RESIDENTS in Chineham put two of the candidates chasing their votes on the spot at a pre-election public meeting.

Conservative Elaine Still and independent Jo Walke attended the hustings, chaired by Gazette editor Mark Jones, at Great Binfields School, in Binfields Farm Lane, last Thursday night.

However, Liberal Democrat Liam Elvish – whose controversial Facebook comments following the conviction of rapist footballer Ched Evans were exposed in last Thursday’s Gazette – opted against facing the public. And Labour candidate Ann Chapman was also a last-minute absentee due to work commitments.

More than 25 residents attended the event, organised by pressure group SOLVE (Save Our Loddon Valley Environment), and they questioned the two candidates on recycling, waste collection and future house building.

Mrs Still, who has held the seat for the last 10 years, said she has been “honoured” to represent the people of Chineham, and she hailed numerous successes, including getting extra road crossings, reducing road speed limits and saving the council £1million a year through a restructure of the waste contract.

But Jo Walke claimed that only an independent could truly represent the people of Chineham and not get “caught up” in party politics.

The candidates were asked by Martin Heath, from Basingstoke Transition Network, what they would do to improve recycling figures, which he said were the seventh worst in the country.

Mrs Still said the council’s recycling rate had gone up from 14 per cent to 23 per cent since the Conservative Party regained control of the council in 2006. She added: “My commitment will be to look for good quality recyclables that can be made into pens, fleeces and other things that can be used, and not just dumped somewhere.”

Mrs Walke said Tetra paks and yoghurt pots should be accepted in green recycling bins, insisting the material has a good re-sale value.

She criticised the council for having the lowest recycling rate in Hampshire, adding: “I feel there must be a reason why other councils are doing better than us. It is something we must look at.”

Peter Bloyce, from SOLVE, asked whether the Conservative Cabinet should resign after the Manydown land saga ended in a High Court defeat for the borough council, meaning the local authority must re-draw its house-building plans.

Mrs Still said the Cabinet had no need to resign and added that she “welcomed” the High Court judge’s decision. “It gives us the chance for greater clarity,” she said. The Tory also admitted: “Manydown will be built on. It was bought for development. It just hasn’t gone into the Core Strategy, but it must go back in.”

Mrs Walke, however, felt the Conservatives could not be trusted to draw up new development plans. “If you vote our local Conservatives back in, you can expect more of the same,” she said.

Clive Pinder, who organised the event, and other hustings meetings, on behalf of SOLVE, said it had been a worthwhile evening, even though he would have liked to have seen a better turn-out.

He told The Gazette: “SOLVE appreciates the participation of the two candidates who attended. It is important that candidates asking for votes make themselves available to answer questions and explain their positions on matters of importance to residents.”