Rupert Lowe said drugs were a systemic problem and that taxing people more was not the solution.

Conservative Sam Bromiley said he was also not in favour of a wealth tax, which would be a tax on success or ambition.

Conservative Sam Bromiley said he has experience working with partners and that is important to have enough police and to find where hotspots are.

Lib Dem Andrew Brown said there needed to be more community policing to tackle anti-social behaviour. He added: "The war on drugs has been going on for perpetuity we should change the way we tackle it."

Labour's Damien Egan said drugs destroy people’s lives and people just want to sort their problems out and get on with their lives.

Reform Party's Rupert Lowe said wholesale changes were needed as the there was currently "a broken system and lack of leadership with a House of Commons full of people not fit for purpose." He added Kingswood needs to send a message for radical change."

Green Party's Lorraine Francis said it was "a very complex issue" and that we need to know what is going on locally and nationally. She suggested funding could come from a wealth tax.

Our first question is about drug misuse and associated anti-social behaviour, with a listener saying they don’t feel there is enough support in the community and wants to now what measures would be put in place in future.

Before we hear from the candidates, BBC Radio Bristol reporter Pete Simson is giving us the lowdown on Kingswood and what the winning candidate will have on their to do list.

After a welcome and introduction from John Darvall, we are under way.

We have five of the six candidates standing for election here in the studio - UKIP's Nicholas Wood is also standing but has chosen not to be involved in today's debate.

Paul Barltrop
Political Editor, West of England

This is the biggest and most important debate of the whole Kingswood by-election campaign – and the candidates know it.

There was an atmosphere of nervous apprehension as they arrived and took their places in the studio

John Darvall and Claire Cavanagh are in the studio with the candidates.

We'll be starting shortly.

The debate will be available to watch live on this page from 10:00 GMT.

If you can't get to a screen, you can listen in on BBC Radio Bristol.

Presenter John Darvall is hosting the debate.

The studio is set up and ready to go.

The debate will start a few minutes after 10am.

Nicholas Wood is standing for UKIP. He declined to give the BBC an interview.

Mr Lowe highlighted a need for tax reduction, reforming the political system.

"Too many councils are more intent on dealing with diversity and inclusion than delivering a service for constituents - the whole thing needs reviewing," he said.

"People are using food banks. So what we want is for there to be a fairer and more just system," Ms Francis said.

She highlighted poverty, climate change and social justice as key issues.

Mr Egan highlighted the cost-of-living crisis, being able to get a dentist and said a government that cares about local issues was needed.

He said he wanted to make a "difference for all our communities across the constituency".

Andrew Brown says he is focused on "delivering" for the NHS and cleaning up the environment.

"I'm offering a different way of doing things," he said.

"What we need is someone local, who can stand up for local values," Mr Bromiley said.

He added he wanted extra protection for the green belt and more support for local businesses.

There are six people standing for election, with the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Green Party, Reform Party and UKIP all putting candidates forward.

Let's take a closer look at each of them.

Like many parts of the UK, voters here have suffered with a cost of living crisis, and the sluggish economic performance of the country post-Brexit and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Kingswood High Street is part of a £25m regeneration scheme, but that has not stopped many businesses from closing.

With many people living here also commuting into Bristol, public transport, or a lack of it, is also a big issue.

"We've had bank closures, other shops close, and we need the impetus of an MP that cares about the community," one voter told the BBC before the by-election.

Kingswood is in South Gloucestershire and the constituency also includes the districts of Hanham, Warmley, Longwell Green and Emersons Green.

Following a boundary review, the constituency is due to be abolished at the next general election.

Mr Skidmore's seat has a Conservative majority of 11,220, but was previously held by Labour from 1992 to 2010.

Image source, PA Media

The by-election was sparked when Conservative Chris Skidmore stood down from his seat on 5 January.

He quit over the government's energy plans, saying he could not continue as a Tory MP ahead of a vote on a bill to guarantee annual oil and gas licensing rounds.

Mr Skidmore said his "personal decision" meant his constituents deserved the chance to elect a new MP.

He had already announced plans to leave parliament at the next election.

Welcome along to our live page where we are bringing you live coverage of a debate between candidates standing in the Kingswood by-election.

You can watch the debate live on this page from 10:00 GMT or by listening to BBC Radio Bristol.

So without any further ado, let's take a closer look at how we got here.