HOUSING and transport were high on the agenda when David Cameron was joined by other parliamentary candidates for the Witney constituency at a General Election hustings.

Representatives of the National Health Action Party and Wessex Regionalists protested outside at St Mary’s Church after not being allowed to take part on Friday.

David Cameron, representing the Conservatives, Andy Graham for the Liberal Democrats, Stuart Macdonald for the Green Party and Simon Strutt for UKIP, each gave opening speeches.

The first audience questions focused on local issues such as housing.

Mr Cameron said the importance of councils having Local Plans would ensure unwanted developments were not approved.

Mr Strutt said plans to build 10,500 homes in West Oxfordshire by 2031 were based on faulty population forecasts.

On Witney’s transport problems, Labour candidate Duncan Enright proposed new priority lanes on the A40.

He also pledged support community hospitals and find money for dilapidated school buildings.

Oxford Mail photographer Damian Halliwell was ejected from the Question Time-style event before it started as organiser Nick Hance said Tory headquarters had insisted only one official photographer could attend.

Mr Cameron said: “I don’t know what happened. I don’t set the rules.”