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With just a day to go until the polls open, politicians are still vying for your vote in the UK general election.

On Thursday June 27, Trethomas-based charity The Parish Trust held a hustings event for the Caerphilly candidates.

A wide variety of topics were discussed – including large swathes of policy areas devolved to Wales, such as the NHS and social care, in which Westminster has no say over at all.

Top of the agenda was child poverty, the cost-of-living, and the use of food banks.

After the opening statements from each of the candidates, Rev Dean Roberts, who was chairing the evening, cited the statistic that more than a fifth of children living in the constituency were classed as living in poverty and that food bank use had grown exponentially.

He asked the candidates what their parties would do to help.

Caerphilly’s Labour Senedd Member Hefin David, who was appearing on behalf of Labour candidate Chris Evans, said child poverty had fallen “radically” under the previous Labour UK Government because of a stable economy.

He admitted that most of the levers to control welfare and the economy lay in London, but that a Labour government in London would work with the one in Cardiff Bay better than the current arrangement.

Conservative candidate Brandon Gorman admitted things had been getting worse and said the issue of poverty was “multifaceted”. He said ways in measuring it were inconsistent between public bodies, and this needed to be corrected.

He added that he did not believe the use of food banks could be entirely eradicated.

Plaid Cymru Senedd Member for South East Wales, Peredur Owen Griffiths, stood in for Lindsay Whittle. Mr Owen Griffiths pointed to the example of the Senedd where his party, through a co-operation agreement with Labour, had helped to introduce free school meals for all primary school children during term-time.

He said as the world’s sixth most prosperous country, the use of food banks in the UK should not be “okay”.

Lib Dem Steve Aicheler said his party would abolish the two-child benefit cap – something that Labour and the Conservatives have not pledged to do.

Immigration was also a contested topic of conversation with a question from an audience member challenging the parties on what they would do to stop people dying trying to make the dangerous English Channel crossing.

Reform candidate Joshua Kim – an immigrant himself hailing from South Korea – dutifully read his party lines from a crib sheet and declared “we are not anti-immigration” but anti-mass immigration.

In an attempt to get his message across, he said: “You can have too much of a good thing – you can have too much alcohol.”

Labour’s Hefin David spoke about the issue in demographic and economic terms. Birth rates are falling, he said, and the population is growing older. Immigration is needed to lessen the economic burden on younger generations.

Steve Aicheler said climate change and political instability were driving immigration and that Britain needed to re-engage with the international community to help solve these issues.

Plaid’s Peredur Owen Griffiths said the NHS in Wales relied on staff from overseas and added: “The rhetoric around small boats is not helping anybody, is vile, and it should stop.”

A dramatic moment in the debate was when Ynysddu councillor Janine Reed stood up and demanded answers surrounding the controversial plans to make Bedwas tips safe using a private company which will extract coal to pay for the scheme.

Hefin David admitted that an incoming Labour UK Government would unlikely fund any work and that the issue needed to be addressed. The proposals would need to be scrutinised through the planning process and financial safeguards put in place to ensure the work was done correctly.

The devolution of justice was quickly mentioned in a question from the audience. The Conservatives and Reform were against the measure while the Green Party, represented by Phil Davies standing in for Mark Thomas, were in favour of it alongside the Lib Dems and Plaid Cymru.

Admitting that he was speaking against national party policy, but in-line with the Welsh Government, Hefin David said he wanted justice devolved to Wales.

Full list of candidates standing in the Caerphilly constituency

• Aicheler, Steve – Liberal Democrats
• Evans, Chris – Welsh Labour
• Gorman, Brandon – Welsh Conservatives
• Kim, Joshua Seungkyun – Reform UK
• Thomas, Mark – Green Party
• Whittle, Lindsay Geoffrey – Plaid Cymru