The four main candidates contesting the Bristol North West parliamentary seat took part in a hustings on Friday organised by Greenpeace. It was held at the Quaker Meeting Room on the Gloucester Road in Horfield and was hosted by Professor Chris Wilmore from the law department at the University of Bristol.

The hustings was attended by about 70 people interested to see what the prospective MPs had to say on environmental issues. The Horfield hustings was part of the national Ask The Climate Question campaign.

Charlotte Leslie, the prospective Conservative MP for Bristol North West, said that the hustings was an ideal opportunity for the main political parties to show that there is a consensus on some of the most important issues of our times.

“The consensus was extremely encouraging,” Charlotte said. “Climate change is an issue which supersedes political affiliations and we need a long term answer for. The consensus was that climate change is a vitally important issue which needs to be taken very seriously indeed.”

Charlotte and the other candidates were all in favour of a lagoon system for the Severn barrage. Charlotte said: “This would particularly help jobs in Avonmouth and I would like it to happen quickly. In seeking new solutions to the energy crisis, we have to make sure that our version of sustainability is sustainable.”

Charlotte has already shown her strong green credentials, actively campaigning against possible development on both the Daisy Field and Lamplighters land in Shirehampton, the Crow Lane open space in Henbury and the Purdown open space in Lockleaze.

Charlotte said: “I strongly hope that the warm words of the council regarding these open spaces will actually lead to a real solution, in order to preserve all our wonderful and valuable green spaces in north west Bristol.”

She added: “I would like to thank Greenpeace for organising this hustings, and for the knowledgeable audience for raising some very important issues.”

For more information on the Bristol Greenpeace group, visit here.