WE asked each Richmond candidate to explain to The Northern Echo's readers why they deserve your vote. Here's what those that responded at the time of publishing had to say.

Tobie Abel, Liberal Democrats

The Northern Echo:

"I am standing for Parliament because of Brexit, because I fear that the country has embarked on a messy and expensive divorce which will consume all of the next government's time and energy for the next five years, at the end of which we would not have created one extra job, built one extra hospital or funded one extra school."

"In two years time the country will know for sure what the Brexit deal is, how much it will cost, what the immigration policy will be, how easy or difficult it will be to live and work in the EU.  That is the time to give people the final say in a snap referendum.

"All sensible people can now agree that more money is needed to protect education and NHS services, and taxes will have to rise in order to pay for it.

"The lack of affordable housing will ultimately undermine the prospects of a whole generation, so the Lib Dem commitment to step in and directly build 300,000 homes a year is absolutely necessary.

"By the end of the next Parliament the need for food banks in the Richmond Constituency must be obviated.  If the welfare state in 2022 cannot feed and house its people, that state has failed."

Chris Pearson, The Yorkshire Party

The Northern Echo:

"The Yorkshire Party believes that Yorkshire needs a stronger voice. 

"I will campaign to establish a Yorkshire Parliament with powers devolved from Westminster and the power to make decisions on behalf of the people living and working in our county.

"I will fight to end the imbalance of infrastructure spending. Currently, per person, for every £1 spent in Yorkshire £10 is spent in London. Our crumbling infrastructure hinders the development of our economy.

"I will ensure that our exit from the European Union and the negotiation of any future trade deals benefit Yorkshire. Our support for the government will be conditional on their obtaining the best possible deal for Yorkshire.

"I will demand that the imbalance in education spending between London and Yorkshire is rectified. Currently a child in London receives about £4000 more per year than a child in Yorkshire. This affects the life chances of our children.

"I will work to prevent the closure of hospitals, and hospital wards across the county. We believe that decisions about health care need to be made as locally as possible.

"I will seek to tackle the housing crisis whilst doing all that we can to protect the green belt.

"We will oppose fracking and proposals by the government to frack throughout Yorkshire. We want to work with local communities and energy suppliers to develop sustainable and affordable green energy.

"I will work with police, local authorities and community organisations to improve the safety of our communities. This includes measures to prevent domestic, racial, and sexual violence and abuse.

"We believe that the best interests of rural communities must be reflected in the decision making process, whether it concerns agriculture, fishing, energy, education, health, commerce and any other important areas of rural life. We will support the National Farmers Union plan for a comprehensive agri-food strategy to increase the UK’s food production.

"At the moment Yorkshire is not being heard. A vote for the Yorkshire Party will change that."

Dan Perry, Labour

The Northern Echo:

"I will work with Local Enterprise Partnerships and Growth Hubs to ensure that funding streams are available to support the ambitions of rural and urban businesses alike. Businesses of all sizes need to be nurtured, allowing them to invest for the future.

"I will work with our schools so that courses are offered to give young people the skills they need to thrive across the constituency. Tackling the skills gap will be a key challenge of Brexit. I will ensure that the agricultural and hospitality industries have access to a skilled, capable workforce for the future.

"Keep local primary schools open so that children spend time in class learning and developing rather than travelling long distances just to get to a school.

"I will fight to keep the Friarage Hospital’s A&E department open, despite Tory cuts. This will ensure that you have access to the emergency health care you need without excessive, and potentially life threatening, distances to travel.

"I will secure access to funding for sustainable, environmentally friendly energy projects for local solar, biomass or ground source heat pump community led projects.

"I oppose fracking across the constituency - from our national parks to Northallerton and Stokesley & Great Ayton. The cost of sustainable technology is rapidly reducing, our environment must be protected for future generations.

"Superfast Broadband is vital to both our modern economy and everyday lives, I will put this atop my agenda."

Rishi Sunak, Conservative Party

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Being your MP since 2015 has been an incredible honour and privilege.

If re-elected, I will continue fighting to protect and enhance local services, ensure our young people have the best possible start in life, and support the small businesses that drive our local economy.

Coming from an NHS family – my father was a GP and my mother a pharmacist – I care passionately about access to healthcare. I will campaign to maintain good services at both the Friarage and Darlington hospitals

I have already helped to win a fairer funding deal for North Yorkshire schools and will keep fighting in Parliament to ensure rural schools do not lose out.

Decent internet and phone signal are as important in rural areas as in cities. I will keep pushing Government to ensure every home has good broadband and mobile coverage.

But good public services require a strong economy. Before entering Parliament, I had extensive business experience and I will use that to help our rural economy thrive.

I will continue my work with schools and businesses to support better technical education and apprenticeships. My idea for creating a UCAS-style online portal to make it easier to find and apply for apprenticeships is now part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy.

Farming is vital here. I will fight for a post-Brexit British Agricultural Policy which delivers strong financial support and less bureaucracy for British farmers.

In Parliament I will continue campaigning for less red tape and lower taxes for small businesses, promote local tourism, and push for investment in local roads.

I will continue to be supportive and involved across our very special community. I shall work my hardest for you and your families and be here to help and listen to your concerns. I very much hope you can place your faith in me again. 

Fiona Yorke, Green Party Richmond

The Northern Echo:

"The following values shape my identity and experience, I try to share them with other people:

  • Fairness and equality of opportunity
  • Being positive and hopeful
  • Respect for the environment
  • Dialogue, collaboration and compromise

"I am a vegetarian who believes we need to help farmers to produce the food that the world needs.

"I was inspired to join the Green Party by the following quote from the Party’s core values: 'The success of a society cannot be measured by narrow economic indicators, but should take account of factors affecting the quality of life for all people: personal freedom, social equity, health, happiness and human fulfilment'.

"The Green Party stands for an economy that works for everyone, not just the privileged few, a Britain that’s open to the world, protecting our precious environment.

"End austerity and restore the public sector, creating over one million good jobs that pay at least a living wage.

"Pay for this with a new wealth tax on the top 1%, a Robin Hood Tax on the banks and by closing tax loopholes.

"Increase the minimum wage to reach a living wage of £10 an hour by 2020 and ensure that this includes all workers regardless of their age.

"Take serious action on climate change by working with other countries to ensure global temperatures do not rise beyond 2 degrees.

"Phase out fossil-fuel based energy generation and nuclear power, and ban fracking.

"Invest in a public programme of renewable generation, flood defences and building insulation.

"Scrap university tuition fees.

"Promote a comprehensive system of local schools offering mixed ability teaching staffed by qualified teachers.

"Bring Academies and Free Schools into the Local Authority system.

"Return the railways to public hands to stop profits being put before passengers.

"Introduce an immediate cut in fares of 10% to give passengers a much-needed financial break.

"Promote walking and cycling to help reduce pollution and improve people’s health."