THE economy, the bedroom tax, and the NHS were at the centre of a packed hustings involving the general election candidates for the Keighley and Ilkley constituency last night.

The event was organised by Central Keighley Churches Together and hundreds flocked to the town’s Salvation Army Church to quiz the five candidates.

The debate, chaired by the Reverend Jonathan Pritchard, became heated at times, with other topics up for discussion including Trident, climate change, and welfare reforms.

Conservative candidate Kris Hopkins told the audience he wanted to make sure the economy of Keighley “continued to progress” over the next five years.

“The economy had fallen over here in 2010, with significant unemployment,” he said. “We have created 933 jobs since then, 80 per cent of which are full-time.

“If we have a strong economy, we can invest in all the things we treasure, like education and the NHS.”

Ros Brown, a former primary school head teacher standing for the Green party, told the crowd: “I am passionate about a commitment to the living wage, which we pledge to raise to £10 per hour by 2020.”

Gareth Epps, representing the Liberal Democrats, said: “We believe in a high-skill, low carbon economy.

“We don’t want the economy to be reliant on one particularly sector, but we do need to develop engineering in this area.”

John Grogan, a former MP for Selby, representing the Labour party, said: “We must aim for the living wage, look to lower business rates, and create an economy where a fair day’s work is rewarded with a fair day’s pay.”

Paul Latham, the UKIP candidate, said: “The North of England has diminished as a centre of manufacturing, and we want to re-establish this area as an industrial light of the North.

“We’re the only party who have done a proper job at pricing its policies.”

A discussion on the bedroom tax generated a strong response from the crowd, and all the candidates apart from Mr Hopkins said they would vote to abolish the policy if they came to power.

“Around 300 people pay the tax in Keighley, but if the policy continues that number would probably double,” said Mr Grogan.

“The policy is costing the country money rather than saving it.”

Mr Latham said UKIP would abolish the “socially divisive” policy as “soon as it was in a position to do so”, but Mr Hopkins said the “spare-room subsidy” would stay, adding it needed to be understood in the context of building more houses.

On the NHS, Mr Hopkins said the Conservatives had committed to providing £8billion of funding, building on £12billion funding over the past five years.

He cited new accident and emergency, and midwifery departments at Airedale General Hospital as local progress made during the government’s tenure.

Mr Epps said the Lib Dems would do more to integrate health and social care for the elderly, and Mr Latham said UKIP would “close the loophole on health tourism”, providing £12billion to “revitalise the health service,” by pulling out of the EU.

Mr Grogan drew the strongest crowd reaction of the night when he said services within the NHS should no longer be “put out to tender,” adding funds for health services could be raised by a levy on tobacco companies and a mansion tax.

He said: “We are a rich nation, and there is no need for this rollercoaster of cuts.

“We can afford to defend our NHS.”