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 are your plans for education? Schools are struggling with limited budgets, and increasing demand for services. Staff are being cut because support staff’s pay rises aren’t fully funded. People are losing their jobs because education is underfunded. Children are the future of our country, and our education system should be a beacon of funding and investment to give us the best future possible.
Julie Minns, Labour
I’ve visited every secondary school in Carlisle and they have all raised funding and resources with me, and they welcome our plans to recruit 6,500 extra teachers, especially in core subjects like maths.
I have also spent a lot of time in recent weeks chatting to parents at school drop-off times to hear their views, and many more have spoken to me on the doorstep about the lack of mental health support for their children.
Parents welcome Labour’s plans for a dedicated mental health professional in every secondary school.
And working parents especially like our proposals for a free breakfast club in every primary school – funded by introducing VAT on private school fees.
Gavin Hawkton, Green Party
We need to reverse the cuts that have crippled our schools. Green MPs will push for an £8bn investment that would include £2bn for a pay uplift for teachers.
As someone who works in education I can tell you this investment is crucial to give the next generation of children the best possible start in life.
Brian Wernham, Liberal Democrats
The Lib Dems have committed to increase funding for special educational needs and mental health support in schools, ensuring that every child gets the support they need to succeed.
Schools are struggling with limited budgets, and increasing demand for services. Staff are being cut because support staff’s pay rises aren’t fully funded. People are losing their jobs because education is underfunded. Children are the future of our country, and our education system should be a beacon of funding and investment to give us the best future possible.
The Liberal Democrats are committed to significantly increasing funding for education. We will ensure that schools have the resources they need to provide high-quality education for all children. This includes fully funding pay rises for support staff, reducing class sizes, and investing in early years education.
Would you/your party consider writing off all nurses’ university debt if they signed up to working in the NHS or care sector for at least 5 years thereby upskilling the care sector and taking some burden off the NHS?
Julie Minns, Labour
My daughter graduated as a paediatric nurse last year so I know exactly the debt she has accrued in qualifying, and the pressure she has already been put under due to staffing shortages.
But writing off debts on their own would not solve the workforce crisis across both health and social care. When one in seven people in hospital do not need to be there, joint working is essential.
Labour will ensure the publication of regular, independent workforce planning, across health and social care. We will deliver the NHS long-term workforce plan to train the staff we need to get patients seen on time.
Gareth Hawkton, the Green Party
I would like to see the cancellation of all student debt. The Green Party will also support the next generation of nurses by restoring all grants and ending tuition fees.
Brian Wernham, Liberal Democrats
Yes. I support initiatives to encourage more people to enter and remain in the NHS and care sectors. Lib Dems have committed to writing off nurses’ university debt in exchange for a commitment to work in the NHS or care sector for at least five years is a policy we would consider.
This would help to address staffing shortages and ensure that our healthcare system is well-supported.
