WITH the help of Worcester News readers, we've put five key questions to the city's parliamentary candidates.

Labour's Joy Squires talks to Political Reporter Tom Edwards with her responses.

- How do we solve the city’s congestion problems?

I would start by re-opening the Park and Ride at Perdiswell and Six Ways and open up the site in St John’s that was originally planned but abandoned by the Conservatives.

That would in turn introduce more regular bus services to and from the city centre and, with the right marketing and pricing, could pay for itself.

The ‘free’ parking in our residential streets near the city centre encourages cars into the city and causes mayhem for local residents, so I would want to see a residents only parking scheme in a zone around the city centre.

Cycling is key to tackling congestion in Worcester and we must do much more to make it an attractive alternative to the car.

Labour is committed to devolving greater control over transport spending to local areas so that we can decide locally to invest more fully in cycle routes and measures to make cycling safer.

What is your biggest concern for Worcester?

My greatest concern is for young people in Worcester.

Too many currently face a future of low paid, low skilled jobs, many on zero hours contracts and certainly not earning enough to think about settling down or owning a home of their own at any time soon. We need to take practical action now to make a difference for our young people.

Young people need better advice and guidance at school about the options open to them and the skills they will need for the workplace and we should re-introduce work experience for 14-16 year olds. Labour is committed to this.

Small employers need better support to provide apprenticeships so that every school leaver in Worcester who wants a high quality apprenticeship can get one. Labour has pledged to make this happen.

We will also end the exploitation of young people through zero hours contracts.

- Is the answer to Worcestershire Royal Hospital’s challenges an upgrade of A&E?

If A&E at the Alex is downgraded then there will have to be an upgrade of A&E at the Royal. But the current crisis is not happening because A&E is too small.

The unprecedented pressure on A&E has been caused by a combination of factors brought about by Conservative cuts and changes to the way the NHS works - the closure of Worcester Walk-in-Centre, which I campaigned to keep open.

Massive cuts to social care budgets and GP budgets meaning more older and vulnerable people are not getting the care they need in the home and end up in A&E as a consequence; people are kept in hospital too long because of problems putting care packages together which means beds are not available for A&E patients.

It is a crisis of the Tory-led Government’s making.

- Is it worth campaigning over Worcester’s Northern Link Road?

I think we should set out clearly the case for completing the ring road around Worcester and work stage by stage to achieve that.

Clearly the first stage is to complete the dualling of the Carrington Bridge, without which the changes to the Southern Link road will be as good as useless. I have already made the case for the Carrington Bridge to the Shadow Chancellor.

I also believe that the county council should look again urgently at the dangerous situation they have created through the changes they made to the Whittington Island.

- Is there – and should there be – an alternative to the South Worcestershire Development Plan?

At this stage we need to stick with the South Worcestershire Development Plan and get it agreed so that local councils can get back some control over development.

The relaxation of planning rules by Eric Pickles has brought huge pressure from developers to build on designated green space – for example Middle Hollow Farm in Battenhall and in Warndon Villages – and without the SWDP it will be hard for local planning committees to resist development on sites like these.

Longer term, Labour’s plans to devolve spending and decision-making from Whitehall to local authorities will give us all a much greater say over infrastructure development and will avoid the need to go ‘cap in hand’ to Government for the money.