Geoffrey Bastin - UKIP candidate for Bexhill and Battle

This election campaign seems to be going on forever and by all accounts may not produce an overall majority. Should that matter?

No of course not. We return members of Parliament to represent us at Westminster and hold the government to account or that should be the case.

But so often our MP becomes voting fodder for his party because of the whipping system.

As your UKIP candidate I am free to support the party line and vote as a free-thinking individual.

UKIP does not use a whipping system.

Many local concerns revolve around town planning and this government’s deliberate policy of imposing thousands of new houses on our villages and green field sites which we must resist.

We must also consider our aging population and the needs of those that are not so mobile.

Local bus services are essential for without them so many would be dependant on friends or taxis simply to get to hospital or the shops.

Rother District Council has been severely criticised for failing to ensure data is freely available when asked.

This is another sign of a council that is run on the “Cabinet System” that allows a small clique of Councillors to make important decisions.

I support the need for a Bexhill Town Forum or Area Committee, whichever is decided, because Bexhill deserves more local decision making to match Battle and Rye.

Many of our national considerations are driven by decisions made in Brussels.

I firmly believe our future should not be tied to a political organisation in a foreign place and our lost sovereignty must be returned to Westminster with or without a referendum.

If you consider the daily concerns about immigration and its impact on housing quotas, school places, increased pressure on the NHS, dentists, doctors and our roads, it can only make sense to introduce a system to properly control our borders.

I am not opposed to immigration but we must insist that all those coming to our shores have a job to come to, somewhere to live and the means to support themselves.

I know I share the frustrations of so many in this constituency and I hope you will be able to give me your support on May 7.