What’s wonderful now is we’ve got very much more of a café society and I love that because people are outside on the street in South Kensington; I love Gloucester road, even up in Ladbroke Grove. All the little cafes everywhere you go, I was campaigning for this the 1970s because I lived in Paris and nobody would listen to me. I said ‘Well look, there’s so many places that could be made human and people talking and communicating.’ I love that, Summer and Winter. Even with these heaters sometimes outside, I think that’s maybe not totally energy efficient but it still creates people on the street and that also prevents crime.

The other day I fell down in the street and I was surrounded by people coming to help me up you but you never hear about that. There’s a lot of kindness out there. But equally in the last few days, since that thing on Channel 4, I’ve been spat at, they called me a Nazi, they called me a racist. They don’t know me. I was probably the only white member of the Count Suckle Club in Praed Street in the 1960s. All I care about is if somebody is a nice person. If they’re good people I love them; if they’re bad people I don’t like them.

♠

Emma Dent Coad – Independent

1. Community. How will you & your party engage with our communities to involve them in local politics?

I will continue to monitor and interact on social media, and to host in person public meetings on local issues that are concerning the community. Ideally this would provoke the coming together of new groups who would lead on campaigning which I can then support. Local issues are far better tackled when residents are mobilised and work together in a coordinated manner. This worked very well with the two public meetings I held earlier in the year on Kensal Gasworks, where five local groups met and now coordinate actions that I’m happy to support.

2. NHS. Should the private sector be involved in health care provision in Britain? If so, to what extent?

Privatisation in the NHS is eroding the frontline services we depend upon. We are losing £10m a week to outsourced services that eat our funding and cherry-pick patients whose needs have a quick turnover, such as hip and knee replacements. Those with long-term chronic illness and multiple diagnoses will be left to the underfunded and understaffed shell of an NHS. This is not what the NHS was set up for. Privatisation works towards ‘results’; the provision of mental health services for example, should not be held to the demand for instantly measurable results.

3. Grenfell Tower. Over seven years we have seen justice denied. What specific steps will you take to bring justice for the crime and to advocate for North Kensington’s affected residents?

It seems that ‘good’ justice takes a long time, and while I share the huge frustrations of local people that there may be no charges until 2026 or later, we do need the police to make watertight cases against those responsible. The corporations involved – and the Council – are spending vast fortunes on defence. The Council is using our money to do so. This is yet another injustice piled upon those we are already suffering.

In the meantime I have been working behind the scenes with the RIBA Grenfell Advisory Group on tightening up the poorly drafted legislation which means that Grenfell 2 could still happen tonight. I had just begun working with Lord Lytton on his amendment to the Leasehold Reform Act to ensure that leaseholders caught in the cladding scandal do not have to pay for remediation. I speak regularly on panels and meetings on building safety issues that have arisen after Grenfell. Remediating existing housing stock and ensuring new builds are safe are also vital justice issues that must be dealt with by the new government without delay.

4. Middle East. Does Israel have a right to do what it is doing in the Gaza Strip? Please elaborate.

Israel has no right to commit genocide in Gaza or take over more of the West Bank. It has an obligation to end its illegal occupations and to facilitate return and justice for the Palestinian people. Over the years Israel, with full complicity from the British government since the Balfour Agreement, has taken over vast areas of former Palestine while forcing mass evictions of Palestinian people and mass murders under the guise of ‘defence’. We need a full and permanent ceasefire, humanitarian and medical aid sent into bombed areas without restrictions, and for meaningful peace talks to start immediately. The US and Western Europe – with some notable exceptions – are watching genocide in real time while continuing to send arms and weapons tech to enable the atrocities genocide. We must continue to demand withdrawal and deny Israel the ‘unconditional support’ of both Tory and Labour parties, our current position shames the British people and, if elected, I will demand the government change course.

5. What do you love about Kensington/Bayswater? If you were advising a visitor on where to go during a short visit here, where would you recommend they go to get a feel for the area?

Born and bred in the area, but personally I can never get enough of the museums and parks we have an abundance of – in some areas. To any visitor I would advise them to look up the historic walks that are on offer, there is something for everyone – from murder maps to Blue Plaque or Oligarch walks. Far more interesting and insightful than the usual -Portobello / Harrods / Kensington Palace visits I would say.

◊

William Houngbo – Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrat candidate did not send answers to our questions.

♣

Joe Powell – Labour

The Labour candidate did not send answers to our questions.

♠

Apologies to Una O’Mahony (Party of Women), Roger Phillips (Christian Peoples Alliance), Emperor of India Prince Ankit Love (Independent) and John Stevens (Rejoin EU) who we didn’t contact due to time constraints.

Tom Charles @tomhcharles