Conservative candidate for Halifax Philip Allot believes for the constituency to prosper it needs to attract new inward business investment.

And he says that would be helped with improved transport links, such as through the Tories’ plans to prioritise improvements to northern roads such as the M62 and to build a high-speed North-South rail network.

Halifax’s skilled banking sector will benefit from Conservative plans to abolish the FSA and give the Bank of England new powers to regulate the sector, he adds.

Labour’s Linda Riordan believes the three key issues over the next five years in the town will be the economy, maintaining investment in families and young people, and public transport.

“It’s vital for Halifax that the banking sector, which provides thousands of jobs, continues to be a key part of the local economy,” she says, pledging to continue raising the issues that matter to banking staff and customers.

She is also campaigning for continued investment in children’s and SureStart centres, as well as investment in schools.

For Liberal Democrat candidate Elisabeth Wilson, the key issues for Halifax are the economy, unemployment, and a fair deal for pensioners.

“We must get the economy right, which means tackling the deficit of £167 billion created by Labour,” she adds, throwing her support behind tough choices being made by her party.

She says this includes scrapping ID cards, refusing a like-for-like replacement of the Trident weapons system, and a £400 limit on public sector pay increases.

She is also fighting for more regulation of the banks following the HBoS take-over by Lloyds, which led to a loss of jobs locally.