We contacted all of the candidates vying for your vote to be the next MP for the Wells and Mendip Hills constituency, asking each of them the same questions. We've taken their responses exactly as they were sent to us - so you know where each of the candidates stand, to help you decide who to vote for.

Here's their responses to the question:

What are your plans to support local businesses and boost the economy in Wells and Shepton?

Meg Powell-Chandler - Conservative:

"I will be a champion for business locally and in parliament. Local business is the backbone of the economy – when it does well, we all do well, with more employment, economic growth and more money for public services.

There are fantastic food and drinks producers across Wells, Shepton, North Somerset, and the Mendips alongside a wonderful tourism industry.

Conservative plans to support business and boost the economy include abolishing the main rate of self-employed national insurance, pushing forward with a business rates support package worth £4.3 billion and keeping the VAT threshold under review, exploring options to smooth the cliff edge that exists at £90k. We have a 10-point plan to support small and medium size businesses that includes access to finance and retaining key tax incentives."

Craig Clarke - Independent:

"I will help 700 willing unemployed into stable and rewarding work - saving £7 million a year in benefit payments.

I will support the raising of the income tax threshold in wise stages up to the goal of £25,000 per person per year.

I believe small businesses and the self-employed should be able to choose that their tax returns are done for free and signed off by accountants from the HMRC so never again will they live with the worry of the dreaded tax audit."

Helen Hims - Reform UK:

"Working in our local family business, I'm very aware of the challenges of high rates, high taxes, red tape, energy costs, and skills shortages.

Reform UK will immediately lift the minimum corporation tax threshold to £100k, and reduce the rate from 25% to 20% with a further reduction to 15% from year 3.

We will abolish IR35 rules to support local sole traders and lift the VAT threshold to £150,000.

We will take steps to abolish business rates for our High Street businesses - offset by an online delivery tax of 4% for large companies to create a fairer playing field.

We will slash red tape, simplify the tax system and scrap the thousands of outdated EU laws which hold back local businesses - including employment laws that make it riskier to hire people.

We will replace the 2010 Equalities Act which requires discrimination in the name of 'positive action'. We will also scrap Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DE&I) rules that reduce economic productivity."

Abi McGuire - Independent:

"I am a strong advocate for our local businesses. I actively use and promote them and I have developed many relationships already across the constituency. Issues that have been highlighted are the over-regulation and complexity for small business owners and the difficulties in recruiting reliable staff."

Tessa Munt - Liberal Democrat:

"Wells and Shepton are at the heart of our communities and many people across the constituency rely on the two even if they don't live within the boundaries themselves. We have to support both to thrive and to provide opportunities for people in the area.

We would reverse Conservative tax cuts for big banks and multinationals. We'd reform the broken business rates system so that it supports and encourages local business, and we'd push for superfast broadband.

In addition to this, the Lib Dems would ensure rural towns and our city are considered as part of a wider strategy to boost growth across the UK. These changes, alongside others I have set out in later questions around issues like transport and investment in local authorities, would help to boost the local economy and ensure the areas remain central hubs for people here."

Joe Joseph - Labour and Co-op:



"As a start, I'd be focusing on delivering Labour's 5 point plan for the high-street: tackling shoplifting which has impacted Wells and other towns in the constituency over the past 18 months, reviewing business rates, supporting a new law to stop late payments to small businesses. I'll also be supporting communities to take on shops and pubs like the Bell hotel in Shepton as community assets, through a community right to buy."

Peter Welsh- Green Party

No response was received.

How will you address unemployment and create job opportunities for residents in our area?

Meg Powell-Chandler - Conservative: "I will support businesses to grow so that they can create more jobs. I will work to attract both public and private investment to create jobs locally.

We also need to make sure that people have access to gaining the skills they need to get the jobs they want. I will support local colleges and training providers and welcome our commitment to deliver 100,000 more apprenticeships by the end of the next parliament.

The Conservatives will deliver the Lifelong Learning Entitlement, giving adults the support they need to train, retrain and upskill flexibly throughout their working lives. From the 2025 academic year, adults will be able to apply for loans to cover new qualifications. We will also continue to expand our adult skills programmes, such as Skills Bootcamps which meet skills shortages."

Craig Clarke - Independent: "I will help 700 willing unemployed into stable and rewarding work - saving £7 million a year in benefit payments.

I will support the raising of the income tax threshold in wise stages up to the goal of £25,000 per person per year.

I believe small businesses and the self-employed should be able to choose that their tax returns are done for free and signed off by accountants from the HMRC so never again will they live with the worry of the dreaded tax audit."

Helen Hims - Reform UK:

"Our flagship policy is designed to 'make work pay' by lifting the income tax threshold to £20,000. This will help thousands of local people back into work, escaping the benefits trap.

We will introduce reforms to benefit support and training which will help local people back into work, and provide tax relief to businesses that take on apprentices.

We will address the illegal working scandal whereby local wages are depressed because of cheap, undocumented illegal labour which undermines local job opportunities and wages. Significant penalties will be imposed on companies and directors that breach these rules.

We will end Labour & the Tories' deadly addiction to mass immigration by increasing NI contributions on the employment of foreign workers (except in health & social care) to 20% to incentivise businesses to employ British workers and increase wages."

Abi McGuire - Independent:

"I will champion the Wells and Mendip Hills unique characteristics of our geographical area to encourage continued investment. We need to address the barriers of those who are currently not in employment and support them to access work."

Tessa Munt - Liberal Democrat:

"We'd boost high street businesses and empower them to create new local jobs, including by reforming business rates – the current system isn't fair.

We'd make sure that Government had a strategy to incentivise businesses to invest in new clean technologies in order to grow the economy, create good jobs and tackle the climate emergency.

We'd make sure that when new job opportunities arise like those at Gravity and Hinkley, our local population has the skills to benefit from these roles – as part of the agreements for these large-scale employers being here, we will work with them so the right education and training opportunities exist.

Linked with this is a wider need to fix the recruitment crisis by investing in people's skills and increasing the availability of quality apprenticeships and career advice for young people.

We would make it possible for many small and medium sized local businesses to trade with neighbouring countries again, removing trade barriers and reducing the red tape and bureaucracy involved in exporting and importing goods."

Joe Joseph - Labour and Co-op:

"I am one of three candidates in the West Country standing on both a Labour and Co-operative Party ticket. I'm therefore delighted that Labour is backing the Co-operative Party ambition to double the size of the co-operative sector. The power of co-operatives to keep money circulating in the local economy is well proven in rural communities. Workers also own the assets in co-operatives which means money doesn't leak out to shareholders elsewhere. I will want to focus on the Co-operative rural policy commission recommendations to create jobs and share wealth in the Mendips."

Peter Welsh- Green Party

No response was received.