VOTERS in the Basingstoke constituency were given the opportunity to ask candidates a range of questions on a number of varied topics.

The hustings event, which took place on Thursday, June 20 and was organised by OneChurch Basingstoke, began with each candidate giving an introduction.

Richard Whelan, from the Liberal Democrats, said: "Basingstoke is a place I have a special affinity with.

"If elected, it is a place I will commit myself wholeheartedly to by representing your interests in Parliament and taking up your cases with a range of stakeholders from ministers to local and national government departments to get the best outcome for the people of Basingstoke."

Luke Murphy, Labour, said: "We've got fantastic transport links, and retail, sporting and cultural assets but wherever I go in this campaign and before, there is an overwhelming sense that Basingstoke is neglected and is being held back, whether it's from the empty shops in the Top of Town, the failure to build the infrastructure that our town needs or indeed the under-investment in education.

"These issues are not intractable, all of them can be better, but in order to ensure that they are I believe that it is time for change, and I believe that I and the Labour Party offer that change."

Maria Miller, Conservative, said: "This general election is a referendum on the future of our community, it's your choice, between me, who will continue to fight to slow down housebuilding and get our new hospital built.

"Or the alternative, in Basingstoke a Labour candidate who wants to massively increase housebuilding, especially in our rural areas, bringing in new property tax, and new towns, perhaps with Popham in mind and a manifesto that would stop the hospital in its tracks."

Alan Stone, Hampshire Independents, said: "I feel that people like me need to stand because although this particular general election is probably more about Conservative and Labour than anything else, independents are important and it's important to have independents as we have in Basingstoke council at the moment, independents run them but the problem is they are facing a county council that is not independent and a government that is not independent."

Michael Howard-Sorrell, Green Party, said: "I came to realise that charity and voluntary work where good people doing good things to fight against the shortfalls of a broken system, as long as the country was broken at the top, it couldn't be fixed through the efforts of decent people.

"That was when I realised that we need to elect a new generation of MPs who will prioritise doing the right thing regardless of their own political fortunes."

Raymond Saint, Reform UK, said: "I've been here 50 years, we've been promised another hospital for the last 10 to 14 years, it's been promised but nothing's been delivered and this is the problem I find.

"This is why I've decided to join the Reform Party. I had the opportunity to stand and I took it because I've always voted Conservative, I find I can't do that anymore because they just don't represent my views and I'm sure they don't represent a lot of your views, and it's for that reason I've decided to stand."

The candidates were asked to answer questions on a number of topics, including sustainability, the Camrose and ice rink, infrastructure to support electric cars, assisted dying and education reform.

Kev Bennett asked: “What's one thing from your party's manifesto that you would personally want to put through government the most?"

Mr Saint said the first thing he would like to do is 'scrap the green nonsense', adding “I'm not against going towards net zero, but certainly not by 2050, it's impossible and it will cost us all a fortune”.

Mr Whelan said: "I think it's free personal care for both elderly and disabled people because they deserve to have the care they need, and the support they need, to do what they want."

Dame Maria said: "I'd like to pass a law so that nobody can build any houses until they have capacity at GP surgeries and that we have the right provision in our hospitals."

Mr Murphy said: "The NHS is clearly not working, it's an institution that we should all be incredibly proud of, but I don't think many of us are as proud of it as we'd like to be because it's not working, so it is getting the NHS back on its feet, particularly here in Basingstoke."

Mr Howard-Sorrell said: "The number one thing is taxing the rich and the corporations at the appropriate level, that's what we need to do. It's a really boring answer, but we can't do anything good without spending."

Mr Stone said: "There is no one thing that I'd like to do, there's lots of things that I'd like to do. What we need is a deep conversation about it, a proper deep-rooted conversation where we can actually say things that other people might not like."

The Gazette spoke to a number of people after the event, who expressed mixed opinions about what the candidates had to say. 

Chris Whelan, 76, who has lived in Basingstoke for 51 years, said: "The only prospect for any change for any improvement is with the Labour Party.

"Luke Murphy will be an outstanding member of Parliament, and we have never had that. We will that."

Ruth Kellaway, who is the head of science at a Basingstoke secondary school, said: "I felt that the amount of applause reflected Luke's really positive message that he had for his clear vision for a better Basingstoke, education, health care or the environment, he was calm and measured and that's what we need."

Phil Perry, 41, said: "It is great that we can do this in safety knowing that we have a free vote, I wish we had proportionate representation, I like Luke, I like what he said, it was a very positive message.

"I was a bit disappointed in Maria's initial statement, it was more of an attack on Labour rather than what she would do for Basingstoke."

The general election takes place on July 4, after being called by Rishi Sunak on May 22.