THE prospective Parliamentary candidates for East Hampshire are:

ROHIT DASGUPTA (Labour)

I AM proud to have been chosen as your Labour parliamentary candidate.

Professionally, I am a lecturer at Loughborough University. Prior to this I worked at Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton.

Having lived and worked in Hampshire, I care about the welfare of the people who live here.

It is essential that we build a free and equal society where everyone has the same opportunities to thrive and grow personally and professionally.

We are in the midst of a political earthquake. UK’s decision to leave the EU means we will be confronted by unique challenges and opportunities. We need to make sure these will benefit the East Hampshire community. In order to do this, the Labour government will balance the books in a sustainable manner while protecting lower and middle income households.

Investment will be made in sustainable and affordable energy, transport and houses.

We are a growing population and it is critical for social care to be well funded and resourced, that we invest sufficiently and sustainably in our education system, preserve public services and have a safe and well-maintained infrastructure.

My three main priorities for East Hampshire will be to support and grow a strong small and medium-sized business sector, make sure our NHS is one of the best in the region and, finally, support an education system that works for everyone.

I will listen to your views and will be proactive to improve and enhance the quality of life for everyone here.

DAMIAN HINDS (Conservative)

THIS is an election about many things for our country: the economy, leadership, Brexit, and who you trust to deliver.

It is also about East Hampshire, and who will represent us in Parliament. There is a lot at stake for our area.

The jobless ‘claimant count’ locally is down over 60 per cent since 2010. We now need to ensure we get the right Brexit deal for key area sectors from agriculture to advanced manufacturing.

Progress also depends on infrastructure and skills. I welcome rail capacity investment at Waterloo and extension of superfast broadband, but we need to accelerate investment in rural areas. Complementing growth in local apprenticeships, the Future Skills Centre at Whitehill and Bordon will be a key new asset.

We will increase NHS spending by at least £8bn in real terms over the next five years. Our manifesto specifically recognises the importance of village schools and commits £4bn more for schools by the end of the Parliament.

Our record spending on the NHS and schools is enabled by the strength of our economy. We need a team, with the proven leadership of Theresa May, to sustain economic growth, and deliver on society’s shared priorities – through Brexit and beyond.

As your representative in Parliament, I have always striven to be accessible and responsive, to work hard for constituents, and be a strong and effective voice for East Hampshire.

On June 8, I hope you will renew your trust in me to serve for the next five years.

SUSAN JERRARD (The Justice & Anti-Corruption Party)

I HAVE lived in East Hampshire for almost 30 years since my husband and I moved here with our two young sons. I have been a parish councillor since 2011 and am a trustee of three local charities which provide help and accommodation to those in need.

I assisted my husband and other local people who founded the Justice & Anti-Corruption Party, which was formed in 2010 to expose injustice and corruption involving politicians at all levels. Information about the party can be found at jacparty.org.uk.

I have been especially concerned about corruption in planning and property transactions. In East Hampshire, there are still cases today of intimidation by developers and proposals to build on greenfield sites, including within the South Downs National Park. I would do my best to stop this happening in the future and to get recompense for those who have suffered from intimidation.

I am strongly opposed to fox hunting which I believe is outdated and morally repulsive. It was extremely disappointing when the prime minister spoke in favour of repealing the ban.

However, I fully support the prime minister’s determination to achieve a Brexit deal which will free this country from the inefficient and expensive shackles of the failed European Union.

I believe our MP should be more concerned about important local issues, like overdevelopment of our towns and villages, and traffic congestion such as at the Ham Barn roundabout.

Please vote for me if you care about these local issues.

RICHARD KNIGHT (Green Party)

I WAS born in Singapore and lived in Greece and Switzerland until I was 20. During that time I attended four years at Abbotsholme boarding school in Derbyshire.

I studied architecture at two polytechnics – now the University of Westminster and the University of North London. I obtained a first-class degree and a diploma before qualifying as an architect. I currently run a software development company.

I moved to Churt in 2002 and have lived in Headley for the last eight years. I have supported Churt Scouts for 10 years and am currently the Beaver leader. I am married and have two young children.

We are using the resources of 3.8 times the land area of the UK to sustain our current lifestyles and on August 8 this year we will pass what is known as ‘overshoot day’. This is the day on which we start taking more from the planet than it can regenerate.

We are borrowing from our children’s futures and yet we seek growth.

There are 3.372 children who were living in poverty in our constituency as at the end of 2016.

I cannot see anything in the Conservative manifesto that will help bring this to an end, even though we have the fifth largest gross domestic product in the world. Growth is not the answer. Better uses of current resources would be a better plan.

We need the best brains, not the richest, to help solve these issues.

For that we need free higher education.

RICHARD ROBINSON (Liberal Democrat)

RICHARD Robinson has lived for nearly 25 years in the constituency, just outside Petersfield and not far from the village where he grew up.

He has been active in his local community as parish councillor, chairman of the village shop association, church warden and volunteer on a nature reserve.

A science graduate and chartered accountant who has experience of working in several European countries, he is married with three children in higher education.

Richard said: “The Liberal Democrats are the party to hold Theresa May to account over heartless spending cuts. We must protect the NHS, our young people’s education, state pensions, social care for the elderly, the environment, and our future relationship with Europe.”

Richard is a committed advocate for protection of the natural environment (both inside and outside the South Downs National Park), genuinely sustainable economic development and provision of good local services – including mental and old-age healthcare, housing, education and transport.

Richard was very active in the local campaign that delivered a ‘Remain’ vote in East Hampshire in the EU Referendum.

Having worked in support of British business overseas he is convinced that a continuing strong economic relationship with our European neighbours is of vital importance for this largely rural constituency.

His campaigning platform will underline the risk that a short-sighted approach to ‘Brexit’ damages national and local interests, while diminishing the UK’s international standing. He will be making the case that an open, tolerant and united kingdom benefits all the residents of East Hampshire.