There is just over a week to go until the country goes to the polls in the General Election.
West Berkshire now straddles two constituencies, the new-look Newbury and then the Reading West and Mid Berkshire. Each constituency has seven candidates standing.
Local democracy reporter Niki Hinman has put the same six questions to all of the Newbury candidates and spoken to all of the Reading West and Mid Berkshire candidates.
Here we are turning the spotlight on one of them every day.
We will be starting with Newbury and working our way, alphabetically, through the candidate list.
Doug Terry is 62, and a chartered accountant. He is standing as the Reform candidate in Newbury.
1: What made you run for office?
In essence the growing belief that the country needed a change from the two-party system that has failed us over recent years. A belief that Westminster, by and large, had become totally out of touch with the public that they were supposed to represent. Decisions were being made that defied logic and data; dissenting voices in Parliament were heard in a near-empty chamber. Disorder on the streets and low level crime seemed to be tolerated instead of being dealt with, and decisions were increasingly devolved to unelected bodies – the opposite of what the public voted for in 2016.
My aim is to provide a voice for the constituents of Newbury and to provide an effective opposition to the likely Labour government.
2: Do you have family/partner and what do they think of you running for Parliament?
Yes my partner is fully supportive and helping with my campaign. My three adult children unfortunately do not vote locally but I am certain they would if they could, and I have given my eldest son, a stand-up comedian, a new thread!
As with many young voters they are excited by, and supportive of, our policy to raise the zero rate tax band to £20,000 which will help young, lower paid workers and pensioners to meet the cost of living.
3: When did your interest in politics take hold?
I have always had an interest but have not been actively involved since student days. Until the Blair / Brown governments the country worked reasonably well but since then I have watched events with growing disappointment. This accelerated through the failure to deal with Brexit quickly and effectively with the country chasing its tail rather than making the best of the situation.
No sooner had this receded the May government held a vote to enshrine net zero in law without even an attempt to determine costs (a few trillions) and the benefits (undefined) which is, to my mind, beyond irresponsible.
Then followed the self-inflicted pain of lockdown. At the very least lockdowns 2 and 3 were taken in the face of opposing data. What struck me most about this was the dishonesty of government and its failure to put trust in the British public to be responsible.
The failure to address these challenges effectively at the time has saddled the country with eye-watering debt, and continues to be the major cause of the cost of living crisis.
4: Why do you think people will vote for you/your party?
We represent traditional values of small government and low taxation. We are the only party stating that we will reduce taxes by looking critically at government spending, cancelling vanity projects such as HS2.
We will re-activate extraction of north sea oil and gas rather than merely importing it and renewable generators from abroad, increasing the carbon footprint. We look to encourage UK manufacturing, farming and fisheries. After the ruinous cost of lockdown the dash to net zero, advocated by the other main parties, is the main contributor to the cost of living crisis and must be stopped.
We are the only major party that does not want an ever-growing state with the necessary high taxation levels to feed it. We believe individuals, rather than government, make the best decisions on how to spend their money.
We are a new party that challenges the status quo. Dissatisfaction with politicians on all sides is at an all-time high. The Conservatives nationally seem intent on losing the election yet there is no love for Labour with its hard-left Momentum extremists waiting to come out of the shadows.
As a new party we are picking up support from former Conservative voters who are disillusioned with the party’s direction of travel and also former Labour voters who believe its leaders are no longer in touch with normal working people, and many of whom are appalled at its stance on gender recognition and women’s rights.
5: Beating the campaign trail means you are speaking to people on the doorstep. What are they saying to you?
The most prevalent issue is the performance of the Conservative government over the past 14 years. People feel let down and have growing frustration that despite historically high levels of taxation service quality is at an all-time low.
This manifests in a number of ways, from the visible pot-holed roads to NHS waiting lists and the difficulty in securing a GP appointment. Businesses are alarmed at the level of business rates and what they perceive as unfair competition from off-high street retailers.
The cost of living after inflation in recent years is at the forefront of most people’s minds, with sky-high food and energy prices leading to daily challenges. Although levels of inflation are now falling it does not reverse the effect of the levels in the past two years.
Uncontrolled immigration and the inability (or unwillingness) to control our borders is placing strains on housing availability particularly for younger people and veterans.
The well-publicised deterioration in water quality, indicating poor regulation and investment over a number of years is another concern.
6: What does a vote for you mean?
A vote for me as Reform UK candidate is a vote for a fresh approach to UK politics, and a break from the two-party (or Uniparty) system. On a local level I am new to politics and I believe I bring a wealth of experience, common sense and energy to represent the interests and concerns of our constituents in Westminster. I will be a strong advocate for a range of local issues. On a national level it indicates a desire to replace the Conservatives who have drifted away from their traditional base and contributed heavily to the crisis the country faces.
