ALLOA Town Hall played host to some healthy political debates, during a Holyrood election hustings.

With just over a week until polling day, hopefuls for the Scottish Parliament made their cases on Monday, April 25 at Alloa Community Council's event.

Making up the panel on the evening were constituency candidates Keith Brown (SNP), Craig Miller (Scottish Labour) and Alexander Stewart (Scottish Conservatives).

They were joined by Mark Ruskell (Scottish Greens) and Bryan Quinn (RISE) who are both standing for Mid-Scotland and Fife.

Hot topics on the agenda for the night were foodbanks, housing, fracking, education, the NHS, universalism and the use of PFI, along with the country's debts levels and improvements in early access for cancer services.

Mr Stewart was keen to stress his party wanted to keep Scotland part of the UK and outlined "we've had a referendum and we shouldn't be having another one".

But most of all, he believed a strong opposition was needed "to stand up to the Scottish nationalists if they are going to be the next government" and argued his party is the one to do that.

He said: "We want no new taxes, or no tax rises and we shouldn't be paying anymore than any other part of the United Kingdom. 

"We want a decent education for our young people, we want the opportunity to ensure that these college places that were cut by the SNP are reinstated."

Mr Miller told the audience "there is an opportunity to change Scotland" and that there was no need to "continue austerity".

He said: "We can invest in our health service, in our General Practice. We can invest in our colleges, our universities and we can invest in our local authorities making sure that we don't see 20 per cent of people losing their jobs in Clackmannanshire.

"That we don't see a reduction of £1.9 million to social services, that we don't see a 7.1 per cent cut to the third sector organisations. 

"There is a different way and we have put that forward with our taxation policies – fair and progressive."

According to Mr Ruskell, the Scottish Greens will be a "strong voice for progressive taxation" and he urged people to vote for the party on the list.

He said "we need a bolder Holyrood in the next five years" and wanted to put "communities at the heart of the planning system", while championing the rights of private tenants and helping to "abolish fuel poverty in Scotland".

He said: "We're the only party here who is prepared to reduce taxes for people earning less that the average income and raise them for those who can afford to pay more."

Meanwhile, Mr Quinn told the town hall "socialists in parliament can make a difference" and asked people to use their second vote for RISE.

The party's MSPs will serve no more than two terms and will be transparent, he outlined, and urged "if you're a socialist, then vote for a socialist party".

He said: "We have a saying in RISE, it is one foot in the parliament, a thousand on the streets."

Incumbent Mr Brown spoke of the progression already made by the SNP and reminded people that "we had a chance to end Tory austerity".

He said there was "so much more to do" and asked for support to return Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister.

He said: "When it comes to this election it's very important that you try to elect a government as well.

"That's why I'm asking you for both votes for the SNP. I think it's extremely important that we safeguard the advances that we have made."