MORE than 150 people attended a General Election hustings for the Newport East constituency on Thursday night (April 23).

Labour’s parliamentary candidate Jessica Morden, the Liberal Democrats’ Paul Halliday and the Green Party’s David McLean answered a range of questions from the audience at Magor Baptist Church.

Plaid Cymru’s Tony Salkeld and Ukip’s David Stock chose not to attend, whilst the Conservative candidate Natasha Asghar sent her apologies.

There were 10 questions asked throughout the night, with several more asked from the 150-strong audience, in what resembled a Question Time format.

Topics included lowering the Severn Bridge tolls, climate change, tuition fees, the cost of Trident, education, welfare cuts and the cost of civil court cases.

They also answered questions about voters becoming disillusioned in politics, the impact of austerity and welfare cuts, and the rise of zero hour contracts.

They discussed at length the cost of Trident and whether it represented a nuclear deterrent or a waste of money that could be better spent on something else.

Labour’s Jessica Morden said it was a matter of security as “in 20-30years we don't know what life will be like” and that it could change “in the blink of an eye”.

The Green Party’s David Mclean said Trident was “the solution to yesterday’s problem” and said alternatives should be considered.

Liberal Democrats’ Paul Halliday voiced his opposition to Trident and questioned whether it was affordable: “I'm a pacifist and don't believe in chemical weapons.

“We have banned cluster bombs, but are willing to hold on to a bomb that indiscriminately kills millions of people?

“Trident costs billions of pounds and I don’t think we can afford it.”

One person said they were “disappointed” to hear the Lib Dems and Green Party opposing Trident as a nuclear deterrent, but when the question was posed to the audience with a show of hands the vote was fairly even.

The candidates also spoke about the reasons behind the rise in the number of people using food banks.

Mr McLean said that people were struggling to make ends meet.

“I know people working in supermarkets who have to bump up their income on benefits, and others on minimum wage or zero hour contracts not knowing when they will work next.”

Mr Halliday said it was “outrageous” that the number of people using food banks in Wales had risen to 85,000.

Jessica Morden said there had been a “dramatic explosion” in the number of people using food banks.

“The bedroom tax, low pay and insecure working, and benefit delays all caused the rise in people using food banks,” she added.