BARRIE HUDSON chats to John Short, standing for the UK Independence Party in South Swindon, in our series on all the local candidates in the General Election on May 7.

JOHN Short is standing both for Parliament and the borough council.

Part of his motivation is gratitude.

“The main reason why I want to be both a councillor and an MP ,” he said, “is because Swindon over the years has done a lot for me – Swindon Borough Council and the people of Swindon.

“They have educated my family, they have given me a good standard of living.

“I want to put something back wherever possible, whether it be in fighting causes for the elderly, fighting causes for the young, making sure that there’s care in the community, making sure that the hospital’s the right size, delivery of service, making sure that all the facilities such as leisure centres are still there for the people of Swindon.

“I want to make sure that Swindon people are foremost and given the opportunity wherever possible to advance their lives and advance their health and wealth.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’d fight tooth and nail for all of Swindon.”

John, 68, is married to A&E receptionist Susan and has three children.

He is originally from Cassop, a tiny County Durham mining village, and at 15 started an apprenticeship as a carpenter and joiner.

Years of adult education and correspondence courses saw him rise through the ranks of the construction industry and then local government.

In 1988 he came to Swindon as Thamesdown Council’s director of Corporate Services. He retired as Swindon Borough Council’s deputy chef executive in 2005.

John later spent several years as a Conservative councillor for Highworth, but became disenchanted.

“I left because I wouldn’t toe the line.

“I was then asked to consider joining UKIP by the local chairman. I said, yes, I’d join – with a few provisos.

“Firstly, that I’m my own man and vote whichever way my conscience thinks fit for the local people.

“Secondly, there’s no way I’m racist, homophobic or anything else. If I thought the party was in that vein, I wouldn’t be in it – and it isn’t in that vein.”

If elected, he has a number of priorities.

“We would make sure the health service was delivered free at the point of delivery, that more training was facilitated for doctors and nurses. We would like to see the NHS go back to what it was when matrons ran the wards for cleanliness and made sure that everything was run properly – which it was in the fifties and sixties, whatever people say.

“On the frontline for industry we would want to make sure there were more grants given to Swindon than there are now. Swindon falls between the South West and South East as everybody knows, and it does suffer that way.

“You look around, you look down Victoria Road and every other shop is closed.

“There should be grants available for people to keep their businesses running, and to make sure if there are problems that they are looked at favourably from commercial rents, and we make sure that we as a council and a government prop up businesses where necessary.

“When it comes to environmental issues I think we need to be very careful where we’re going with solar panels and wind farms.

“Not that I’m against them, but there’s a lot more to be done on that.

“Fracking needs more investigation when it comes to how we dispose of the waste and how it’s treated, and how it disturbs the structures and strata of the ground.”

John also plans to address traffic problems on local roads by revamping the system, and would like to see a new council house-building programme.

He added: “I’m standing for the sake of the borough.

“I’m not a career politician. What people get is what I am. Most people in Swindon know me anyway.

“I will deliver what I agree with the electorate and not on a party line.

“I’ve already spoken to UKIP about this, and that’s why I’m in UKIP – because I will not comply with the party line if it goes against what people want in Swindon.

“The constituency needs somebody prepared to fight harder for them and not to have to toe a policy line, whatever it may be.”

Also standing in South Swindon are: Robert Buckland (Conservative); Damon Hooton (Liberal Democrat); Talis Kimberley-Fairbourn (Green); Anne Snelgrove (Labour).