The SW Beds candidates who want your vote on June 8

The evening, organised by Leighton Linslade Churches Together, will get underway at Cedars Upper School inMentmore Road, Linslade at 7.30pm and will last for up to two hours.

You will get the chance to hear from the local candidates and also put questions to them.

In the run-up to the event here’s some more detail from the four candidates who will be hoping to be elected on June 8.

> The Liberal Democrats have announced Daniel Norton as their candidate.

He said: “This election is a huge opportunity for voters in Bedfordshire to change the direction of our country and ensure Britain has a decent opposition.

“People in Bedfordshire may have voted to leave the EU, but many did not vote for the extreme form of Brexit that Theresa May has imposed on us after being backed by Labour.

“For all those who want to protect our local economy by staying in the Single Market and ensure the people have the final say over what comes next, this is your chance.

“The Liberal Democrats are the real opposition to the Conservative Brexit Government and the only party fighting for a Britain that is open, tolerant and united.”

> Daniel Scott has been selected as Labour’s candidate.

Daniel lives locally in Leighton Buzzard with his wife and two young children.

He is self-employed and runs a small business in Milton Keynes.

He has served as a school governor and is currently treasurer of the local triathlon club.

Speaking after the selection, Daniel said: “Leighton Buzzard is my home and I am proud to be standing again as Labour’s candidate in this general election.

“This Tory government has overseen the biggest cuts to our public services in a generation. The NHS and social care is in crisis, our schools are struggling under the weight of the budget cuts and cuts to police budgets are putting our safety at risk.

“People here in South West Bedfordshire need a local representative that will put them first.

“I will work tirelessly between now and June to let local people know that this general election will be a choice between a Labour Party that will stand up for the people of South West Beds or a Conservative Party that only looks after the privileged few.”

> Andrew Selous, who has served as the area’s MP since 2001, has been selected as the candidate for the Conservatives.

He said: “Our area has waited for decades for the A5-M1 link road which has just opened.

“Since construction started 50 new business deals in the area have been signed creating nearly 2,500 new jobs.

“The investment already generated or planned so far is worth an estimated £2 bn.

“The Engineering and Construction skills centre opening in Leighton Buzzard will generate more high skilled, well paid jobs.

“The number of unemployed claimants in SW Beds has fallen from 2,158 in May 2010 to 605 in March 2017, a fall of over 70%. In recent years the United Kingdom has created more jobs than the whole of the rest of the European Union put together !

“None of that happened by accident; it was the result of hard decisions taken to help businesses start and expand.

“Mere pledges to spend more money are worthless if not backed by the policies to create the wealth we need to fight poverty and fund our schools, police and NHS properly.”

> Morvern Rennie is the Green Party candidate.

Morvern is 28 and lives in Bedfordshire with her husband and their two young children.

Brought up in rural Aberdeenshire she graduated with a 2:1 in Law from Strathclyde University in 2010.

She worked in the hospitality and events industry until the birth of her first child in 2013. She has volunteered extensively for the Scottish Green Party since 2014.

She said: “A chaotic Brexit being led by inexperienced negotiators is a threat to the stability of the British economy. Greens will steady the ship and support Bedfordshire businesses by working to stay in the single market, defending free movement of workers and trusting the people of Britain to decide on the final deal we are offered by the EU.

“We will help Bedfordshire’s hard working families by campaigning for more affordable housing, reducing commuting costs by bringing the railways back into public ownership and fighting for a compassionate welfare system which makes work pay.

“We will be a strong voice for education in Bedfordshire ensuring everyone has the chance to succeed in life by reducing class sizes, scrapping tuition fees, bringing back bursaries for nurses and ensuring our universities continue to be world leaders by matching EU funding.”