The Liberal Democrats have announced they would plug funding gaps for the NHS and social care by putting a penny on income tax – a move that has been welcomed by the party’s local parliamentary candidate, Nick Belfitt.
Should the Lib Dems get into power, the tax increase would raise an additional £19.4million for Isle of Wight made up of £12million for the NHS and £7.4m for social care each year. This is the party’s flagship spending commitment and its first major policy announcement ahead of next month’s general election.
The Isle of Wight Liberal Democrats argue the extra funding would keep much needed services on the Island rather than them being moved to the mainland.
Nick Belfitt has welcomed the news by saying:
“Right now on the Isle of Wight we are seeing patients lying on trolleys in hospital corridors, urgent operations being cancelled and the elderly being denied the care they need.
“The Liberal Democrats are prepared to be honest with people and say that to secure the future of the NHS we will all need to chip in a little more. A penny in the pound would allow us to invest in improving local NHS services and ensuring the elderly receive the care they deserve.
“This Conservative government has left our health and care services chronically underfunded – and while the crisis gets worse they just don’t seem to care.
“We cannot continue asking the system to deliver more and more, without giving it the resources to do so.”
Article continues below this advertisement
