David Deans
BBC Wales politics reporter

Richard Tunnicliffe said this year we’ve seen a £600m extra investment into the NHS. Pressed on long waits, he said they’re coming down.

Aichler says there has been 25 years of failure in the NHS. He says best practice should be shared.

Llŷr Powell says there is not a "quick fix" to the NHS and staff needed to be retained. How committed is Reform to the health service? "I will not vote in any way to privatise the NHS?"

After, he is pressed on what Nigel Farage has said about the health service, he replies that he is not a candidate in the election.

Gareth Potter from the Welsh Conservatives says it is "ridiculous" how much the Welsh government spends away from front line services.

Lindsay Whittle from Plaid, talking about the experience of his sister in hospital, said there needs to be better links between health and social care to release beds in hospitals.

Jordan Morris, an NHS hospital pharmacist, says some patients struggle with access to care and asks the candidates how they will reduce waiting lists and improve access to GPs.

'Shooting barbs' as debate over local services intensifiespublished at 19:22 BST 15 October

19:22 BST 15 October

Gareth Lewis
BBC Wales political editor

The debate about local services and controversial plans to close libraries and leisure centres in Caerphilly is a tricky one for Labour, after the Labour-run local council proposed closures - only for Labour candidate Richard Tunnicliffe campaign to keep them open.

He is accused of hypocrisy by his opponents.

The debate moves beyond Caerphilly's boundaries with calls from Green's candidate Gareth Hughes for a wealth tax.

Plaid's Lindsay Whittle is demanding more money from UK and Welsh governments for councils.

It is either passionate, or very shouty depending on your view.

"Little of substance, shooting barbs" says a woman audience member. That might put the six men on stage in their place.

David Deans
BBC Wales politics reporter

Llŷr Powell of Reform accused Plaid Cymru of having "propped up a Labour government three times".

Challenged that his party is looking at their own cuts to public services, he said: "Where you cut is important right now, the Senedd spend vast sums of money on projects that do''t prioritise frontline services."

Richard Tunnicliffe of Labour says libraries are the heart and soul of communities. "I am passionate about this, I make books for a living."

He says he wants the UK government to help. He is challenged on whether it is hypocritical because the proposal to close libraries came from a Labour council - something he denies.

Steve Aicheler of the Liberal Democrats says it is hypocritical and is the sort of thing that "breaks people’s trust".

David Deans
BBC Wales politics reporter

First responding to Ryan's question is Lindsay Whittle of Plaid.

He said public libraries were "vital" - he said his own daughter learned to swim in Bedwas swimming pool.

The erosion of those services meant the spirit and soul of communities were "slowly" fading away, he said.

Targeting Labour, he said: "We need more investment... You can manage budgets a lot better."

Gareth Hughes of the Greens intervenes, calling for taxes on the rich, saying they are not as high in the UK as other European countries.

The first question comes from Ryan Bevan who says: "As a father with a five-month-old baby I worry about our local public services. The loss of our libraries and public transport links are a concern.

"What will you do to support and improve our public services in the constituency?"

Just a reminder... the debate is beginning.

You can follow along with us here for all the latest from the debate, as well as analysis and reaction.

And you can also watch live by clicking play at the top of the page when the debate starts, as well as on BBC One Wales, on the BBC News channel, iPlayer and Radio Wales.

Nicholas Bourne
BBC Wales

By-election candidate Anthony Cook, who represents Gwlad, which means country in Welsh, says the nation needs a "broad church in Welsh politics" and "more than one Welsh independence party".

"Welsh politics needs it," he told BBC Wales Today just now as he's not taking part in the live debate from 19:00.

He said "there's an abundance of independence parties" in places like Catalonia and the Basque Country.

"And if we get stronger Welsh centred parties in the Senedd, it's going to stop English nationalist parties like Reform coming in."

David Deans
BBC Wales politics reporter

On YouTube, former Tory cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg comes close to urging Conservatives in Caerphilly to vote for Reform.

He says the opinion polls have convinced him the by-election is a contest between Reform and Plaid Cymru, and that Labour and the Conservatives cannot win.

His "tribal element" would make it difficult for him to vote against a Conservative candidate, he says.

But he says Caerphilly’s Tories are "entitled to think about" a tactical vote because it is "overwhelmingly in the national interest that Plaid should lose".

Image source, Youtube/Jacob Rees-Mogg

Oscar Edwards
BBC Wales

Our reporters in Caerphilly are not the only people working hard to bring you tonight's coverage.

We have reporters, correspondents and editors who all have their eyes glued to their screens in the BBC Wales Cardiff office.

They will be working with our team in Bedwas Workmen's Hall to bring you extensive coverage of the by-election debate, including fact checking, analysis and reaction.

Get the kettle on guys. It's time for one last coffee before we get underway at 19:00 BST.

The six candidates taking part in the debate are those who represent parties which have clear evidence of electoral support in Caerphilly, taking account of past elections there, as well as where opinion polls in Wales are at the moment.

They are:

• Conservatives - Gareth Potter
• Green Party - Gareth Hughes

• Labour - Richard Tunnicliffe
• Plaid Cymru - Lindsay Whittle
• Reform UK - Llŷr Powell

• Welsh Liberal Democrats - Steve Aicheler

One of the two other two candidates, Gwlad's Anthony Cook, will be appearing on BBC Wales Today just before the debate, while UKIP's Roger Quilliam wasn't available for interview today.

You can see the profiles and policies of all eight candidates on the BBC website here.

Nick Servini
Presenter, BBC Wales Today

On Wednesday night on BBC One Wales there will be an hour of lies, betrayal and machinations.

It will be my job to make sure this is strictly confined to The Celebrity Traitors and not to the Your Voice, Your Vote Caerphilly by-election debate that will be gracing your screens for 60-minutes earlier in the evening.

It could be easier said than done. OK - lies and betrayal may be a bit much, but there may be plenty of old-school political manoeuvring going on.

After all, there is a lot at stake.

I genuinely do not know what to expect: something enlightening or bruising? Civilised or rude? Local or national? Some or all of these things?

No doubt the services provided by Caerphilly council will play their part but with such a national focus, wider issues such as immigration and the cost of living are bound to feature.

The audience will be drawn from a mix of all of the parties.

They have been invited to think about what questions they want to put to the candidates.

My role is to allow proceedings to hit the elusive sweet spot of ensuring everyone has a fair crack, while at the same time allowing as free-flowing a debate as possible.

Believe me, it is not easy when there is pressure to perform on the individuals, and the parties who all know a good result in Caerphilly gives them an early boost as we march towards the spring of 2026.

Let battle commence, or as Claudia Winkleman might say: "Players welcome, here there is no special treatment."

Are you here for the politics or the pilates?published at 18:20 BST 15 October

18:20 BST 15 October

Gareth Lewis
BBC Wales political editor

It’s a busy night at Bedwas Workmen’s Hall.

The Your Voice, Your Vote debate is not the only show in town.

Security outside the venue are having to ask people whether they are here for the politics or a slimming class.

It is a masterclass in how to ask a question diplomatically.

The building, which opened in 1923, is no stranger to hosting a variety of activities having previously been used as a library, cinema and even a dance hall in the past.

David Deans
BBC Wales political reporter

Before Hefin David's death, Labour held 30 of the Senedd's 60 seats.

That meant it was already relying on the help of at least one other opposition member when it needed to pass legislation, or its spending plans.

Liberal Democrat Jane Dodds helped Labour out at the last budget in return for a deal, including a ban on greyhound racing.

If Labour wins the situation will remain the same - if it loses it will need two opposition members, rather than just one, to win Senedd votes.

If that is not possible Labour could find itself unable to pass a budget, which would lead to significant automatic cuts if it was not resolved.

Image source, Roger Quilliam

Roger Quilliam has been a member of UKIP's National Executive Committee since 2024.

The party says he has worked for over two years closely with party leader Nick Tenconi in activism and citizen journalism for UKIP, Turning Point UK, and Disciples of Christ.

UKIP says he campaigns against mass immigration, communism, liberalism, and in favour of patriotism, nationalism, and traditionalism and that his core values are rooted in family, community, national identity, justice, and law and order.

You can see the profiles and policies of all eight candidates on the BBC website here.

Image source, Glenn Whitehouse

Anthony Cook grew up in Cefn Hengoed, lives in Ystrad Mynach and says his family has been "part of the Rhymney Valley mining history for generations".

He is a father of three children, taking them on "adventures over Parc Penallta and Gelligaer Common" and says that, as a boy, he "played in the shadow of Penallta colliery and caught the C9 bus to Bargoed to go shopping with "my nan in a once thriving high street".

He says he understands the "struggles that have followed the decline of our traditional industries". The name of his party, Gwlad, means country in Welsh.

You can see the profiles and policies of all eight candidates on the BBC website here.

Gareth Hughes, who lives in Caerphilly, was born in Bangor and educated at Friars Grammar School, Coleg Harlech and the London School of Economics.

He has been an apprentice printer, print journalist, university lecturer, researcher and played a prominent role in the early days of housing associations in Wales.

He returned to journalism, with the creation of the National Assembly for Wales in the late 1990s, as an ITV Wales political reporter and commentator, later analysing public life for BBC Radio Wales, Radio Cymru and others.

You can see the profiles and policies of all eight candidates on the BBC website here.

Image source, Welsh Liberal Democrats

Steve Aicheler lives in Machen with his family and is a community councillor and school governor.

He works for a national non-profit organisation promoting entrepreneurship in education and has founded several local businesses.

Steve says he is standing to give Caerphilly a strong, independent voice in the Senedd who puts people first.

You can see the profiles and policies of all eight candidates on the BBC website here.

Image source, Welsh Conservatives

Gareth Potter is married with two children and has lived in Ebbw Vale since last year. Born in Pontypool, he grew up on a Trevethin council estate and attended West Monmouth Comprehensive School.

He worked for retailers, including Matalan, then in charity retail with the British Heart Foundation, before focusing on politics full-time.

He was previously a staff member for Conservative South Wales East Senedd Member Natasha Asghar and has worked, for the last four years, as a campaign manager for Bristol and South Gloucestershire Conservatives.

You can see the profiles and policies of all eight candidates on the BBC website here.

Image source, Reform UK

Llŷr Powell has lived and worked in Caerphilly for the last five years and has called the area home for much of his professional life, aside from a brief hiatus to work in the House of Commons in 2024.

He has worked in communications in public, political and charitable organisations, including roles in political communications and public affairs.

He is a fluent Welsh speaker, and describes himself as an enthusiastic supporter of grassroots Welsh rugby and a keen follower of the national side.

You can see the profiles and policies of all eight candidates on the BBC website here.