Conservatives hold Calder Valley with a reduced majority of 4,427. UKIP in 3rd place with 5960 votes. Lib Dem vote down 20%. Greens in 5th place with 2090 votes. Turnout: 69.18% (up 1.9%)

Josh Fenton-Glynn (Lab): 18,927
Alisdair Calder McGregor (Lib-Dem): 2,666
Paul Rogan (UKIP): 5,950
Jenny Shepherd (Green): 2,090
Joe Stead (World Peace Through Song) - 165
Rod Sutcliffe (Yorkshire First) - 389
Craig Whittaker (Cons) - 23,354 Elected

HEBDEN BRIDGE HUSTINGS REPORT

Party manifestos from the Calder Valley candidates as published in Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 29 April 2015 Read it here

Local election candidate statements: So far, five candidates have sent the HebWeb summaries of why they want your vote, and photos. Read them here.

Three more questions on transport policy - the Sustainable Transport Group has received answers from six of the candidates. Read the replies here (updated 10 April)

Questions to the candidates: The HebWeb wrote to each of the six candidates, posing six questions, designed to help voters understand the differences between the different parties. Each of the candidates has now responded and you can read their replies here.

See below for HebWeb coverage of previous general elections

28 year old Holly Lynch selected as Labour's Halifax candidate - see BBC report

The general election will be on 7 May. The candidates are pictured in the left and right columns, in alphabetical order.

Above: Question Time on Education with the candidates, Friday 6 March at Calder High School. Report of meeting

The 2015 election in the Calder Valley may well be decided by the extent that UKIP and the Greens are able to win votes from the main parties. Unless you think different. Use our HebWeb Forum for discussion

 

This section will be updated regularly with news and info about the election in Calder Valley.

Previous general elections on the HebWeb

For much of the 1980s and 1990s, Donald Thompson held Calder Valley for the Tories.

Labour's Christine McCafferty took the seat in 1997 and held it until 2010 when she retired.

Craig Whittaker won for the Tories in 2010. The Liberal Democrats came a close third.

2010 General Election HebWeb coverage of the last general election.

2005 General Election

2001 General Election

1997 General Election - hardly anyone was at this time using the Internet for political coverage and discussion. The HebWeb was among the first websites to do this. We wrote: "The Hebden Bridge Web invites you to join its experiment in online democracy."

Labour candidate refused Blair's Money: in response to the Lib-Dem challenge, Labour candidate Josh Fenton-Glynn has told the HebWeb, in a forum contribution, that he returned Tony Blair's cheque to the national party. 17 March

General Election: transport
The Sustainable Transport Group has asked candidates standing in our Calder Valley constituency a series of questions about transport policy and fare rises. The candidates have all replied. Read the questions and replies

HebWeb Discussion Forum:

Read and/or take part in the lively discussion about the election issues raised here in the Calder Valley. Over 150 contributions have been posted to the following threads.

• Please vote
• Calder Valley Constituency
• In Praise of Principled Voting
• General Election
• Coalition politics
• Vote!
• Preferential voting
• HebWeb Election Hustings
• Registering to vote
• I refuse to vote
• Blair Donation to Labour
• Representing LGBT Community

Shadow Environment Secretary highlights Labour's Green Plan in Hebden Bridge. Maria Eagle joined Labour's Parliamentary candidate Josh Fenton-Glynn and White Swan landlady Liz Wood in Hebden Bridge on the day the Labour Party launched its Green Plan. Read more

Calderdale Liberal Democrats launch local manifesto, and to date are the only party to do so. They set out the policies and ideas the party would implement if they were running Calderdale. Read more

Local election candidates: following the close of nominations yesterday, the HebWeb is now able to publish lists of candidates for Calderdale and Town Council elections. Surprises include a first UKIP candidate for the Calder ward covering Hebden Bridge, and far fewer candidates for the Town Council. Read more (10 April)

Questions to the Candidates

The HebWeb has written to each of the candidates, posing the following questions.

The candidates' answers will be posted here.

• If elected, would your party stop the threatened closure of A & E in Calderdale?
• As an MP would you argue for or against continuing policies of economic austerity?
• To what extent would regional devolution help overcome the North South divide?
• Human-induced climate change is now accepted as fact by scientists and most politicians. What urgent steps would candidates take to bring us back from the brink?
• Is Britain's future in Europe?
• Calder High was described by the last Secretary of State for Education as the worst school building he had ever seen. How confident are candidates that any government they are part of would rebuild those schools in our area which urgently need rebuilding?
• Read candidates' replies