There were calls for a new college for Mid Cheshire and budgeting lessons in schools as Parliamentary candidates debated how to re-engage young people in politics.

Seven candidates attended a hustings at Winnington Park Recreation Club -Helen Clawson (independent), Andrew Cooper (Labour), Charles Fifield (Conservative), Mark Green (Greens), Emma Guy (Reform), Stella Mellor (independent) and Jack Price-Harbach (Lib Dem).

One of the questions from the audience was: "There's an absence of young people here tonight. How can parties better engage with young people?"

Stella Mellor said: “We need to introduce things like budgeting and financing in schools so they learn the very basics for everyday life. Politics does affect all of our lives. We need to engage more."

Helen Clawson added: "We need to take politics into education and start it when they go to high school."

Charles Fifield said help was needed to help young people get on the housing ladder.

He added: "We've got to build more houses. We want to build 1.6m and it's how we do that. We've got to be innovative."

Mark Green added: "My 18-year-old son said something quite chilling, he doesn't expect to live to the end of his natural life because of climate change and many of his friends feel like that. We need radical solutions."

Jack Price-Harbach added: "We need to empower young people, lower the voting age and have proportional representation.

"The EU recently offered a youth mobility scheme - rights young people previously enjoyed, but the Tories, Labour and Reform have all dismissed this because they're worried about free movement and upsetting people who are worried about immigration.

"Class is also a big issue in Mid Cheshire and it's not spoken about. For many working-class people those opportunities aren't there."

Emma Guy said: "We need another college in Mid Cheshire to support apprenticeships."

Andrew Cooper said: "I spoke to Sir John Deane's Sixth Form College students studying government and politics recently and they said they were concerned about trust in politics.

"The views of those young people were not dissimilar from those of older residents. It's essential the next Government rebuilds trust."