STROUD’S parliamentary candidates were questioned on a variety of subjects at Stroud Against the Cuts’ austerity election hustings.

Rev. Simon Topping hosted the hustings at the Old Town Hall on Monday, March 23, which saw Labour’s parliamentary candidate David Drew joined by Hayden Jones, the Conservative district councillor for Severn.

They were accompanied on the panel by Stroud’s Lib Dem parliamentary candidate Adrian Walker-Smith, Stroud Green Party candidate Sarah Lunnon, UKIP’s Caroline Stephens, Lizzie Fletcher from the MyStroudMP campaign and Sue Powell from the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition.

With the election fast approaching, topics raised during the two hour debate included the national planning policy framework, the need for more affordable housing, MP’s second jobs, the voting system, apprenticeships and climate change.

As the debate was hosted by Stroud Against the Cuts, the big issue on the table was of course, the effects of austerity and cuts to public services in the UK.

 


The Conservative councillor Hayden Jones, who stepped in to replace Neil Carmichael MP, defended his party’s policies, and echoed the Chancellor George Osborne’s mantra of a “long-term economic plan”.

“We want a vibrant and strong economy that we can pass down to our children,” he said.

Sarah Lunnon responded by calling austerity a “fairytale” and an “economic lie” that had failed, and called for a “modern day debt jubilee”.

Sue Powell agreed, claiming that austerity was a “financial fallacy” and a way to demolish the welfare state, encourage privatisation and erode the power of local government.

Adrian Walker-Smith said he thought cuts were a necessity when the coalition was formed. He said that despite some “horror stories” like the bedroom tax, austerity had been the right option and that it would continue for “three to four years if all goes to plan".

David Drew and Sarah Lunnon also criticised the government’s “appalling” welfare sanctions, particularly upon those with mental health issues.

Answering questions on the subject of effective democracy, the panellists spoke about the electorate’s trust in MPs and the possibility of parliamentary recall in the next government.

Highlighting the recent 'cash for access' scandal involving the conservative MP Sir Malcolm Rifkind and the issue of MP’s second jobs, Sue Powell of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition called for MPs to earn only a "workers' wage".

“We want MPs from ordinary walks of life, with an ordinary standard of living, who represent ordinary people,” she said.

Hayden Jones argued however that being an MP was an important role and they are not overpaid if they are “doing their jobs properly”.

Adrian Walker-Smith called for all MPs to be fully transparent with their earnings and post their tax returns online.

Sarah Lunnon said there was need for the introduction of a “temperature check” policy, so MPs could gage the feeling of their constituents on issues like war and big projects like HS2.

Moving onto the subject of living standards and the minimum wage, Hayden Jones praised the creation of 2,800 new apprenticeships in Stroud since 2010.


Other panellists argued that apprenticeships were effectively “slave labour”, with Sarah Lunnon echoing her party’s plans for an increase in the minimum wage to £10 an hour.

UKIP’s Caroline Stephens spoke about her experiences of working on a zero hour contract as maths teacher, saying employers do not value the contribution of employees.