Phil Hobson Liberal Democrats

Phil Hobson, 36, was born and raised in Chepstow, where he is the current mayor. He has worked in the UK and overseas having a successful management career in publishing and telecoms. He is a county councillor and leader of the Liberal Democrats on Monmouthshire County Council.

Fair play is a value this country has lived by for many generations. In this election the Liberal Democrats are campaigning on getting a fair deal for everyone.

The lowest twenty per cent of tax payers pay more in tax annually than the top twenty per cent. This can't be right and the tax system needs to be changed.

We'll abolish the council tax and replace it with a fair local income tax, ensuring that people pay for local services on the basis of the ability to pay.

Taxing anyone's income over the £100,000 threshold per annum achieves a balanced and fair taxation system and lifts the burden on the lowest income earners in our community.

We oppose people having to sell their home to pay for care. Instead we say that personal care for the elderly should be free: just as it is in Scotland, where the Lib Dems in coalition government have done exactly this.

Furthermore, we stand for dignity in old age. That's why on top of free personal care, we will introduce a citizens' pension, increasing payments by over £100 per month starting with the over 75s. Furthermore the citizens' pension will be paid in full to women regardless of how many years contributions. This is for a simple fact: many women take career breaks bringing up our children - women at present are penalised for doing this.

Liberal Democrat thinking is also long-term thinking. The future of our country depends on having a well-educated and trained population. It's not a very good idea to ensure that our future doctors, engineers and nurses leave universities are saddled with crippling debt. That's why we'll abolish student tuition fees.

Thinking long term means making the environment central to everything that we do. In order to be serious about combating climate change we need to look at every aspect of what we do every day.

We have serious problems and we need serious people to tackle them. If you want to see action to tackle environmental issues - look no further!