ONE of the Liberal Democrats' best-known faces visited one of his party's key battlefields yesterday.

Simon Hughes, president of the Liberal Democrats, stopped off in the New Forest East constituency to lend his support to the fight for the hotly contested marginal seat.

Lib Dem candidate Brian Dash lost out to Conservative Dr Julian Lewis by just 3,829 votes at the last General Election in 2001.

The two men will come head to head once again this year in what is sure to be a closely fought contest.

Mr Hughes, who visited the Waterside village of Hythe, highlighted a number of key issues as being important to the New Forest electorate.

These included the provision of affordable housing, efficient management of the New Forest as a National Park, personal care for the elderly and higher pensions for older people.

The Daily Echo quizzed Mr Hughes on a range of specific local issues, including the future of the district's community hospitals following the recent closure of beds at Fenwick Hospital in Lyndhurst.

Mr Hughes said: "We are absolutely clear that community hospitals play an invaluable part and we have always supported their retention.

"They are very important because they allow people who might need respite care, rehabilitation or convalescence to be visited by their friends. In terms of long-term value, they are good value for money because they don't have a high turnover of staff. If Brian is elected, together with our other colleagues in Hampshire, we will, in government or opposition, put more money into community hospitals."

With rural issues close to the heart of many New Forest residents, many currently feel alienated from Westminster following the recent foxhunting ban.

Mr Hughes said the Liberal Democrats understood the concerns about rural issues and that neither he nor Charles Kennedy agreed with how the law was passed.

"We need to get on with trying to support rural communities and making sure that the local primary school, local post office, local shop, local pub and local transport continues. That is the real battle - to make sure that village life will continue."

Also standing in the seat are Labour's Stephen Roberts and Katy Davies of the UK Independence Party.

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