We've asked all the candidates standing in Thursday's general election seven questions.

They are:

  • Why did you decide to stand in this election?
  • What do you believe the key issues of this election to be?
  • Where do you stand on renewable energy, fracking and climate change?
  • What do you believe could be done to improve the housing situation in Dorset?
  • What three things do you think should be done to improve education provision in Dorset?
  • How would you tackle the issue of mental health provision in Dorset?
  • What’s your “red line” policy?

We chose these questions not because we think they are the only ones that matter but because we thought they would provide a useful snapshot of where each candidate stands on some of the most important local issues.

To see what your local candidates answered, click the links below. And for a guide to your constituency, visit bit.ly/dorset2015 and click your area.

These questions were emailed to all candidates on Thursday last week. Not all candidates have responded and we'll be adding answers right up to polling day. so keep checking back.