For our last session before our summer break the following question was posed.
“Following the General Election, what change would you like to see in place by the end of 5 years?”
Those present were each invited to suggest one item.
- Integrity and competence
- Electoral reform/compulsory voting/some doubts about wisdom of lowering voting age
- Climate change/green energy ( a lot of support for this one)
- Housing policy and change in planning to get more social as well as market housing built (lots of support for this) /some support for housing targets/would restricting foreign buyers make much difference?
- NHS – reorganisation with focus on greater access for GP appointments and fewer cancelled appointments. Much support for this. Different views on role of private sector in providing capacity to NHS
- Change in management of public utilities like water – one idea - should be run by non-profits?
- Education changes in nursery care (more widely available, more cheaply), changes to ease staffing shortages, dealing with poor physical state of some school buildings, improvements to technical education, view that university fees debts should be wiped out after 5 years Working in public service for nurses etc, changes in curriculum to reflect contemporary needs, and for some, abolition of grammar schools and ending subsidies to private schools.
- Prisons – one idea - stopping early release of prisoners to relieve overcrowding,
another view - longer prison sentences will not cut crime.
All these ideas were expressed against the reminder in the background that there is “no money.”
We are now having a summer break, the next meeting will be on 2nd September 2024.