Watch: Big issues tackled at Shropshire Seniors' hustings event

More than 60 people attended the Shropshire Seniors meeting, with candidates from the Conservatives, Green Party, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Ukip making up the panel.

The issue of tax on pensions provoked a heated debate with audience member Keith Goodman asking the panel what they would do about the tax threshold of £10,000 at which people start paying.

He said that a number of pensioners who have a small industrial pension found they were pushed into the tax bracket because the amount is combined with a state pension.

Ukip's Suzanne Evans branded the situation "quite ridiculous" and added: "That is why we are raising the personal tax allowance because we believe anyone in your position should not pay tax."

Christine Tinker, standing for the Liberal Democrats, told the event at the Barnabus Centre in Shrewsbury that her party would raise it to £12,500.

Labour's Laura Davies said her party had introduced a number of measures for pensioners, including the Winter Fuel Allowance, had brought in pension tax credits and free TV licenses for those over 75.

Everyone in the country would have "enough to live on" under the Green Party according to Emma Bullard, who said they would "completely transform the tax and benefit system".

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Conservative candidate Daniel Kawczynski said his party had raised the tax allowance in the last parliament and is committed to increasing it to £12,500 if they are re-elected.

Audience member, Ben Walters, asked what the candidates would do to tackle bed blocking and increase the availability of care in the community.

Mr Kawczynski said the answer was to combine Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Councils to save £15 million which could be spent on domiciliary care.

He called for a referendum over the issue, adding: "Independent auditors say it would save £15 million."

Mrs Evans said: "What we want to do is bring the NHS and social care together under one budget."

She said integrated care is a "common sense solution", and said care workers should also be paid for their mileage to and from visits.

Mrs Tinker said the Liberal Democrats would invest £8 billion in the NHS, with £3.5 billion being spent on tackling mental health problems.

Dr Davies said: "There are several things Labour would do, one of our flagship policies is the integration of health and social care. This will have a huge effect on the way care is structured."

She said the party would also create 5,000 posts for home care workers, who would be employed by the NHS.

Asked whether the United Kingdom should leave the EU, Dr Davies said: "The future for the UK would be bleak if we left the European Union. We get out far more than we put in."

Mrs Evans said Britain could stand on its own two feet and would be better off outside the European Union. She said that leaving the EU would be no barrier to trade.

Businesses are not in favour of leaving the EU according Mrs Tinker who said: "If leaving the EU was so cut and dried then why are not all businesses shouting to Government to do it? Small businesses are in fear of leaving the EU because their work, their trade, might dry up."

Mr Kawczynski said people who wanted a choice over the EU need to vote Conservative.

He said: "The Conservative Party is promising a referendum, the Labour Party is vehemently opposed to that. There is a clear choice if this is the issue that floats your boat. There is only one part that can be in power that can offer a referendum and that is the Conservatives."

Mrs Bullard said it is "not a simple point" and that the Green Party would allow people to have their choice in a referendum.

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