Natalie Sommers on why she should be North Essex MP

She began by referring to the issues covered by the Liberal Democrat manifesto which had been unveiled the day before we spoke.

“Our manifesto really does cover a lot of the issues that people have," she said.

“In the area of Tendring as a whole, not just Harwich and north Essex, there is higher than average incident of mental health patients.

Signs - Natalie Sommers campaigning in Ardleigh with supporters (Image: Credited)

“We need to get a handle on this. People can’t go for two or three weeks without seeing a doctor or a dentist."

Another issue which the manifesto talks about is farming and the importance of the work farmers do.

Mrs Sommers said: “We have a big programme where we are also working with farmers as part of food security.

“We would look to create a programme that works with farmers, not only to increase food security in the country as a whole, but also farmers are so important to a rural area like Harwich and north Essex.

“You must make sure that farmers are not only rewarded for providing food security, but also for the environmental measures they take.”

Talking of the current environmental issues affecting people within the north Essex and Harwich area, Natalie said: “The big environmental issue at the moment is with the pylons.

“They’ve decided that they are going to put cables underground, going across Dedham Vale, but even that is a 120-metre-wide swathe cutting through the countryside.

Campaigning - Natalie stood behind a banner reflective of Lib Dem viewpoint (Image: Credited)

“You can’t get a mortgage if there is a pylon on your property and a lot of farmers are losing their good land due to pylons being put up.”

The election hopeful also spoke of the 'EU roadmap', which is part of the Liberal Democrat manifesto.

“The roadmap back into the European Union is long term and it wouldn’t happen overnight," she said.

“I think it makes sense to have a good relationship with our nearest neighbours.

"We’ve seen the damage it has caused, not only for goods but also people.

“Things weren’t considered by people when they decided to vote leave. I totally accept the way we voted, but I voted to remain.

Help - Natalie Sommers beside a banner which calls for action over pylons (Image: Credited)

“We were told it would be so much better for our country.”

Mrs Sommers spoke of the importance of re-joining the EU for young people in terms of free movement and work opportunities.

“I definitely think there is room for talking to the EU and get some sort of free movement back, particularly for young people to get them back into schemes such as Erasmus and Horizon," she said.

“I have a 17-year-old daughter who wants to get into engineering and if she was competing for a job in Amsterdam, for example, against someone who is equally qualified with an EU passport, she’s out the door.

“The reduction in the freedom of movement, has had a knock-on effect on our public services.

“We have so many vacancies within the NHS, but also we have so many social care vacancies.

"Obviously, there is an argument for training people within our country and I totally agree with that, which is why we have spoken about increasing the minimum wage for people who are part of the social care industry by £2.”

Education is another key part of the Liberal Democrat manifesto.

Mrs Sommers said: “In Harwich and North Essex there is a real problem with getting school places, and some of its restrictions are caused by the size of the schools.

"There is a lack of nursery places, and the cost of nursery places is something that we want to work on.

“To try and give them some extra hours in the week also allows parents to work, which increases the prosperity of families.”

She continued: “It's so important to give our young people the skills they need and you want people to aspire to the best they can be.

“You can’t put everyone in a box and that is sometimes the problem with education, we expect children to follow a regimental path.

“We were a junior partner in a coalition and we did what we could and we kept the austerity plans lower than what Labour put forward in their manifestos. But mistakes were made."

Housing was another topic Mrs Sommers spoke about.

“It’s a difficult time with the cost of living we are having at the moment," she said.

“We want to build 380,000 houses a year and have 150,000 of those being social homes to try and get a handle on it.

“Being a councillor in Colchester, I hear of the struggles with the amount of people that are being placed into temporary housing due to no-fault evictions.

“People have a right to a decent home, including getting the housing we already have up to scratch.”

Following recent reports of a toxic culture and councillor rows within the Liberal Democrat Party in Colchester, I asked Natalie for her view on it.

“Leader of the Council, David King has already made a statement on the councillor rows," she said.

“We’re recruiting new members and we think we have a positive outlook going forward and try to be more open.”

On her hopes for the election, Mrs Sommers said: “I hope there is a small window of opportunity where I can sneak through because we have Reform UK in the mix and that will take away Conservative votes.

“Our main aim is to increase our visibility in the area and increase our vote share.

“I think the manifesto is fantastic and it really hits home the issues that people have in this country."

The other candidates contesting the Harwich and North Essex seat are Andrew Canessa (Green), Mark Cole (Reform UK), Alex Diner (Labour) and Bernard Jenkin (Con).