​The Chronicle asked all the officially-constituted parties fielding candidates in the Bath area at next Thursday’s local elections to outline in 300 words why they deserve your vote.

Here, in alphabetical order, are their replies.

Conservative Party - by B&NES group leader Francine Haeberling

These local elections present residents in Bath and North East Somerset with a real choice about the future of our area.  The next few years will see the council’s finances become increasingly tight and it is vital that we get our area’s economy growing to deliver the new jobs and homes so clearly needed.

I believe the Conservatives are the only party in this election with the plans and vision to bring about this economic growth whilst delivering sound financial management to protect local services wherever possible.

We already have a strong local record of cutting waste, reducing council tax rises, and protecting local services.  We have worked with the new Government to deliver our area’s first ever council tax freeze, whilst also protecting services to vulnerable residents and maintaining the day-to-day services residents value such as weekly waste collections, libraries and mobile libraries, street cleaning, road safety and leisure facilities.

If elected in May, Conservatives will cut the number of councillors and senior council managers as well as cut the amount spent on the council’s office rentals in order to continue to protect these important front-line services.

In addition to this, we have real plans to get our local economy growing and traffic moving in Bath.  After securing investment from both the Homes and Communities Agency and the council, work has finally started on the long-awaited Western Riverside development and SouthGate has been completed successfully.  

But we must build on this progress.  Securing Government investment in Bath’s transport infrastructure is crucial to cutting congestion, unlocking key development sites and encouraging more businesses to our area.  We are committed to making this a priority, and to support these improvements we would invest an additional £1 million into local public transport, recognising the importance of safeguarding bus services throughout the district.

With the Government having to pay back Britain’s record national debt, just like everywhere in the country we of course have a challenging few years ahead.  But I believe that with the right policies and vision we can also secure a bright future for our area.'

Green Party

The Green Party is the only party in this election standing on a platform of change. We are the only party committed to progressive, imaginative solutions to the challenges of climate change, environmental problems and the cuts in public services imposed by the Tory/Lib Dem coalition and Labour government mismanagement. We need councillors who are responsive to the needs of residents and who advocate local and sustainable solutions.

The Green Party only advocates cuts where they are needed - not where they hurt. We would increase the supply of affordable and social housing by ensuring that all new developments set aside 40 per cent for this purpose. We will also assert the council's powers to bring empty homes back into use and support an adapted New Homes Bonus Scheme as a further incentive.

We will maximise energy efficiency by supporting a home insulation programme, reducing council energy consumption and promoting micro generation. We will implement the Zero Waste Strategy, focusing on reducing waste as well as maximising efficient recycling.

We will promote walking, cycling and public transport over personal car use and introduce a 20mph speed limit across Bath and a 10mph speed limit in selected residential streets. We support greater pedestrianisation of the city centre to create an enhanced built-environment, free from the impact of traffic.

We will protect and preserve the Green Belt - the lungs of the city - opposing any development here and on public green spaces. We will introduce area committees to devolve power to communities, thereby ensuring people are consulted about decisions that directly affect them.

Green councillors can be a voice for change in Bath, promoting sustainability, vigorously defending public services and influencing progressive alternatives. Make a real difference. Vote Green.

Labour Party

The next four years will be the most testing ever for Bath and North East Somerset Council as the savage cuts from the Lib Dem/Tory coalition start to impact on council services.  Councillors representing both these parties on the council cannot distance themselves from the impact that the cuts will have on local people. A vote for either the Lib Dems or the Tories would mean that residents would be more likely to see the trickle down effects of these cuts happening in B&NES.  Because of this Labour will be the only effective opposition. That is why it is important that the electors of Bath and North East Somerset return as many Labour councillors as possible.

Labour councillors will work tirelessly to defend front-line services, especially services for the young, the elderly and the most vulnerable residents of B&NES.  Don't judge us by what we say, judge us by our record over the last four years.  B&NES Labour councillors have successfully reversed a number of proposed cuts including  £110,000 to support activities for carers, £40,000 to help save the youth service, £14,000 to Shout Out Advocacy Service, £8,000 for Bath Contact Centre and £23,000 to the Off the Record counselling service for young people.

Our six priorities for this election are: to create more affordable housing, protect youth services and children’s centres, protect services for the elderly, encourage employment and lifelong learning, protect the environment and promote public transport, and to cut waste and save public money.  Labour is also committed to saving Culverhay School and to the scrapping of the bus rapid transit scheme.

Labour councillors are committed to the communities that they serve.  They will work with local residents to give them a voice in the decisions that effect them.  Please remember to vote Labour: Your Voice in Hard Times.

Liberal Democrat Party

Liberal Democrats are seeking the support of Bath residents on May 5 because we want to run a council that is truly responsive to the needs and wishes of the people it serves.

We are pledging to work for the improvements that are really needed in the local area. Our priorities are for an effective transport plan, a good local school for every child, building strong, secure neighbourhoods and caring for every street. We will work to support and promote the local economy, to spend council funds fairly and wisely and stop Conservative waste. We are opposing the Conservative plan for a brand new, multi-million pound council office building.

People in Bath are telling us that they feel let down by the Conservative administration which has prioritised unpopular schemes such as the BRT route over real improvements to benefit the city. Moreover, Conservatives have failed to deliver on their promises such as banning HGV traffic through Bath and other transport improvements including the Rossiter Road scheme.

Liberal Democrats are listening to you and campaigning hard on the issues that matter to local people. We believe all our local schools should be kept open and that the council should maintain an effective youth service.

A Liberal Democrat council will listen to and trust local people, working with residents to make a better Bath, rather than dictating from behind closed doors at the Guildhall. Liberal Democrat councillors will be active advocates for their local communities; we have a reputation for working hard all year round, not just at election time.

The Liberal Democrats are offering a clear alternative; please use both your votes to support the Liberal Democrats on May 5.

UK Independence Party

Support for the UK Independence Party is growing rapidly across the region. We believe that power and money should be given back to local people and their councils instead of being controlled by central government and the bureaucrats of Brussels.  

We also need that money to be spent wisely. The Conservatives are costing the people of Bath and North East Somerset dearly with crazy schemes such as the Bath Rapid Transit and the proposed £37 million to be spent on new council offices when it is not even clear if these will be needed.

The Liberal Democrats are no better, judging by the last time they were in control of the council, when council tax rose substantially. In addition to which, their slavish devotion to the EU means that vitally needed small businesses are being suffocated with red tape and burdened by ever more complex rules.

Labour have effectively ruined the country and will be remembered in history as one of the most cynical and dishonest administrations to have ever governed.

UKIP have produced a straight-talking manifesto for the local government elections available to download at www.ukip.org by clicking on the policies tab. We need cost-effective council services and to ensure that local people are put first when it comes to housing, providing more low-cost social housing in the city centre rather than badly-planned budget hotel schemes and the like. Higher profile policing of areas like Kingsmead Square is also needed.

It’s time for a fresh start and UKIP’s stand for common sense and value for money means we are now the real opposition. In Kingsmead ward voters at long last have a genuine alternative to the now widely discredited Westminster parties and we are grateful for your support for our candidate Michael Stanley.