I’m a local man, my family are local and my children go to a local state school. I care passionately about our area and will work tirelessly to make it even better.

Our community needs more jobs and better opportunities for local people. That needs a strong economy. Britain has gone from the longest and deepest recession for a century to being the world’s fastest-growing major economy.

As a local man, I rely on Russells Hall and local health services to look after me and my family. The hospital’s budget has gone up by £63million and Conservatives will increase the NHS budget by another £8billion. That’s only possible with a growing economy.

Finally, I will vote for a referendum on the EU so you can decide whether we stay in or come out, and support further action to strengthen immigration rules.

Nationally, Dudley South is vital in deciding whether David Cameron or Ed Miliband will be prime minister. The only local opinion poll shows Dudley South is a two-horse race between me and Labour, with UKIP a long way behind.

We must stick with the difficult decisions needed to rebuild the economy – not throw away the progress that has been made over the past five years.