250 people attend Westmorland Gazete's pre-election debate

In a constituency that saw Britain’s highest turnout in 2010 – an impressive 76.9 per cent – it seemed only fitting that almost 250 people turned out for The Westmorland Gazette’s eagerly-anticipated election debate last Thursday night.

Coming under the spotlight in the debate was Labour candidate John Bateson, Liberal Democrat Tim Farron, the Green Party’s Dr Chris Loynes, the Conservatives’ Dr Ann Myatt and Ukip’s Alan Piper.

Chaired by The Westmorland Gazette’s Andrew Thomas, the debate gave the electorate a chance to quiz the would-be MPs on their plans and policies covering a range of topics from housing, and health care to business and education.

The spotlight was thrown on the area’s rural community with a divisive question from an audience member asking if her son should follow in the footsteps of his farming father.

And while Dr Myatt said she believed children should not be forced to take over a family business out of loyalty, Mr Farron and Mr Bateson said it was ‘essential’ that the mother encouraged her 11-year-old to take over the farm in the future.

This was the topic that got the audience going with the night’s first applause for the Liberal Democrat who said farmers were ‘too often an afterthought for urban-based politicians’.

And another issue that captured the attention of the constituents and received some passionate responses was the increasing demand on local food banks in light of the UK’s £11.7 billion foreign aid budget.

Asked whether it was time to cut aid to spend more at home, Mr Piper said: “To answer your question directly, yes.”

Dr Myatt questioned whether it was necessary to commit money to particular nations, suggesting the cash could be better spent on defence.

On the other hand Mr Farron, Dr Loynes and Mr Bateson generated applause from the public after standing their ground on the UK’s duty to help ‘struggling’ people across the world.

Catching the candidates off-guard was the more open-ended question, which queried the party members’ opinions on who they deemed to be the most vulnerable in the community.

If a party was to win the debate on clapping alone, the Lib Dems would come up trumps - having stirred the crowd into six rounds of applause.

Also rallying a positive response was Labour and the Greens which drew in second with three rounds each. The Conservatives received one, leaving, at the bottom of the league table with nil, Ukip, who did manage to provoke audible gasps from the audience at points.

With a fortnight until the election, the fight continues.

The questions and answers:

“Young people find it increasingly difficult to get on the housing ladder because of the high cost of properties. What would the candidates do to ease the housing crisis - Bryan Burrow

Labour’s John Bateson was the first to enter the fray on this issue, describing the housing crisis in South Lakeland as ‘an appalling situation’.

He vowed to impose stronger taxes on second home owners and said: “What we need in Westmorland is good quality local housing to buy and rent for local people.”

Tim Farron, for the Liberal Democrats, said it ‘breaks my heart’ when young families are forced out of the area because of a lack of affordable housing and pledged to ‘put an additional council tax charge on second home owners’ and to build more affordable homes.

The Green Party candidate Chris Loynes said: “We need more social housing and investment in that and make sure a fair share of that is in South Lakeland, in local communities.”

Mr Loynes also said that regulating landlords and controlling the quality of their housing was a key issue.

Ann Myatt backed Tory Right to Buy plans by saying that the Conservatives ‘are the party that supports aspiration’.

“It was successful back in the 80’s,” she said, “People were allowed to buy their own houses and it set up a generation of people into property ownership.”

Alan Piper, the Ukip candidate based in Coniston, where 43 per cent of houses are classed as non-residential. He said that had done ‘a lot of damage’ and forced many people to move to Kendal and Ulverston.

“There is a ticking time bomb in our farming community. With very low pay, low returns, reliance on ever decreasing subsidies, over-regulation, a banking industry that favours only owner occupiers. Does the panel think I should be encouraging my young son to take over our farming business in the future or to seek a career elsewhere?” Katie Black, of North West Auctions

Dr Chris Loynes picked up farming as ‘one of the most important things’ for the economy, with the ‘sun, the water, the soil and the air’ at the centre of it.

He said there was a need for a ‘good farming strategy’ that would protect food production in the country and farmers needed to be paid properly for ‘all the work they do’. The candidate added he would want to work with the farming community personally, involving them in management and ensuring sustainability.

Labour’s John Bateson said it was ‘essential’ to the economy, countryside and wellbeing to encourage children to carry on their family’s business, adding the problem was farmers competing against big monopolies. He said the money farmers were getting for products such as milk was ‘simply unacceptable’ and the government needed to put farming ‘right at the forefront’.

Lib Deb Tim Farron also encouraged Mrs Black’s son to continue in the business. He said the major problem was that it was not possible for too many farmers to make a living because food was an unfair, ‘broken market’ - leaving farmers on less than the minimum wage. Mr Farron added a food protection strategy was needed plus an adjudicator with ‘more teeth’ to stop farmers being exploited.

Although Alan Piper said he did ‘not know much’ about farming, he said the farming community could be helped directly if the party changed the UK’s business relationship with the EU.

Conservative candidate Dr Ann Myatt said she would not advise children to carry on a family’s business out of loyalty, adding the government could do more to further reduce the red tape. She also encouraged people to ‘buy British and buy local.

“With the country still in massive debt and an increasing number of local people having to use food banks, is it not time to cut the overseas aid budget and – instead – spend money at home on people who are in need and also on our young people, as they are our future?” - Julia Hancock

A resounding “yes” from Ukip’s Alan Piper met with audience laughter. Describing his party as aimed at “like-minded grown-ups”, Mr Piper said Ukip did not want to continue foreign aid, adding: “There’s so much money going in stupid directions.”

Conservative Ann Myatt spoke of her pride that her party had brought “some sense” to overseas aid by ensuring it didn’t “go into the wrong pockets”.

She suggested there might be other “noble” ways to spend the money, like bolstering the defence budget, as the armed forces so often helped in humanitarian crises; or taking the BBC World Service – “a beacon to the rest of the world” – back into the Foreign Office.

Lib Dem Tim Farron said he understood concern about overseas aid but it was right not to cut the budget, because the financial crisis had been “caused by greedy and stupid bankers and politicians”.

“What an outrage if we balance the books on the backs of the world’s poorest people,” he stated to applause.

Labour’s John Bateson described the current overseas aid budget – 0.7 per cent of GDP – as “our ticket to a civilised world”, with the money going to people building industry and agriculture.

Mr Bateson said the idea of food banks was “quite offensive in my country in the 21st century” and what people really needed was “a living wage”.

Green Party candidate Chris Loynes declared: “It’s terrible that in the sixth richest country in the world we have food banks” and said the Government’s “austerity approach” was unnecessary, calling instead for jobs to be created on or above the minimum wage.

“Let’s cancel Trident, let’s not cancel overseas aid,” Mr Loynes concluded, to applause.

“I am a surgeon at Westmorland General Hospital and the Royal Lancaster Infirmary. We have a very successful surgical unit at Westmorland General, carrying out large volumes of in-patient surgery seven days a week. The current ‘Better Care Together’ proposals envisage a major investment at Royal Lancaster Infirmary and the removal of in-patient surgery at Kendal. How would the candidates protect surgical and other key hospital services at Kendal from misguided cutbacks?” Bryan Rhodes 

The Liberal Democrat candidate Tim Farron began by saying that he was pleased with parts of the recent Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust ‘Better Care Together’ Report but added that he wants guarantees that services will not be lost from Westmorland General.
He said he would ‘stamp his feet’ and urge ministers not to support any reduction in services as surgeries are desperately needed. Tim added that he was proud to have chemotherapy on site.
Alan Piper for Ukip said: “Ukip puts a lot of money in the NHS but other than that I would agree to keep services up here but it’s not my area of expertise.”
Ann Myatt, a doctor at Westmorland General Hospital, who has spent her whole career working in the NHS, wants politicians to ‘stop weaponising the NHS’. The Conservative candidate wants more out of hours access to x-ray facilities and wants to make the hospital a ‘more user friendly’ experience, reducing people’s travel time.
John Bateson, Labour, said his party was the only one to have a ‘fully costed’ NHS strategy which is funded by taxing in other areas.
Mr Bateson added that travelling to other hospitals such as Barrow is ‘almost impossible’ for people who do not drive which is why Westmorland General is vital.
The Green Party’s Chris Loynes said: “People should be looked after as close to their home as possible.”

“Many local businesses advise us that there are skill gaps which need to be addressed before school leavers enter the workplace. What policies will your party introduce to encourage a stronger working relationship between schools and employees and what do you feel can be done at a local level to support businesses in employing those school leavers who may not have the necessary qualifications on leaving secondary school?” - Derek Armstrong, manager of the Cumbria Chamber of Commerce

Dr Ann Myatt said a local issue is tourism because it is an area needing social skills. The Conservative said the problem with the skills gap is a result of qualifications and targets - with too much focus on getting five A-C GCSE while drama has been neglected. As well as written English, she said there was a need for focus on spoken English too.
The Green candidate said we do our schooling ‘all wrong’ with too much of an academic focus unsuitable for the majority left labelled as ‘failures’ by the system. The party wants to change the education system so after the age of 14 a ‘real world education’ would engage young people in volunteering and businesses that fit the local industries.
John Bateson said the party recognised the quality of apprenticeships and the need for more basic skills. Labour is proposing a baccalaureate for 16-18 year olds which gives them a ‘qualification for life’.
Lib Dems would expand on putting businesses and education together. Criticising an ‘obsession with league tables’, Mr Farron said we needed to help passionate teachers who spend too much time ticking boxes when they want to ‘broaden the minds of young people’. He added we should step away from the ‘straight jacket’ of the system and learn from each other.
UKIP’s Alan Piper recognised the skills gap was a huge problem. He said he had vacancies at his pub and knew of others in Ambleside, but ‘kids don’t want to do it (work)’. 

“Who do you think are the most vulnerable people in our community and how will your party help them to become stronger?” - Christine Burgess

Labour’s John Bateson highlighted the vulnerability of children living in poverty and people working on zero-hours contracts, and called for better care for elderly people. 
“I was a personal carer for 14 years,” he said, “and during that time I saw the service begin to deteriorate, and deteriorate substantially at a time when it should be improving.” He called for health and care services to work together much more closely.
Lib Dem Tim Farron said he was very moved by the plight of people with mental health problems who had been “let down” by the system, and demanded that months-long waiting for appointments “must end now”. He called for more affordable homes to be built  to help people in housing need; and he spoke of the “desperate” loneliness experienced by elderly people in isolated rural areas. 
The Green Party’s Chris Loynes felt the “most sympathy” for young people who didn’t get “that really good start in life” in a caring family, which then led on to problems in education, work and relationships.
Praising the Gazette’s adoption campaign, he said it was vital to get children out of care and into loving families.
Conservative Ann Myatt said young children in care had been “let down over the years” and needed support until they were 21, as it was “completely impractical and heartless” to expect them to live independently from age 16 onwards.
Talking about family breakdown, she said: “We must do whatever we can to support families to stay together”, especially when children were young.
Ukip’s Alan Piper described “people without hope” as the most vulnerable, and said his party’s line was that it was “far too easy to throw money” at problems. 

“Would the panel agree with South Lakeland District Council and Kendal Futures that culture and festivals have a significant role to play in the economic development and health and well-being of the district’s residents and how would they equip them to deliver on behalf of Kendal and South Lakeland?”  - Richard Foster, chief executive of the Brewery Arts Centre 

Tim Farron began by stating that cultural visitors and tourists to South Lakeland spend twice as much and stay for twice as long as other tourists.
As such, Mr Farron said it was ‘important’ to entice people to the region for cultural and art events. He vowed to put arts and culture ‘front and centre’.
Labour’s John Bateson said that while festivals are important, they need to move with the times and change to be relevant and recognise the desires of the people.
Alan Piper, the Ukip candidate who owns a pub in Coniston, said: “There’s so many things the National Park have stood in the way of but it’s great that people get the opportunity to go out and do stuff.”
According to the Green Party candidate Chris Loynes, who works at Cumbria University, festivals and culture have an important role to play in society.
He said: “Everyone should have the opportunity for local festivals and art for community reasons. It brings us together and helps people who are hidden away to celebrate life.”
Ann Myatt, the Tory candidate, said: “I’m all for culture and fun but the difficulty comes when we’re having to cut other things to pay for it like carers and public services. I wonder if we’ve got out priorities a little skewed.”

“Immigrants are vitally important for the tourism industry in Cumbria. Ten years ago my hotels were truly multi-cultural and we could employ staff from all over the world, including Russia and Japan. Do the candidates not think it is a shame that we are now only allowed to employ people from Europe because of visa restrictions?” - Jonathan Denby, president of the Lakes Hospitality Association.

Although Conservative Dr Ann Myatt said she believed many immigrants do a great job, and ‘we need them’, she said the party would have a balanced immigration policy. 
Alan Piper said ‘a few years ago’ he could employ people from Australia and other countries in the Commonw-ealth. He added UKIP policy wanted to change our relationship with Europe.
Making reference to students at the University of Cumbria – where EU students who are allowed to work pay into a pot to be shared among those outside the EU who can’t work, Dr Loynes said we need to adopt a language of ‘cultural sensitivity’. 
Tim Farron said a ‘sensible policy’ on immigration was needed and compared the 2.9 million people from the EU living in Britain to the 2.8 million Brits living abroad in the EU. Recognising the high number of international students paying to attend university in Britain, he said: “We have got be to careful our reaction is not knee-jerk and unwelcoming.”
Mr Bateson said immigration had been ‘weaponised by politicians’. He added we could not have the movement of capital without the free movement of labour. “I want to see people moving and contributing,” he said.