Kids grill candidates standing for election in Sheffield suburb

Debbie Moon, for the Greens, Fran Belbin, for Labour, and Irshad Akbar, for the Liberal Democrats, went in front of the firing squad with questions from Year 6 children. We also had two children doing their best Paxman style interrogation.

Why is Donald Trump so rude? James, 10

Debbie: “I think he is rude to certain people because it’s a power thing. His views are quite unkind and I think he’s a bit of a bully who wants to make people feel uncomfortable. He’s not a good role model for how we should be with people who have different views.”

Why don’t we spend as much money on climate action as we do on Brexit? Millie, 10

Irshad: “A very good question. Climate change is our future but the problem is, the government unfortunately said we must leave Europe at all costs.

“They got their maths wrong and need to understand what harm is being done to the world.

“Along with climate change, it’s also about clean air and we need to look at all the cars polluting near schools and reduce emissions. Young people are our future and we need to look after them.”

What are the plans to stop flooding? Joseph, 10

Fran: “There hasn’t been enough done to stop flooding and we need more investment to improve national flood defences. People have been really badly affected and it’s the impact of climate change which is only going to get worse so it needs investment.”

Debbie: “Land management is really important as well. A lot of grassland has been burned for grouse shooting but that used to keep a lot of the water in place.”

Why are vegetables so expensive? Rachel, 11

Irshad: “Schools could get children involved in growing their own veg. Vegetables are cheap but supermarkets have costs with rent, staff, heating and lighting and that bumps up the price.”

Debbie: “You can buy frozen or tinned veg which lasts longer and I know of amazing projects which help people cook with food past its best before date.”

Fran: “The cost of air miles adds to the price, plus packaging when there’s absolutely no need for it. I work with children helping them grow their own veg and it’s great.”

What are you going to do about people not picking up their dog’s poo because people are stepping in it? Antonia, 11

Debbie: “Amazing question as we’ve just walked past some! I’ve had some great meetings with a lot of different people about community action on litter and I’ve some really exciting meetings coming up with children to design posters about picking up dog poo.”

Fran: “In Australia they have poo bags at bus stops so it’s really easy for people to pick it up.”

Why isn’t there a zebra crossing, traffic lights or a crossing warden near our school? Sophie, 11

Irshad: “A very good question. We should make safety a priority. Crossings are very expensive but we could get the council to measure the amount of traffic and see if we can have a 20mph zone.”

Why isn’t there enough bins to stop people littering? Daniel, 10

Fran: “I think there are enough bins but they are not emptied often enough. I’ve heard the council is going to put sensors in bins so they can get an alert when they are full.”

Irshad: “There are hot spots around takeaways and we should get businesses to sponsor bins. We could even ask everyone to pay £1 towards a bin in their neighbourhood.”

Debbie: “We also need to get more recycling bins in our neighbourhoods.”

What are you doing to stop knife crime? Rui, 10

Fran: We have been working really closely with people at Zest over the last 18 months. One of the most important things is prevention and diversion because some of this comes from people having nothing to do.

“There are far too many school exclusions and there needs to be a lot more support for young people with their mental health, relationships, jobs and education.”

Debbie: “Sometimes kids get judged but there are amazing communities with people doing a lot to tackle this.”

Irshad: “Education is key but it’s too much about academic results, we need to make it enjoyable for young people and help them reach their full potential.”