We asked you to submit your questions to candidates standing in the 2024 General Election.
From all your submissions, we chose 10 that represented the broad issues you wanted answers to.
We asked every candidate we had contact details for to respond.
We’ll be publishing them in the run-up to the General Election with the responses from the candidates who replied from each constituency.
These are the answers are from candidates standing in the Carlisle constituency.
What do you plan to do about the abysmal state of public transport? Buses are either late, cancelled or constantly breaking down and not mechanically fit for purpose
Julie Minns, Labour
I understand how much people need to have reliable, affordable and regular buses, particularly in the more rural areas of this constituency where many people can struggle to get into Carlisle for health appointments. Even some of our larger villages, like Scotby, lack a Saturday bus service.
Recruitment has been an issue for local bus companies and I’m pleased Stagecoach are taking steps to address this. But the bottom line is that areas like ours need public bus services.
Labour has plans to give local people more control of bus services and Labour has shown in Greater Manchester how public bus travel can thrive. It has already improved reliability and significantly grown passenger numbers less than a year after bus franchising was reintroduced.
Gavin Hawkton, Green Party
Increase the annual public subsidies for rail and bus travel to £10bn by the end of the next parliament to make sure public transport is reliable, frequent, accessible and affordable, including free bus travel for under-18s.
Brian Wernham, Liberal Democrats
I believe that having local buses is an ‘insurance policy’ for everyone. Car drivers may become infirm and unable to drive.
I don’t mind if some buses are not full. Those empty spaces are there ‘just in case’ I cannot drive one day. And of course, many people cannot afford to run a car, and young people cannot drive anyway.
The Liberal Democrats will invest in local transport infrastructure, ensuring reliable and efficient services.
We will work with providers like Stagecoach to address issues of punctuality and vehicle maintenance, and ensure that services meet the needs of the community. Our plan includes increased funding for public transport, promoting green travel options, and ensuring accountability for transport providers.
