Thank-you to everyone who responded to our request for questions to put to candidates for High Peak MP in the forthcoming General Election. We tried to pick a representative sample of suggested questions whilst not overburdening the poor dears. And we’ve sent them out today.

The questions were…

1. What steps would you take to encourage and promote the growth of local businesses in towns such as New Mills?
2. Can the economy keep growing for ever? If so, where will resources come from; if not, what is the alternative?
3. What initiatives would you introduce that would support local food producers and farmers to sell their produce in an environment dominated by a small number of large food retailers?
4. Recent changes to the registration of co-ops and tax changes have put barriers in the way of community energy schemes. Conversely, George Osborne talks about tax breaks for fracking companies. Which would you prioritise and how?
5. Do you support the recent announcement of £15bn investment in road projects? If so, is this the best use for this money at a time when reductions in funding for local bus services are putting services at risk and there are legally binding carbon emission targets to meet?
6. What help should government offer to help people lead more sustainable lifestyles?
7. What is your view on rewilding (increasing the area of land left to nature and the reintroduction of lost species)?

We’ve just emailed these to all five candidates we know about (Andrew Bingham for the Conservatives, Charlotte Farrell for the Greens, Caitlin Bisknell for Labour, Stephen Worrall for the Lib Dems, and Ian Guiver for UKIP).

We await their response and will let you know what they have to say!

By the way, if anyone knows of any other candidates who intend to stand, please do let us know and we’ll ensure to get their response too.