FOUR of the candidates vying to be the town’s next MP were grilled by members of a Basingstoke charity this week.

Around 80 volunteers and members of Basingstoke Mencap quizzed the panel in a question-and-answer session at The Vyne Community School, in Vyne Road on Monday evening.

Issues raised during the evening included public transport, employment opportunities and the level of policing across Basingstoke.

Those in the hot seat were the Conservative’s Maria Miller, Labour’s Paul Harvey, Liberal Democrats’ Janice Spalding and UKIP’s Alan Stone.

The first question regarded transport, and the panel was asked if they would create a better bus service for the town if elected.

Dr Harvey said that Basingstoke needed a better bus service for everyone.

But he praised Dial-a-Ride which he said “does a great job”, and explained how he had been working with colleagues at the borough council to save services which have suffered funding cuts.

Mrs Miller admitted that “Stagecoach doesn’t give us the best service” and added that, having spoken to members of Mencap, transport is an important issue for them.

Mr Stone said that transport needed to be run “by the community for the community”.

Ms Spalding said that she had seen buses with only two people on them, and said she believes more needs to be done to see how the bus service could be run more efficiently.

Asked for their thoughts on the current benefit system for people with learning disabilities, Dr Harvey said that changes to the benefit system were wrong and the country needed a change in Govern-ment.

Mrs Miller said she worked at the heart of the Government on the issue, adding: “We have to make sure that we have got a benefit system that really does work for disabled people”.

Mr Stone told the audience that benefits were important for people with learning disabilities and the Government needed to raise extra money to ensure a fair benefit system.

Ms Spalding said that computer systems needed to be looked at to ensure people had access to a fair system.

Mencap members raised the topic of police presence in Basingstoke.

Dr Harvey said the town has “very good” police officers but they need to be supported. He added: “We are not supporting police by cutting them and by losing them and that is what the police are saying themselves.”

Mrs Miller admitted that cuts had been made, but said there had been a 20 per cent reduction in overall crime.

Ms Spalding agreed with her Labour counterpart and said that she opposed further police cuts and said that crime prevention needed to start in schools, with children learning the importance of not committing crimes.