Ben Dowling
Below is a summary of Ben's speeches and his answers to the 13 questions from members put to each candidate:
This new role is vitally important. Recent polling shows this is a three-way race between us, the Conservatives and Reform UK. We need a candidate who can connect beyond our traditional base, who can grab attention, who embodies the change people are looking for. I come from here. I’ve dedicated my life to improving opportunity for others right across our region, helping young people to find their voice and shape their future. As a cabinet member in Portsmouth, I led on planning, regeneration, economic development and the international port, and I delivered real results. As a co-founder of Unloc, I’ve built a national education non-profit empowering young people to make change in the world. I serve as a trustee and director across housing and green space organisations, and help connect people internationally as a Local Leader with the Franco-British Council and through Global:Edge Education. I’m here to show that Liberal Democrat leadership can make the change happen that people want to see.
- Have you ever been a member of another political party?
No.
With which Lib Dem policies do you disagree?
I was in the first tranche of students to go to university under the £9,000 tuition fees. It’s a decision I disagreed with then and I still disagree with. As an educationalist, I want to see us reduce barriers to education in any way I can.
Can you explain, if selected, how you would seek to negate the public persona and publicity that the Conservative candidate has developed as the current PCC for Hampshire?
We have to be loud and we have to be bold. The Conservative candidate is someone I know well. I know how she operates, I know how to push back against her, and I know how to campaign against her. I helped lead the campaign which saw her lose the leadership of Portsmouth City Council in 2018. We have to call her out both online and when we’re talking to people.
If selected, what are your plans to raise funds to finance your campaign? Given your busy work commitments, how much time do you expect to be able to devote to campaign activities, like canvassing, attending events and fundraising?
I’ve built a successful business, Unloc, which relies on asking people and businesses for money to fund our programmes. I’m proud that Unloc isn’t reliant on funding from government or philanthropic organisations, and that we’ve been able to grow the company sustainably by seeking a range of funders. I’m confident in asking for money from individuals, organisations, and businesses. I’ve previously done this for general election efforts also.
Running my own company gives me flexibility over my time. I have a brilliant team who fully support my ambition to become our candidate and then deliver for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight as mayor, and are ready to keep the company working while I’m campaigning, allowing me to say that I’d be looking to dedicate myself to the campaign full-time after Christmas.
How do you propose to keep abreast of county-wide issues and in particular for those rural communities that often feel “left out”. What are your communication strategies especially for these areas?
This election is all about how we engage the entire region – both in the party and externally. Our local councillors will be vital in making sure every community is listened to during this campaign, and it’s important that there are strong channels of communication between our council groups, local parties, and the mayoral campaign.
Our members are also key to our success in this election, and delivering success at every level in May, feeding in the issues which are important in their local areas and highlighting the people and businesses we need to talk to between now and polling day.
We also need to be genuinely open to communication from members of the public, making sure they feel like they are being listened to when they contact our mayoral candidate and campaign.
What do you feel are the most pressing challenges for Hampshire to improve climate resilience, reduce carbon emissions and create green jobs?
My vision is that Hampshire and the Isle of Wight has the opportunity to be a major hub of research, innovation, and development. We’re already doing great work, but that isn’t joined up across the region.
We need to make sure our development has sustainability as it’s core. Investment in our public transport system must include renewable energy.
We have to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. That means making sure the mayor isn’t driving around in a diesel car, for example.
One of the biggest issues of the mayoral election will be immigration. Although the issue will be more concentrated in cities, it is gaining traction in the more rural areas and affects the whole of Hampshire. Your Reform, Conservative and possibly Labour opponents will be anti-immigration. How will you come out in front of the issue and be proactive about communicating your position? What will your position be?
I am a Liberal Democrat, and I hold strong Liberal Democrat values. My mum is an immigrant. I am marrying an immigrant. Immigration is fundamentally a good thing.
But we have to recognise, people who are concerned about immigration have genuine concerns. They’re concerned about the economy, our NHS, and housing. And we all agree, someone dying while crossing the English Channel is unacceptable.
We shouldn’t shy away from talking about immigration, but we shouldn’t accept the premise that immigration is the cause of everyone’s problems either. The other parties need to take responsibility for bad decisions in government and then blaming foreigners or the EU for it.
Trans people have faced years of attacks from the right-wing press and politicians, culminating in April’s Supreme Court ruling that strips trans women from the legal definition of women. This was a historic roll-back of rights. Will you commit to day to standing up for trans people at every reasonable opportunity, and to fighting for real equality for all genders?
Yes. We’re Lib Dems, we believe in standing up for people’s rights.
Given the Mayor will need to work closely with the future unitary authorities, do you have a preference for the arrangement of the new unitary authorities in Hampshire?
The Isle of Wight has its own identity and wants to remain separate, so I’m in favour of that. When it comes to the mainland, it’s important that the new councils respect the communities which make up Hampshire, but I don’t have a significant preference on what those new councils should look like.
What’s crucial, whatever happens with Local Government Reorganisation, is that we make sure Lib Dems run the new councils. We are the only party that truly believes in localism. We know that Lib Dem councillors will deliver the best outcomes for residents on those new authorities, so we need to use the mayoral election to drive success at every level.
What would be your priority in the first 100 days as Mayor of Hampshire and the Solent? Why is this period important?
We have to set out our stall really clearly in those first 100 days. We need to be really clear that we’re going to take action on housing, transport and economic growth, but let’s not focus too much on the first 100 days – it’s the first week, the first two weeks, the first month that really matter.
People need to see things happening in their area. We need to be visible.
The Isle of Wight have a problem with ferries and the floating bridge. How would you deal with this situation?
When I go to the Isle of Wight to meet our members there, my journey from Portsmouth costs £1.65 per minute. That is clearly too expensive, especially for a service which is often delayed or cancelled. As mayor I would work closely with the ferry operators to reduce pricing while increasing reliability, positioning ferries and the connection between the Isle of Wight and Hampshire as a crucial part of our transport puzzle.
The same goes for the floating bridge, it needs to be a properly reliable part of our transport infrastructure.
What opportunities do you see for the Mayor to bring real improvements to the public transport network, not only roads, but paths, and disjointed and uncoordinated cycle routes across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight?
The mayor has to take the issue of transport by the horns, looking at delivering a joined up approach to transport across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, investing in our travel network including public transport and cycle lanes. Investing in our travel network also gives us the opportunity to highlight the importance of active travel and to take action on our climate policies by using green technologies across our improvements. Public transport needs to properly joined up, with one ticketing system across all modes of transport, with services that are reliable and run when you need them including buses in the evening and at the weekend!
How do you propose to build new homes and complete new GP services/schools and other facilities and infrastructure going forward?
I believe in building new homes. It is incredibly important for our region that we have high quality, affordable homes. Infrastructure is key to that. Forever adding more housing estates onto the edges of our towns and villages isn’t good enough; we should be building new communities with schools, GPs, dentists, and the other facilities you need to build a strong community.
Summary of closing statement: