CLIVE EASTON (UK Independence Party)

THERE is a great deal of pride both in and for our county. It is natural, therefore, to wish to be in a position where our councillors can concentrate on issues important to the county rather than have attention distracted elsewhere. This wish to have our councillors govern this county under the scrutiny of our own electorate is, dare I say it, very similar to the clear wish of the majority of British people to remain unequivocally self-governing in all areas, from Westminster, in the interest of our own people in our own land.

Nevertheless, this is not a licence for wastefulness or neglect even though, in many areas, the unitary authority has done well. Equally there are real concerns as to their performance.

Talking to many people, two main concerns constantly re-occur. Firstly, our roads and pavements demonstrate lack of maintenance. I have witnessed a gentleman trip and fall as a result of an uneven pavement, and one of many accidents is one too many. Equally potholes and rough roads do not inspire confidence. Yes, maintenance and renewal is going on, but is it enough?

Perhaps more worrying, is the situation in which the voluntary organisations funded by Social Services find themselves. One in particular has had its grant cut from £36,000 to £28,000 over the last few years - much of it since the unitary authority came into being. In any caring society Social Services has to be the net that will catch those who need it. Yes, we can all criticise them when things to wrong, but to function properly they must be financed to the best of our ability. I cannot see that even maintaining a grant is adequate to give the service required given the ravages of inflation. But cutting it!

When these facts are linked to what can only be described as huge increases in council tax one has to question whether we are getting value for money. For instance, band B housing, a bracket in which many will fall, has risen by nearly £50 per year from £503 as of April 1998 to £662 in 2001/2.

I believe that in general this will not be begrudged; providing it can be seen to bestow real improvements, especially in areas like the NHS Trusts, Social Services, general services and an ability to solve practical problems for individuals and communities.

So, yes it was correct to become unitary, but let's have a transparent authority, responsive to the public need that demonstrably gives value for money.

DAVID GILLETT (Green Party)

I HAVE always been in favour of an independent Herefordshire. It was a mistake to impose a merger on Herefordshire and Worcestershire in 1974 simply to fit in with population criteria ap-propriate in the rest of the country. In 1998 it was right that we should get our county back so that it is one independent unit. Our council tax is still the lowest in the West Midlands. However this is a dubious achievement since the council has one of the lowest spends on education and is giving insufficient funding to the voluntary organisations that have taken over so much work from Social Services. One environmental and financial advantage of having the council in Hereford has been to cut down the distances travelled by councillors, council officers and public alike.

I want local government that is accessible, efficient, as decentralised as possible and gives people the feeling that they have control over their lives. Our Herefordshire Council does not live up to these objectives. It is too remote, too cumbersome, too centralised and too secretive. The new area forums and the one-stop shops around the county are at least an attempt to overcome some of these problems. Guy Woodford, Green Party member of Herefordshire Council, led a successful campaign to make the meetings of the council cabinet public, although very few people are aware of this since the council has not publicised the fact.

What else can be done to make our local government system more democratic and closer to us, the people?

l Acceptance of the principal of maximum devolution - decisions to be made at the lowest practical level.

l Power devolved to towns/areas within the county.

l Local referenda on major decisions.

l Possibility of recall of a councillor at the request of 20 per cent of their electors so that a fresh election has to be called.

l Ability of local (and regional) government to decide how they raise their funds as in Switzerland and France - bonds, local taxes etc

l Proportional representation to ensure that all votes count and that one group does not exercise disproportionate control over the council.

It is important to us as citizens that we feel our voice is heard, not ignored, that we feel involved, not alienated and that we have self-government, not imposed government.

DAVID HALLAM (Labour)

YES. As Herefordshire's Member of the European Parliament, I repeatedly lobbied for the new council.

There was no doubt in my mind that both Herefordshire and Worcestershire wanted a divorce and both counties now seem happy with the outcome. But with every divorce there are some problems. I know that many people feel they are not getting value for money from the recent record Liberal Democrat council tax rise.

At the time it was acknowledged by all sides that there would be additional costs. Fortunately the establishment of Herefordshire as a unitary authority - this meant one level of government - ensured some savings were possible. However I consistently warned that Herefordshire could fall into an 'investment trench' between a Wales invigorated by its own Assembly and the West Midlands Conurbation.

Fortunately a Labour Government was elected to help Herefordshire re-build a county of which to be proud.

The government asked local authorities to review the way they run services. Before the divorce people in Herefordshire never knew which faceless councillor to blame for the potholes in the road or the closure of residential homes. Now, with the cabinet-style local government, the public know which Liberal Democrat to blame when things go wrong.

Without a Labour Government Herefordshire would not have been granted 'Pathfinder' status. This has stimulated a major step forward in the development of a co-ordinated approach to strategic planning to address the economic, social and environmental needs of Herefordshire.

Labour saw the opportunity of the divorce from Worcestershire to bring about the 'Herefordshire Partnership'. As your MP I shall work closely with the police, health authority, chamber of commerce, voluntary sector and the council who make up the 'Partnership'.

The government through the Regional Development Agency (Advantage West Midlands) which the Conservatives want to disband, has granted rural regeneration status for Herefordshire. This will target resources at those areas of the region most in need of investment - a great help to the county at this present time of foot and mouth crisis and something that was unlikely to have happened if we had still been part of Hereford and Worcester.

Working closely with the Labour councillors for the area I helped to persuade the Labour Government to introduce the Education Action Zone. This has meant that several initiatives have come about to improve local secondary and primary schools in the Golden Valley area.

In the South Wye area of Hereford, the Single Regeneration Budget 'Partnership' has come about as a result of Herefordshire becoming a unitary authority and the Labour government wanting to help an area allowed to become run down by the Liberal Democrat City Council.

As your MP I will be where I can make a difference - on the government benches arguing the county's case with ministers, and in many cases old friends.

My time as an MEP means that I am known, trusted and respected by those who make decisions at both regional, national and European level.

PAUL KEETCH (Liberal Democrat)

THE forced merger of Herefordshire and Worcestershire was a disaster for the old county of Herefordshire and, with hindsight, should not have occurred.

You only have to look at the state of the roads in Herefordshire to realise what more than 20 years of mainly Conservative control in Hereford & Worcester, and Conservative government nationally, has left us. Spending on highways was cut year after year and the majority of that reduced funding was spent in Worcestershire.

Herefordshire suffered greatly during this period, being the poor sister, but since we reverted to an independent Herefordshire, three years ago, we have been able to make steady progress to redress the inequalities between us and Worcestershire. There have been many benefits to the people of Herefordshire and business, although there is a considerable way to go yet.

In the coming year, for the first time we shall see a substantial increase in spending on our roads; with the minor roads having more than double spent on them. The additional money is being injected from government to the local council and I have fought, in my capacity as the MP for Hereford, to obtain these funds.

Council tax is always an emotive issue with taxpayers, but through careful management and budgeting, the new Herefordshire Council, has been able to set the lowest council tax in the West Midlands. For example, a council tax payer living in Ludlow, in Conservative-run Shropshire, would be paying £62 more on average than a resident in Hereford. Similarly, a householder in Conservative Malvern Hills would be paying £52 more than a taxpayer in Hereford. Hardly an advertisement for Conservative financial management!

The greatest burden, and the one which is now causing all councils difficulty in budgeting, was the decision of the last Conservative Government to transfer the cost from paying for the care of our elderly and frail residents who have assets of less than £16,000 from the DHSS to the local authority. This, of course, was effectively a stealth tax. The percentage of elderly persons in Herefordshire being much higher than the rest of the country, and growing because of the longevity of our citizens, will inevitably impact greatly upon the local tax burden .

It is interesting on the other hand to note that the Conservatives locally, when Herefordshire Council debated the council tax last March, failed to put forward any alternative proposals and abstained from voting. So why are they criticising the decision now?

VIRGINIA TAYLOR (Conservative)

FOR years Herefordshire fought to break away from its bigger neighbour, Worcestershire. It was a story of David and Goliath - and David won. But the arrogance and financial mismanagement of the local Liberal Democrat council have threatened the opportunities of our new-found independence.

Where are the savings that should have been made from the change, from the merging of five district councils and from the housing stock?

Why has more than £1million been spent on glossy, self-congratulatory reports? On inquiries into Hereford's traffic with no by-pass in sight? And on a city road reversal scheme that was a public relations disaster?

The "Cabinet" style of government - put forward by Labour and so enthusiastically embraced by the Liberals - is undemocratic, unaccountable and deeply resented by Herefordshire voters. It is a classic case of government behind closed doors and will cost £1 million a year in audit fees alone.

So it's not surprising we have had a huge hike of 9.8 per cent in council tax this year - some 30 per cent above the national average. A local pensioner told me that this has wiped out her recent pension increase.

But what do we get for our money?

l The roads are full of potholes...

l Business rates are soaring...

l ...and the Social Services budget has been cut by more than £2 million - hurting vulnerable people

Having just won back our independence we are now facing the threat of regional government from Labour and the Liberals. Centred on Birmingham, it would not understand the needs of a largely rural county like ours. I am against regional government; we have too much government already. And I support our plans to abolish the existing, highly-bureaucratic regional development agencies and make considerable savings.

Herefordshire is a very special place with its own strong sense of identity. We may be few in numbers, but we did not fight for the right to rule ourselves only to be swallowed up by Birmingham.

Herefordshire now needs dynamic vision and a change of leadership. The Conserv-atives won many council seats at the last local elections and are challenging the ruling Liberals at every turn.

If elected as your MP, I will work with our Conservative councillors to fight for lower council tax, better roads, and to keep Herefordshire independent.

l Virginia Taylor lives at Byford, not Byton, as appeared in The Hereford Times last week.