Westminster resident tells election candidates 'we're living in Hell' as they're grilled at hustings

Candidates vying for the parliamentary seat of the Cities of Westminster and London at the General Election were challenged by voters during a hustings on a West London estate last night (June 13). Residents at the Lillington Gardens Community Centre in Pimlico quizzed Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat candidates for two hours on topics such as housing, crime and the cost-of-living crisis.

Only candidates from the three major parties were asked to attend because they had previously engaged with local residents' associations. Rajiv Sinha, the candidate for the Green Party, watched on from the crowd.

Labour's Rachel Blake promised to work on scrapping no fault evictions and to reinstate a national housing regulator. She accused the Conservatives of dismantling the regulator and claimed this decision made maintaining homes to a good standard difficult to achieve.

READ MORE: 'Posh' West London borough that could swing to Labour for the first time

Liberal Democrat candidate Edward Lucas used his time to trash the Tories' record on housing, which he described as a 'scandal' and accused the major parties of creating policies which pander to wealthy Londoners and foreigners. He promised to improve how repairs are reported to landlords.

Tim Barnes, representing the Conservatives in place of incumbent MP Nickie Aiken who is standing down, hit back by blaming London's Labour Mayor, Sadiq Khan, and the Labour-run local council for the lack of suitable housing. He said not enough affordable, larger homes are being built for families. He promised to change the way contractors are paid ensuring they are paid once a job is complete rather than when they attend a repair.

At one point, the crowd burst into applause when a resident asked why the Conservatives should be given five more years in government if the issue of housing had not improved during the party's 14 years in power. The mood turned sombre when a mother said she was nearly killed when the roof in her council flat collapsed and said she was at breaking point after being forced to live in overcrowded housing with her disabled children.

She said: "We are living in hell. I have reached out to a lot of people and it is like no one is hearing me." The candidates were more aligned when it came to fixing the country's adult social care system.

All three agreed it would take more than one parliamentary term to fix. Tim called for a commission to examine the problem and said the financial burden on family members had increased to an all-time high.

They also held similar views when it came to tackling crime in the borough. All three pledged to push for more neighbourhood police with Rachel Blake going one step forward and promising to reform the Metropolitan Police.

She said: "It's about rebuilding the trust Londoners had so we can all feel safe on our streets." Tim Barnes blamed Sadiq Khan for the drop in police numbers in the capital and suggested more should be done to keep more trainee officers in the borough.

All three said they would also support restrictions on gambling ads while only Edward Lucas agreed Britain should re-enter the European Union. The election will take place on July 4. Polling predictions according to Polling Report UK show Labour winning the seat with just over 40per cent of the vote. In second is the Liberal Democrats on 25pc followed by the Conservatives on 17pc.

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