WITH three weeks to go to the much-hyped big day, the Chronicle has put the candidates for Sevenoaks under the spotlight.

1) What is your priority on May 7?

2) Will you build a grammar school in Sevenoaks?

3) Will you cut public services, increase taxation or both?

4) Should J5 slip roads be built on the M25?

5) How will you help small businesses?

6) How will you tackle commuter train overcrowding?

7) What are your plans to win back the respect of young people and how will you make politics relevant to first-time voters?

8) Will you be taking the MPs' salary increase?

Michael Fallon, 57, Conservative

1) A change of government – to get our economy moving by backing small businesses and helping them create new jobs, especially for our young people; to strengthen our society by supporting families and limiting immigration; to restore trust in politics with fewer ministers, MPs and quangos.

2) We need more grammar school places. Bradbourne School, shortly to be vacated, is the obvious site, for either a new school or a campus of an existing grammar in Tonbridge or Tunbridge Wells. We should give preference to Kent children at Kent's schools: 300 places went to out-of-county children last September.

3) We will cut unnecessary spending and waste, eg unwanted projects like ID cards, without cutting frontline services. Labour is already increasing taxes by £19billion, including the very damaging jobs tax on National Insurance contributions. We will reduce this as quickly as we can.

4) New slip roads at J5 would increase westbound traffic through Seal, Sevenoaks and Riverhead, and eastbound traffic through Westerham, Brasted and Sundridge: we need a proper study of all likely traffic flows.

The immediate priority should be to get better signage to route eastbound traffic up to J3.

5) Small businesses have been over-burdened with higher rates and endless form-filling. We would help by stopping the damaging increase in employers' NI contributions due next April, by removing unnecessary red tape and by making it easier for businesses to take on more staff.

6) By ordering South East Trains to provide more carriages on early morning departures – providing sufficient seating should be a condition of their franchise. Fares are already high enough: commuters deserve more seating, cleaner trains and a more reliable service.

7) There are 330 people under 25 registered unemployed in the Sevenoaks constituency – a shocking total. We need to get them into work. We also need to show first-time voters why politics matter: government decisions affect university funding and training. It's all about creating a better future with more opportunity.

8) No. David Cameron has made it clear that Conservatives will refuse the increase; he will also cut the number of MPs and Ministers.

Fewer politicians mean smaller, smarter government and less bureaucracy.

Dr Alan Bullion, 53, Lib Dem

1) My main priority is to maximise the Lib Dem vote in Sevenoaks in this election, so that we can move forward to win more council seats and put up more candidates next year.

2) There are already several excellent grammar schools in Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone, Dartford and Gravesham. My policy would be to sort out the allocation of school places first so that local children do not have to travel so far to school, and that pupils from West Kent are given priority. I would also encourage the Vine Academy as a local centre of excellence.

3) We want to avoid cutting vital public services as much as possible. We have a fully costed programme to cut wasteful spending on ID cards and stop renewing Trident nuclear weapons. We would tax high earners more and take low earners out of tax altogether. We would also tax house sales worth over £2million.

4) Yes, but after full consultation with local people on how this might affect them and find the best route possible with the least impact on villages and the countryside.

5) They should get much more support on cutting high rents and business rates, cut red tape, and also more apprenticeship and mentoring schemes to get people into work.

6) Lib Dems are proposing massive investment in rail through cutting the road budget. I would make sure peak trains have more carriages, increase train frequency, and campaign to save the Cannon Street route, which I use every day for work.

7) I would be upfront and honest with them and speak in everyday language. Politics is important in so many ways to younger voters – through jobs, housing, transport, entertainment, eliminating nuclear weapons, and protecting the environment. These are all key policy priorities for me.

8) No – the MPs salary is far more than I earn now and quite adequate for anyone. I would give some away to local charities and deserving causes.

Gareth Siddorn, 27, Labour

1) We need a more comprehensive and holistic approach to local communities.

I would sit down with key local figures (doctors, teachers, the police, community leaders and indeed the outgoing Tory MP), to learn from their experiences and set out a progressive plan for the future of our area.

2) I favour enhancing educational opportunities for children of all abilities, as opposed to continuing to promote the divisive and unfair practice of academic selection at the age of 11.

I believe that a genuinely comprehensive system in Sevenoaks would flourish and successfully meet the needs of local families.

3) Labour decided not to let the recession run its course but to intervene decisively. The task now is to bring down borrowing in a way which does not damage the recovery or front-line services. Reducing the deficit will come from a combination of tax increases, spending cuts and economic growth.

4) Introducing measures to improve the quality of life for those people living in the surrounding areas should be a priority.

However, we must ensure that solutions are genuinely environmentally sustainable and address the long-term needs of our area.

5) Labour has taken action to support businesses during the global downturn.

The Time to Pay scheme has allowed over 200,000 businesses to delay more than £5billion in business taxes.

We will support small businesses by establishing a Growth Capital Fund to ensure they can access the finance they need.

6) As a user of our train services I share the frustrations of local people.

I will continue to lobby Southeastern to provide a more reliable and responsive service.

Commuters still live with the legacy of privatisation and under-investment prior to 1997.

Since then Labour has invested £150billion in public transport.

7) Sevenoaks needs new approaches, fresh faces and a genuine commitment to a different type of politics.

Politicians should be broadly representative of society as a whole, so we need a greater mix of ages, backgrounds and experiences.

People are looking for honesty, greater humility and an independence of mind.

8) No. I believe that MPs should refuse a salary increase if widespread pay freezes are imposed across the public sector.

Chris Heath, 42, UK Independence Party

1) To win the Sevenoaks seat from the Conservatives then to campaign for us to have a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty that was promised to us and reneged upon by Lib/Lab/Con. They wouldn't give it to us as they know what the result would be.

2) Yes! It's in my manifesto and it would be co-educational. I think we should purchase the BT building by Sevenoaks station. That's an empty white elephant BT tried selling before they had even moved in. Of course, John Prescott forced that upon everybody.

3) It has to be both! We have to improve the public finances by £170billion a year just to stop the public debt from increasing. Labour's predictions of an economic miracle rescuing us really would be a miracle. It's going to be painful whatever happens.

4) I think it was a nonsense they weren't built in the first place, although I wouldn't want them going over the meadows to Otford. I am sure it could be achieved with sensitivity.

5) Leaving the EU would immediately, remove lots of red tape and save everyone lots of money.

For example, the EU wants only approved main car dealers to sell car parts. This would put small garages out of business and people could not repair and maintain vintage cars.

6) The obvious solution is to run longer trains with more carriages. The other solution is to stop building hundreds of new homes. Also, I would campaign for a 24/7 train service through Sevenoaks and Swanley, just like the rest of the home counties.

7) Young people are naturally idealistic. There would be something wrong if they weren't. Politicians need to speak the truth and not seek wealth and self-aggrandisement from public office. Being your MP would be honour enough for me.

8) I've stated in my election address I would only accept the basic MP's salary of £65k and not claim any other expenses and I stand by that.

Louise Uncles, 45, English Democrats

1) To put England and all the people of England First, and ensure that we have an English Parliament for English MPs to make decisions on English issues with an English first minister – fiscal autonomy for England.

2) Yes – both my children go to grammar schools, I believe this is a good education system.

3) Neither. Stop the subsidy of £50billion each year to Scotland, Wales and Ireland from England and the £60billion annual subsidy to EU from England – eliminating the national debt in two years.

4) Yes, Junction 5 should be a "normal" junction.

I never understood why this junction was not built properly at the time of M25 completion.

5) Flat tax to remove bureaucracy and make the administration liaison for small businesses to government very simple, so that very little time is wasted by the small businessman or woman.

6) Extend platforms, to increase the number of carriages and put on high-speed services via the Ebbsfleet/St Pancras line.

7) While the main three parties make up the rules for BBC coverage at elections, (which would make any Banana republic proud) then politics will not be relevant to anyone.

8) Our policy is to reduce political salaries by 50 per cent.

Mark Ellis, age refused, independent

1) To cause awareness of a conspiracy by politicians here and in Europe to enslave us with what George Orwell described as 1984.

2) I am unusual in having taken two A levels at Sevenoaks School and two at Walthamstow Hall, the latter taught by the frightening Miss Mitchell, who said Sevenoaks School was a grammar school.

3) We need to be rid of the tens of thousands of civil servants.

4) More slip roads are needed and soon.

5) Abolish VAT and make small businesses pay lower rates. Print money to abolish national debt.

6) Overcrowding is caused by newcomers.

7) Make time in schools more interesting and ensure that children who are slow learning are given greater help in arithmetic by using blocks of wood.

Paul Golding, BNP

The Chronicle asked the same questions of Mr Golding, but by the time we reached our deadline we had not received a reply.