Candidates hoping to become the next Dewsbury MP lined up to answer questions from the public at Shelley College.

Taking part were Simon Reevell (Conservative), Paula Sherriff (Labour), Richard Carter (Yorkshire First), Adrian Cruden (Green) and Mark Thackray (UKIP) who arrived later. Steve Hakes (Christian People’s Alliance) and Ednan Hussain (Lib Dem) did not attend.

Paula Sherriff said she would fight “tooth and nail” for the area; Richard Carter said he was “proud to be British” but wanted to bring power back to the regions; Simon Reevell said he had helped 15,000 constituents during his five years as MP and pledged the same commitment, adding “I will stand up to the Prime Minister if think he is wrong and back him if I think he is right”; Adrian Cruden said he would campaign to end austerity proposed by all parties.

They answered questions on fracking; the MPs salary; Israel and Palestine; education; the NHS; immigration; planning; local roads and austerity.

Here’s five things we learned:

The Shelley area has been identified in a geological report for fracking, what do candidates think about the industrialisation of the area?Adrian: The Green Party are against fracking. I am the only candidate to sign Greenpeace’s petition against it.

Richard: Yorkshire needs a region-wide energy policy which will boost the region’s investment, education and skills.

Simon: Should resist anything that will spoil the countryside. If an area can support fracking and there are community benefits and support and it’s safe it should be explored.

Paula: Wouldn’t rule it out but more safeguards are needed and I’d want British firms and jobs created.

Is £60k enough to be a full time MP?

Simon: The rise by IPSA was ill-judged. Any MP who thinks they deserve more is out of touch. I feel what the questioner is asking is whether an MP should have other employment, I know other MPs who at TA soldiers, dentists, farmers and lawyers. I got into politics because a bunch of professional politicians wearing red rosettes brought this country to its needs and I don’t want to see that happen again.

Adrian: MPs should take average salary of a worker, if the country does well MPs experience that, if it’s doing badly the MPs feel it.

Paula: If elected will only be an MP and I believe people elected should only do the role.

Richard: It seems a fair wage, we have 650 MPs, if they have time to do another job perhaps we need to be look at what they do.

Standards in the NHS are dropping, it took two months to get an appointment, what will you do about it?

Simon: I’m astonished there was a two month wait, I know the surgery well. I back greater access to GPs to relieve the pressure on A&E with a seven day service.

Mark: UKIP promises 20,000 more nurses and 3,000 more doctors and a retention policy to keep staff who have trained in the UK.

Adrian: PFI issue needs sorting, £60bn PFI pay-back for only £11bn assets is a scandal.

Paula: Labour has a fully-costed guarantee to see a GP in 48 hours or 24 if an emergency.

Richard: More local control is needed to solve problems in each area.

What will you do to save green spaces and address affordable housing need?

Adrian: Empty buildings need to be brought back into use, build upwards instead of out.

Simon: Criticised Kirklees’ “abject failure to look and listen” regarding its Local Development Framework. Conservatives manifesto will save the greenbelt.

Paula: Brownfield first policy is Labour’s plan. More variety of housing such as bungalows and energy-efficient homes are needed.

Richard: Build in hubs so people can access local services. Don’t incentivise developers wanting to build big houses.

Mark: There are 28,000 empty homes in the UK, bring those back into use.

What will you do to stop the neglect of the Shepley area and get us a fairer deal in light of poor roads, transport and library closure threat?

Simon: Kirklees has got the money when it wants to have and found money recently because our roads have lots of lose chippings on them, whether that has got anything to do with a cycle ride is anyone’s guess. Kirklees has shown no affection for this area of the constituency, people here deserve better.

Paula: Kirklees had a 40% funding cut, we need to fight for a fairer deal.

Adrian: Kirklees is artificially created, abolish Kirklees and go back to local democracy such as parish councils.

Mark: Road cash is being spent on the wrong things such as speed bumps, islands and drop kerbs.

Richard: Kirklees is too small to address anything regionally and too big to listen to its people.