Labour candidate for Calder Valley Steph Booth believes a Government committed to protecting front-line services and keeping people in work is vital for the constituency’s fragile economy.

She fears the Tories’ “slash and burn” approach will take the area back into recession.

However, she believes Labour’s plan to tackle the economic deficit sensibly will protect jobs and build a high-tech economy.

“I want Calder Valley to get its fair share of green, digital and advanced manufacturing jobs,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrat candidate Hilary Myers believes the key issues affecting Calder Valley are the economy, the environment and education.

She supports “tough, sensible measures” to bring down the multi-billion deficit, by opposing ID cards for example.

She backs improved rail services for the constituency and supports home insulation programmes.

She also supports Liberal Democrat plans to target extra resources at the children who need it most.

“This would mean an additional £12 million coming directly into Calderdale schools,” she said.

A Conservative Government has pledged to deal with things very differently to how Gordon Brown and his Government have, says Conservative candidate Craig Whittaker.

He says that the Conservative party will start to tackle the £1.4 trillion government debt now – rather than putting it off for the future – and will start by cutting waste in the Government, stopping the National Insurance increase, stopping the sale of 45,000 homes annually for hard-working families just to pay for care for their elderly, and without introducing “Brown’s Death Tax” either.