CONSERVATIVE leader Michael Howard has pledged to scrap hospital targets, health service bureaucracy and pour more cash into the front line of Hampshire's beleaguered NHS.

Speaking at Winchester Guildhall yesterday, Mr Howard also said regional assemblies such as the unelected South East England Rural Assembly (SEERA) would be banished, along with regional health authorities.

But he was dismissive of the Liberal Democrat threat, despite them currently holding the crucial Hampshire seats of Winchester, Eastleigh and Romsey.

He defended the £20,000 poured into the marginal seats of Romsey and Eastleigh by party treasurer Lord Ashcroft for campaigns, saying the party was playing by the rules and not using an unfair advantage.

"We want to take the message to every part of the country and we want to use every means available to get that across," he told the Daily Echo.

He branded Labour's approach to house-building "incompetent" and said a more efficient approach could find more homes without creating environmental difficulties.

Conservative parliamentary candidate for Winchester George Hollingbery added: "We have SEEDA promising to create a Solent City along the M27. We must return control over these sorts of decisions to local people and local councils."

Mr Howard also described Labour's NHS spending as incompetent.

"We have a £40m shortfall in Hampshire. They spend too much money at the top on bureaucracy," he said.

"We're going to cut out spending on bureaucracy and abolish regional health authorities. The money we save is going to be ploughed straight back into health services."

Mr Howard was at the Guildhall giving support to Mr Hollingbery. The Winchester seat has been held by Liberal Democrat Mark Oaten for the last eight years and he will again be contesting it along with Labour's Patrick Davies, UK Independence Party candidate David Abbott and independent Arthur Pendragon.

Mr Howard told the Daily Echo: "Voting Liberal Democrat won't help to get rid of Tony Blair. If you want to pay more taxes and give the EU control of immigration and asylum and if you don't believe burglars should go to prison, you would be quite right to vote Lib Dem. I don't think many people in Winchester would agree with that."

It was initially hoped Mr Howard would speak at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital (RHCH) in Romsey Road, but the hospital refused.

A spokesman for RHCH said: "If we allow one politician to visit the hospital we have to open this offer to others."

Yesterday we mistakenly reported that the Liberal Democrats were trying to oust the Tories from the Eastleigh seat. In fact current South East England MEP Chris Huhne will be trying to keep the seat for the Liberal Democrats after current MP David Chidgey announced he