Cllr Tom Drummond is the Conservative candidate for Sutton and Cheam and the Leader of the Conservative Group on Sutton Council.
I am incredibly grateful and understand how privileged I am to be able to stand as a Member of Parliament for Sutton, Cheam and Worcester Park. My route to this point is far from traditional. Having lived here for 17 years, I am a local resident who has become a politician, not a politician parachuted in to be a resident. I think when picking an MP the local aspect really matters. I’ve always voted for people that I know will stick with me, and walk in my shoes, not just leave to find the easiest possible path to Westminster.
My journey into politics began a few years ago, thanks to a fly tip. Every morning and evening as I made my way to and from work, I would walk past a pile of dumped rubbish. It was hazardous and attracted vermin, but despite reporting it repeatedly, no one from the Council came to clear it. Eventually, fed up with my complaining about it, my wife and teenage daughters said if it bothered me so much, then I should do something about it. That was when I decided to stand as a local councillor.
Little did I know then where this journey would take me, from first being elected as a councillor in 2018, to becoming Conservative Group leader on the Council two years later. And, following the decision of my good friend Paul Scully to step down as a local MP, I am now the Conservative candidate for the area.
Residents have told me they want someone local to continue championing Sutton’s voice in parliament, and it has been really humbling to hear from people I have helped personally through being a councillor and through my various charitable roles who say they are backing me at this election. I am fortunate to have the encouragement and support of my local party, who are now out tirelessly campaigning for me.
So what would a vote for me really mean? I’m local, I’m honest, dependable and my core belief is that we should always work to improve the communities we live in. Many people living and working in Sutton, Cheam and Worcester Park will have met me at local surgeries or out and about, knocking on doors and asking what matters to them, and what they might need help with. I’ve done that as a Councillor and as an MP is something I would continue to do. I appreciate and value the diversity of our community. From welcoming Ukrainian and Hong Kong families to the area, championing Tamil Heritage Awareness month and supporting all faith groups, it is important that everyone here feels seen and heard.
I know for many the prime concern in Sutton is building a new state-of-the-art hospital in the constituency, and upgrading St Helier in the neighbouring constituency of Carshalton and Wallington so it is fit for purpose. This is something that I am determined to see through, and I am still utterly dumbfounded that the Liberal Democrats and Labour Party in this area are against it. The NHS is saying a new hospital is essential if we are going to meet our local population’s health needs. We have been given £500 million pounds to make this happen, but still are having to fight for it because only the Conservative party have pledged to make it happen- with the other local parties trying to put blockers in place. Politics should never be a barrier to people getting the health care they need, and I say this as someone who has needed to access urgent health care locally. My father, a GP of 30 years, always taught me “physicians should be telling politicians what the NHS needs, not politicians dictating to the NHS”. The only way waiting lists will come down and people’s health outcomes will improve is through having access to the new hospital – it is my priority.
Other issues where I will push for huge change locally are transport, the local economy and policing – as well as supporting local people through their own individual struggles. There is no hiding away from the fact that work has to be done here. ULEZ has hit local people hard. I was talking to a resident only the other day who told me he felt like a prisoner in his own home, unable to leave due to his mobility and not being able to afford a ULEZ compliant car. What he told me struck me hard, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. No one should feel like that. It’s horrible. I think this one policy alone highlights the significant difference between me and the candidates for Labour and the Liberal Democrats. They are in favour of ULEZ and other crippling policies – I wouldn’t push through a personal agenda that I know is detrimental to others, and I take time to actually listen about the impact policy has on the real lives of local people.
July 4th is a big day for Sutton, Cheam and Worcester Park. It is the moment that you get to decide what you want for yourself, and your community for the next term. I hope that everyone who can, gets out to vote and has their say. A vote for me, is a vote for someone who will always listen to you and hear what you’re saying. This is my home, where my family lives. Since being elected I have fought for residents on the council and now I hope to be Sutton, Cheam and Worcester Park’s voice in Westminster and not just Westminster’s voice in our community.