Lively debate, an engaged audience and a few moments of tension were all present as six of the candidates vying to become Epsom and Ewell’s MP faced a grilling last night.

Conservative Chris Grayling, Labour’s Sheila Carlson, Liberal Democrat Stephen Gee, UKIP candidate Robert Leach, the Green party's Susan McGrath, and Independent hopeful Lionel Blackman went head-to-head in front of 150 people at St Paul’s Church, Howell Hill, Cheam.

Independent candidate Gareth Harfoot, who announced he would be standing after the event was organised, also attended the hustings and sat in the audience.

Taking questions from the floor, some of the panel’s answers provoked interruptions from the audience, including those on zero hour contracts, secret plans to shut Epsom Hospital, and overseas aid.

Other questions included whether tax increases or cuts should be used to reduce the deficit, the HS2 rail project, and how to create affordable housing in Epsom.

Kicking off the panel’s responses on how to tackle the deficit, Ms Carlson said: "We are at a point now where cuts any further in certain budgets are not sustainable."

But Mr Grayling said more savings need to be achieved and argued the Government has cut taxes for the poorest in society.

"We have to save £1 in every £100 the Government spends. We have to take some tough decisions and some smart ones," Mr Grayling added.

Ms McGrath said her party did not believe in cuts, that it would introduce progressive taxation in the form of a Robin Hood tax, and would not renew the Trident nuclear programme.

She said: "Reducing the deficit is about getting people back to work and making our country more productive."

Mr Gee said the Government’s cuts had been "ideological" and about "shrinking the state".

"We have to make the richest in society pay a fair share and make sure any cuts do not affect the most vulnerable," he said.

Your Local Guardian:

Chris Grayling

Mr Leach sparked debate among the panel when he linked the issue of a lack of affordable housing to immigration.

He said: "We believe we need more houses but we also have to control the number of people coming to this country.

"We would have to build Epsom and Ewell four times over to accommodate the people migrating here."

Ms Carlson said developers should be made to provide their fair share of affordable housing within new developments and not be allowed to opt out of this.

Your Local Guardian:

Sheila Carlson

Mr Gee disagreed with Mr Leach and said immigration was not relevant to the issue of affordable housing, but Mr Grayling acknowledged immigration was "a factor putting pressure on housing stock".

Mr Grayling said: "People are living longer and living alone, and now we have got an additional issue of immigration and free movement within the EU.

"If that’s an area of concern to you we are the only party which can sort that out and ask you to decide whether the deal on the table [with the EU] is good enough."

Mr Blackman said the proportion of social housing required in new developments in Epsom and Ewell should be increased.

Your Local Guardian:

Stephen Gee 

The Tory candidate was met with shouts of "rubbish" when he said the majority of people on zero hour contracts want to be on them.

Mr Blackman said he would like to see a "legal presumption against zero hour contracts", while Ms McGrath said they should abolished, and Mr Leach said UKIP would not ban them but "strengthen employment rights."

Ms Carlson said a Labour government would ensure people on the contracts after 12 weeks would be entitled to a "proper contract and that’s only fair - people can’t live with that uncertainty".

Speaking against Mr Leach’s claims that overseas aid was used to "prop up tin-pot governments", Mr Blackman said: "As a principle, we don’t give aid to dictators.

"It doesn’t do our country any harm to keep that commitment."

Your Local Guardian:

Robert Leach 

Ms Carlson agreed and said talk of cutting the overseas aid budget was "appalling" because we should "feel for our fellow human beings".

Mr Grayling said the amount given in aid is "actually a relatively small amount of the majority of overall spend" adding: "It’s also needed as an insurance policy to protect the interests of this country."

All the candidates agreed that Epsom Hospital should be kept in Epsom when asked about shock plans leaked this week to close it, and St Helier Hospital, and replace them both with an 800-bed super site in Sutton.

Ms Carlson said: "What’s happened is absolutely appalling. Epsom needed Epsom Hospital in Epsom."

Mr Grayling added: "Somebody in the NHS has lost the plot this week.

"There’s not going to be funding for a giant hospital in south west London."

Your Local Guardian:

Lionel Blackman

Mr Leach attacked Mr Grayling on the point, asking why he was still talking about "saving Epsom Hospital after five years in Government", during which time he had served as a government minister.

"I didn’t think tonight would be about personal attacks," Mr Grayling replied.

Your Local Guardian:

Susan McGrath

For more General Election 2015 coverage visit www.epsomguardian.co.uk/generalelection2015.