TATTON'S Parliamentary candidates battled it out at Friday night’s hustings event, answering to voters on a wide range of topics.

Knutsford Guardian editor, Carla Flynn, put them on the spot with reader’s questions challenging education, development, green and healthcare policies.

Taking part in the debate at Knutsford Academy was Conservative candidate George Osborne, David Pinto-Duschinsky for Labour, Gareth Wilson for Lib Dems, Tina Louise Rothery for the Green’s and UKIP’s Stuart Hutton.

A recurring theme was the pledge to improve health care services across the borough with Hutton and Pinto-Duschinsky promising to enhance facilities in Tatton.

Osborne focused on supporting local businesses, and securing development of a medical centre in Knutsford.

Rothery put the spotlight on regaining ‘local power’ so that the Greens can help solve issues closer to home.

Meanwhile, Lib Dems Gareth Wilson brought the debate back to his own roots promising a ‘balanced and fair’ agenda.

He said: “Who do you want to represent you? I am the only one who lives around here, my children go to the same school.”

National issues such as infrastructure and green policies were discussed, but each candidate agreed that local development was one of the main problems in Tatton.

Lib Dem and Tory policies seemed to go hand in hand, each putting the focus on devising a firm local plan.

Labour promised better planning consultations for the public, while the Greens urged people to stop seeing property as ‘empty buildings’ and start looking at houses for future generations.

Hutton’s argument for UKIP focused on developing brown-field land and scrapping stamp duty on the first £250,000.

When it came to education, students from the Academy stepped up to address the candidates face to face.

“We will cut tuition fees to £6,000 a year.” said Labour’s Pinto-Duschinsky, while Lib Dem’s Gareth Wilson said, “We need to focus on early year’s education,” to get children learning from the start.

UKIPs strategy would be to scrap tuition fees for some subjects but not others, to encourage a ‘strong industry’.

But Osborne stuck to his guns asking where the money would come from for our ‘high quality universities’ without tuition fees.

As Thursday May 7 looms, only time will tell which candidate has done enough to win over the people of Tatton.