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.
How will you encourage foreign workers to come to Cumbria so that the hospitality, health and care sectors can function and don’t need to close because of lack of staff?
Julie Minns, Labour
The lack of staff isn’t simply a problem for businesses and employers, it affects all of us.
My aunt is 99 and I know firsthand that it’s a constant challenge recruiting and retaining care staff. A former school friend who runs a city centre pub struggles to find bar staff, meaning the pub sometimes has to close on an evening. This isn’t sustainable.
We need to work with the tourism, health and care sectors to develop plans to grow their workforces.
In the care sector Labour has promised a fair pay agreement which would set fair pay, terms and conditions, along with training standards for adult social care staff.
In the tourism sector we need to take a wider view about how we make it easier for hospitality businesses to attract staff.
That discussion needs to look at supporting plans for affordable accommodation and improving public transport.
If people can’t afford to live here or there isn’t transport to get them to work, then we’re going to struggle with recruitment. That’s why Labour is committed to building more affordable housing and better public transport.
Gavin Hawkton, Green Party
Foreign workers are essential to sectors like our NHS and hospitality.
We need to end the hostility pushed by right-wing politicians who are prioritising fear and division to secure votes over the damage that will be caused as a result.
The lessons of Brexit are clear.
Brian Wernham, Liberal Democrats
I believe that young British people should have the right of mutual freedom of movement across Europe.
The Liberal Democrats recognise the vital role that foreign workers play in the hospitality, health, and care sectors.
We will work to create a fair and efficient immigration system that allows these sectors to recruit the workers they need.
This includes reintroducing work visas and removing arbitrary targets on migration, ensuring that Cumbria can attract and retain the necessary workforce.
