A debate on the future of East Cambridgeshire saw councillors at loggerheads over affordable housing, transport and the scrapping of the local plan.

Deputy leader of the Conservatives, Councillor Anna Bailey, accused the Liberal Democrat’s of “draining everybody” during a heated discussion with leader Cllr Lorna Dupre on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

Cllr Bailey and Cllr Dupre were joined by Labour candidate for Ely North Rebecca Denness on the breakfast show this morning (April 23) to discuss key issues in the district.

It comes just one week before local elections will take place in East Cambridgeshire on Thursday May 2.

Host Chris Mann had to interrupt Cllr Bailey and Cllr Dupre when the topic of the local plan was raised.

In February, Conservative ruled East Cambridgeshire District Council [ECDC] voted to revert back to their 2015 local plan.

They claimed that if it had accepted the inspector’s latest recommendation, green spaces would be at risk, extra housing could be built in Soham and the council’s flagship community land trust policies would be deleted.

After criticising the decision, Cllr Dupre failed to answer whether she would have kept the recommended local plan in place when quizzed by Cllr Bailey.

“This is typical of the Liberal Democrats – they don’t like to make a decision,” Cllr Bailey said.

“They sit on their hands and abstain about everything and don’t bring forward any positivity, they consistently, negatively drain everybody else.

However, Cllr Dupre insisted that the consultation should have been more public instead of a two month gap before the council released the full details.

“The voice of the local community should have been listened too,” Cllr Dupre said.

“There should have been a debate about this and a discussion that was far more public.”

Transport, waste collection and affordable housing were also discussed as part of the show.

Rebecca Denness said “infrastructure needed to be in place” before more housing was brought into the district - citing the latest debacle in Kennett – while Cllr Dupre said there needed to be an “urgent review” on affordable housing after the election.

The improvement to bus services in rural areas, making sure politics were implemented at a local level and keeping free parking in the district were agreed as important matters by all three.

Here is the list of all candidates for East Cambridgeshire:

BOTTISHAM (2)

Charlotte Cane (Lib Dem)

Jane Goodland (Lab)

Steve McGrady (Green)

Steven O’Dell (Lab)

Mathew Shuter (Con)*

Bradley Thurston (Con)*

John Trapp (Lib Dem)

BURWELL (2)

David Brown (Con)*

Martyn Cubitt (UKIP)

Livinia Edwards (Con)

Hilary Sage (Lab)

Liz Swift (Lab)

Floramay Waterhouse (Lib Dem)

Catherine Wrench (Lib Dem)

Hebe Wrench (Lib Dem)

DOWNHAM (1)

Anna Bailey (Con)*

Doris Brenke (Lib Dem)

Owen Winters (Ind)

ELY EAST (2)

Matthew Downey (Lib Dem)

Lis Every (Con)*

Richard Hobbs (Con)*

Isobel Morris (Lab)

Louise Moschetta (Lab)

Clive Semmens (Green)

Kevin Wilkins (Lib Dems)

ELY NORTH (2)

Sarah Bellow (Con)

Edward Carlsson (Lab)

Rebecca Denness (Lab)

Simon Harries (Lib Dems)

Mike Rouse (Con)*

Alison Whelan (Lib Dem)

ELY WEST (3)

Susan Austen (Lib Dems)*

John Borland (Ind)

Gemma Bristow (Green)

Sarah Fraser (Lab)

Mark Hucker (Lab)

Helen Merrick (Con)

David Miller (Con)

Charlie Page (Con)

Sarah Perkins (Lab)

Paola Trimarco (Lib Dem)

Christine Whelan (Lib Dem)

FORDHAM & ISLEHAM (2)

Derrick Beckett (Ind)

Chris Crickmar (Lab)

Connor Docwra (Lib Dem)

Jamie Goodman (Lab)

Julia Huffer (Con)

Rupert Moss-Eccardt (Lib Dem)

HADDENHAM (1)

Lydia Hill (Lab)

Carly Juneau (Green)

Stuart Smith (Con)*

Gareth Wilson (Lib Dem)

LITTLEPORT (3)

Christine Ambrose Smith (Con)

David Ambrose Smith (Con)

Martyn Double (Lib Dem)

Siobhan Doube (Lib Dem)

Lindsay Harris (Lib Dem)

Lee Phillips (Green)

Jo Webber (Con)

SOHAM NORTH (2)

Chris Abbott (Lab)

Victoria Charlesworth (Lib Dem)

Eileen Foley (Lab)

Mark Goldsack (Con)*

Alec Jones (Lib Dem)

Carol Sennitt (Con)*

SOHAM SOUTH (2)

Ian Bovingdon (Con)*

Janna Burnett (Lib Dem)

Lucy Frost (Lab)

Dan Schumann (Con)*

Peter Tyson (Lab)

Charles Warner (Lib Dem)

STRETHAM (2)

Ian Allen (Lab)

Bill Hunt (Con)*

Gill Spencer (Lab)

Lisa Stubbs (Con)*

Rosemary Westwell (Lib Dem)

Pauline Wilson (Lib Dem)

SUTTON (2)

Mike Bradley (Con)

Lorna Dupre (Lib Dems)*

Mark Inskip (Lib Dems)

Beth Skelham (Con)

WOODDITTON (2)

Teresa Crickmar (Lab)

Richard Fullerton (UKIP)

Christopher Ross (Lib Dems)

Alan Sharp (Con)

Susan Smith (Lab)

Amy Starkey (Con)

Zoe Whelan (Lib Dems)