WITH the General Election fast approaching, now is the time to ask those who aspire to be our MPs in the future what they will do if they are elected.

All too often, the environment and the countryside do not get the attention and priority they deserve.

But the next five years will be a critical time if we are to protect the countryside that is valued by so many people across the UK from inappropriate and excessive development, neglect and mismanagement.

So, I am supporting the manifesto for the General Election produced by the Campaign to Protect Rural England, and I have written to my local candidates calling on them to do so, too.

The manifesto calls for strong, democratic planning that will protect the countryside and create vibrant urban areas, and extra protection for our best landscapes and the green belts.

Gail Stringer, Tadcaster.