WHEN residents in Eastleigh last voted for a new MP it was in the glare of the national spotlight.

The by-election in the wake of Chris Huhne’s dramatic resignation from the seat saw a month-long whirlwind campaign with all parties valuing the seat for different reasons.

Two years on, in the relative calm after the storm, the seat remains hotly contested.

Will voters maintain their unwavering support for the Liberal Democrats at both local and constituency level – the town has had a Liberal Democrat MP since 1994 – or will there be a shift?

What most parties agree is that a major factor in voters’ minds is future development.

Housing, green spaces and finding the balance between providing homes and protecting countryside has dominated the Eastleigh political agenda for several years.

With the borough’s Local Plan thrown into doubt after a Government inspector halted it amid a call for more housing, this has only heightened the issue.

Fears have been raised that this lack of a plan could leave the door open for developers to put in hostile planning applications on unwanted sites, which could be passed on appeal to a planning inspector.

But there are also controversial developments either approved or ongoing, such as plans for 1,100 homes at Stoneham Park in Eastleigh.

Proposals for 1,400 at Boorley Green near Botley prompted a march through the streets of Botley and a year-long legal wrangle before the opponents’ case was thrown out in a High Court judicial review.

And villagers in Netley Abbey, Hamble, Hound and Bursledon have vowed to fight plans for a combined 820 homes across the area.

Other issues that parties say have come up include further education funding, affordable housing, jobs and apprenticeships but equally national issues such as cuts, the NHS and immigration.

Mike Thornton’s victory at the by-election maintained the Liberal Democrat status quo and this will be the first test of how he has performed.

He wants improvements to the road network, more provision at Moorgreen Hospital in West End, protection of education funding up to college and more funding for the NHS.

Patricia Culligan, of UKIP, wants to see better use of brownfield sites for housing, priority given to local people for homes and tighter border controls.

Creating more jobs, better and more localised mental health provision and childcare tailored to families’ needs are among her pledges.

Conservative Mims Davies would push for a Botley bypass and Chickenhall link road, upgraded community facilities and infrastructure for developments, more localism on planning decisions, measures to address traffic and greater health provision.

Labour’s Mark Latham said locally he would push for infrastructure before development along with the full developer contributions.

Ray Hall, Beer, Baccy and Scratchings party, advocates more housing but with more infrastructure. He also wants loans for young people leaving school to help them set up their own business.

Ron Meldrum, Green, is campaigning for more emphasis in schools on emotional stability to reduce mental health problems, and changing the economic system so that it does not negatively impact on climate change.

Declan Clune, TUSC, said locally he would campaign to protect GP surgeries and push for building more affordable homes.

The party is against austerity, would scrap student fees and renationalise the railways.

Daily Echo:

  • EASTLEIGH covers all of the Eastleigh borough, apart from Chandler’s Ford, which falls under the Winchester constituency.

It sits east of the Southampton Itchen constituency and west of the Fareham and Meon Valley constituencies.

For many years a staunch Conservative seat, the Liberal Democrats took control of the seat in 1994 and have retained it at the last four General Elections, as well as the 2013 by-election, which pushed the Conservatives down into third.

Mike Thornton, an Eastleigh borough councillor for Bishopstoke West since 2007, won the seat for the Liberal Democrats in 2013, with a 1,771 (4.26 per cent) majority of votes over nearest challenger UKIP’s Diane James, securing 32 per cent of the vote.

By-election result, February 28, 2013

Liberal Democrat: Mike Thornton, 13,342 votes, 32.06 per cent, -14.4 per cent

UKIP: Diane James, 11,571 votes, 27.80 per cent, +24.2 per cent

Conservative: Maria Hutchings, 10,559 votes, 25.37 per cent, - 13.9 per cent

Labour: John O'Farrell, 4,088 votes, 9.82 per cent, +0.2 per cent

Independent: Danny Stupple, 768 votes, 1.85 per cent, N/A

National Health Action Party: Dr Iain Maclennan, 392 votes, 0.94 per cent, N/A

Beer, Baccy and Crumpet Party: Ray Hall, 235 votes, 0.56 per cent, N/A

Christian: Kevin Milburn, 163 votes, 0.39 per cent, N/A

Monster Raving Loony William Hill Party: Howling Laud Hope, 136 votes, 0.33 per cent, N/A

Peace Party: Jim Duggan, 128 votes, 0.31 per cent, N/A

Elvis Loves Pets Party: David Bishop, 72 votes, 0.17 per cent, N/A

English Democrats: Michael Walters, 70 votes, 0.17 per cent, - 0.3 per cent

Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition: Daz Procter, 62 votes, 0.15 per cent, N/A

Wessex Regionalists: Colin Bex, 30 votes, 0.07 per cent, N/A

General Election result, May 6, 2010

Liberal Democrat: Chris Huhne, 24,996 votes, +8.2 per cent

Conservative: Maria Hutchings, +2.1 per cent

Labour: Leo Barraclough, 5.153 votes, -11.5 per cent

UKIP: Ray Finch, 1,933 votes, +0.2 per cent

English Democrats: Tony Pewsey, 249 votes, N/A

Independent: Dave Stone, 154 votes, N/A

National Liberal Party – Third Way: Keith Low, 93 votes, N/A