We contacted all of the candidates vying for your vote to be the next MP for the Glastonbury and Somerton constituency, asking each of them the same questions. We've taken their responses exactly as they were sent to us - so you know where each of the candidates stand, to help you decide who to vote for.

Here's their responses to the question:

How do you intend to improve access to healthcare services, especially considering the strain on NHS resources? What measures will you take to support mental health services in our area?

Jon Cousins (Green Party):

Healthcare services and wellbeing are very important to me. As Mayor of Glastonbury between 2020 and 2023, I witnessed the devastating impact of Covid, not only on the physical health of our community, but also the impact on mental health. As a result, I pushed for the new Glastonbury Health and Wellbeing Centre to be developed as part of the Town Deal, and I became a Trustee of the new Glastonbury Mental Health Network. As your Green MP, I will work with the integrated care partnership, health professionals, and local GPs to enhance community-centred approaches; to ensure that tailored and specific provision is readily available for the particular needs of our diverse communities – pushing for more accessible and prompt mental health needs assessments for children and adolescents, and for a trained and paid counsellor to be in every primary and secondary school, and sixth-form college in the constituency.

As a Green MP, I will push for the Government to restore public health budgets to 2015/16 levels – with an immediate increase of £1.5billion – as I am committed to ensure that smoking cessation, drug and alcohol treatment, and sexual health services are all properly funded. On a wider scale, the Green Party would reverse the creeping privatisation of the health service – with extra spending on health and social care rising to over £50billion per year by 2030 – and has pledged to make sure everyone can see an NHS dentist, with additional investment in NHS dentistry, reaching £3billion a year.

Sarah Dyke (Liberal Democrats):

A thriving economy needs a healthy population. Our NHS used to be the envy of the world, but now too many people in Glastonbury, Street and across the UK can't access the care they need. The Liberal Democrats will give everyone the right to see a GP within seven days, or within 24 hours if they urgently need to, with 8,000 more GPs to deliver on that promise. We'll guarantee access to an NHS dentist for everyone needing urgent and emergency care, ending DIY dentistry and 'dental deserts'. In a question in Parliament, I pointed out that there's a £8m NHS underspend in dental services in Somerset. We'll improve early access to mental health services by establishing mental health hubs for young people in every community and introducing regular mental health check-ups at key points in people's lives, when they're most vulnerable to mental ill health. We'll also boost cancer survival rates and introduce a guarantee for 100% of patients to start treatment for cancer within 62 days of urgent referral.

Finally, I know how vital community pharmacies are to our health and our high streets, which is why I asked the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to prevent pharmacy closures in Somerset. I intend to lobby hard for the opening of a second pharmacy in Glastonbury.

Hal Hooberman (Labour):

We used to have an NHS winter crisis. Now we have an NHS on its knees all-year-round. Under the last Labour Government, waiting lists were at record lows and patient satisfaction at record highs. Under the Conservatives, waiting lists are at record highs and patient satisfaction is at record lows. Labour has saved our NHS, and we will do it again. No ifs, no buts. Locally, Glastonbury needs a pharmacy and we need shorter A&E waits, more doctors and nurses, and an end to sky-high waiting lists.

If elected, I will support Labour's plans to cut NHS waiting times with 40,000 more appointments every week - 2 million a year by incentivising staff to carry out additional appointments out of hours. Labour will also double the number of cancer scanners, put in place a new Dentistry Rescue Plan, and bring back the family doctor. On mental health - too many lives have been lost by our absolute failure to support those in need. I am excited about Labour's plan to have a mental health professional in every school and to hire an additional 8,500 mental health staff in our NHS.

Tom Carter (Reform UK):

No response received

Faye Purbrick (Conservative)

No response received