Five takeaways from the mayoral election debate

Candidates hoping to be the next mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough's combined authority took part in a BBC Radio Cambridgeshire debate.

Presenter Chris Mann chaired the discussion at Anglia Ruskin University's campus in Peterborough.

All five candidates tackled topics including public transport, economic growth, housing and skills.

Here are some takeaways from the 90-minute debate on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, which you can watch back here.

There were questions over the performance of previous Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayors – and whether the county should have one at all.

Lorna Dupre, for the Liberal Democrats, said she "didn't want one" and would "like to have a darn good try" at abolishing the job, while Anna Smith (Labour) said it was a "vital role".

Paul Bristow (Conservative) said he thought the mayoralty had "not been a success" in the county.

Reform UK's Ryan Coogan thought the job was to drive growth in Cambridgeshire, while Bob Ensch (Green) agreed that the role of mayor was a "very business-orientated one".

All the candidates agreed that bringing more skills to Cambridgeshire and Peterborough should be a priority for the new mayor.

Coogan (Reform UK) said the skills gap was "huge", adding: "It's about ... attracting people to do the right courses where there is actually a job at the end of it."

Ensch (Green) brought up his construction background and said there needed to be "more investment" in skills in the area.

Public transport was "very linked" to the issue of skills, according to Dupre (Liberal Democrat), who said the "dire state" of the public transport network meant many people could not access training.

Smith (Labour) agreed, and said in her experience working as a teacher, some young people "really struggled" to get to courses because of transport.

Conservative candidate Bristow said he wanted to end what he called "bungling procurement processes" and make bus routes work.

Politics in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough was branded "toxic" by Bristow (Conservative) while Coogan (Reform UK) said he had experienced "mudslinging" during the campaign.

There were discussions over some negative campaigning between candidates, which Lorna Dupre (Liberal Democrat) called "pointless point-scoring".

Smith (Labour) said: "People can make their own decisions", while Ensch (Green) said: "The voters care about what's happening in their region."

Bristow (Conservative) said growth in Cambridgeshire has "got to work" for people already living in the county.

Ensch (Green) said the "tired old parties" had not made a difference with the housing crisis, and would force developers to build affordable homes, while Smith (Labour) said new homes should be built in the "right place", near to jobs or "where the jobs could be".

Dupre (Liberal Democrat) said it was a "hard fact" that there is a shortage of water in the region, a point echoed by Coogan (Reform UK), who said: "We don't have enough water to actually provide those homes with the sanitary and drinking requirements."

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