That's the end of our coverage of the debate at the Square Chapel in Halifax's Piece Hall.

All six candidates for West Yorkshire's mayoral election have had their say.

It'll be down to the county's voters to make their voices heard on Thursday 2 May.

Click on the video above to watch the whole debate between the candidates again.

Want to find out who the candidates are? Click here.

And you can find out more about West Yorkshire's mayoral election here.

Thanks for spending time with us today.

The Labour Party candidate for West Yorkshire mayor outlines her manifesto. Tracy Brabin said: "I delivered on my promises but I've only just got started."

The Conservative Party candidate for West Yorkshire mayor shares his pledges for if he is elected.

Arnold Craven pledged to "deliver a mass transit system, to build a world-class adult education system and to make sure the police are there when you need them".

The Green Party candidate for mayor Andrew Cooper outlines his manifesto.

He said: "We want to build energy efficient homes to the very highest energy efficiency standards."

The Liberal Democrat candidate for West Yorkshire mayor shares his priorities if he is elected.

Stewart Golton said: "If you want the change you need, you need someone to challenge the government from below and the local authorities from above and that's the Liberal Democrats."

Independent candidate Jonathan Tilt reveals his manifesto if he is elected.

He said: "Politics isn't working for you, it's not working for me but it is working for the banks, the insurance companies, the energy providers, the large retailers and, yes, the arms manufacturers."

Yorkshire Party candidate Bob Buxton shares his vision if he is elected.

He said: “West Yorkshire needs new leadership and new ambition.”

Aisha Iqbal
Political Reporter

And we are done.

It was a civilized debate, heavy on numbers and factoids about the big issues, not so much on fireworks.

The opening question on knife crime from Sarah Lloyd clearly hit home, and there was definitely a tear or two spotted on the panel.

Similarly, the plight of the mum in a damp-ridden home affected both candidates and the audience here.

And that’s really the message to all the candidates – that big policy promises are one thing, but it’s when you can cut through to the real issues affecting people’s everyday lives that you’ll make a difference.

It was interesting to note that when host James asked the audience at the end if anyone had changed their minds about who they would vote for, there were just a few shakes of heads and the odd ‘maybe’ indicated with hand gestures.

They say a week is a long time in politics, well we are now two weeks away from polling day – and there’s clearly still a lot of work for the candidates to do.

Lib Dem Stewart Golton says everyone, not just young people, should have the chance to learn new skills. He picks out the care sector and calls for more training opportunities and better wages.

Green Andrew Cooper says "hundreds of thousands" of homes in West Yorkshire need improving and insulating, and skilled workers will be needed for this.

He says these "socially worthwhile" jobs are careers "which people can build their lives upon".

Labour's Tracy Brabin says she's committed to a West Yorkshire "promise" which will equip young people with soft skills such as creative problem solving, oracy and the ability to articulate an idea.

Bob Buxton of the Yorkshire Party says more needs to be done to teach people about the "emerging" industries of the future.

Arnold Craven of the Conservatives says he wants a 10-year vision for what West Yorkshire will look like, which he says will help the young people of today decide on a future career.

Jonathan Tilt, the Independent candidate, says it must be made easier to help people change careers at any time in their lives.

Has anyone changed their minds about who they would vote for, host James asks the audience.

A few shakes of heads and the odd ‘maybe’ indicated.

Aisha Iqbal
Political Reporter

Building is the key to sorting West Yorkshire’s housing problem we are told – building new homes AND the skilled workforce to construct them.

But an audience member asks: "Why are we focusing on new-builds – why aren’t we reshaping what we have got, using empty homes?"

Retrofitting is a word the candidates keep using though – it means making the houses we currently have fit for purpose and energy efficient.

It’s all about balancing the need for fix and build – which the candidates are wrestling with.

Yorkshire Party candidate Bob Buxton says there is a "huge" skills shortage in the construction industry which is holding back the installation of green technology in homes, something he wants to address.

"If you've got that workforce, the economy will prosper," he adds.

Arnold Craven of the Conservatives says the West Yorkshire Combined Authority has had a "good start" on regenerating brownfield sites for new housing.

But he says he wants he wants more co-operation with the likes of Northern Gas Networks and Northern Powergrid to help "retrofit" more old homes to make them energy efficient.

Jonathan Tilt says the "fundamental" issue with housing is the money homeowners are paying in interest on their mortgages.

He says until we have a different monetary system, people will struggle to buy their own homes.

Tracy Brabin says under her administration 3,000 homes have been built, with a further 4,000 in the works.

Twenty-five percent of these are "affordable", she says.

Her initial target had been to build 5,000 homes in her first term.

The Labour candidate adds that one of her manifesto commitments is to "retrofit" hundreds of thousands of homes in West Yorkshire.

Lib Dem candidate Stewart Golton says more time needs to be spent investing in properties that are already standing, rather than building new homes.

Green candidate Andrew Cooper suggests the idea of tripling council tax bills for empty homes.

"It's a crime that they are left empty," he adds.

Mr Cooper also says the homes built under Ms Brabin are not as energy efficient as they could be, calling that a "missed opportunity".

Gemma Dillon
Political Reporter

Affordable housing is one of the key issues in West Yorkshire – the latest government figures for 2022/23 show 84,024 households are on council waiting lists for social housing across the county.

Image source, Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

In the same period 1,536 affordable homes were built - the highest number completed in a single year since 2010/11.

Those figures show how demand is far outstripping the available supply.

Coupled with this a recent report from the People’s Health Trust showed private renters in Yorkshire and the Humber face the worst conditions in England, with almost 40% of private rented homes failing to meet the decent homes standard – almost double the England-wide figure of 21%.

The report suggests tenants in the region also face the worst rates of damp and mould in the country.

The charity estimates that about 20% of England’s serious damp problems are in private rented homes in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Whoever is the next mayor they will play a vital role in improving the supply and quality of housing.

They will co-ordinate and facilitate regeneration across West Yorkshire, to ensure new building work is spread across the county and they have powers over land acquisition and disposal.

The mayoral candidates are now asked how they'll tackle issues around housing.

Gemma Dillon
Political Reporter

Audience member Michael who posed the question on transport isn’t impressed with what he’s heard so far.

He stresses his village has grown in size and has many people who would like a bus to come through it.

Improvements seem too far down the line for him, he says.

Independent candidate Jonathan Tilt says bus timetabling is too restricted by local authority boundaries.

He says he can't get a bus to Barnsley from his home in south Kirklees despite the fact it's the nearest town.

He says if elected mayor he'd work with surrounding local authorities to make sure bus franchising "works" for people.

Labour's Tracy Brabin says she couldn't have franchised West Yorkshire's bus system any sooner because "it's a process that's given to me by the government".

She says bringing bus network under control of the regional combined authority is "the only way" to make sure unprofitable routes - particularly those serving rural communities - can be preserved.

Lib Dem candidate Stewart Golton says stronger leadership is needed to get value for money out of the current agreement the regional authority has with private companies who run buses in the county.

Andrew Cooper from the Green Party calls for a partnership like that Holmfirth Parish Council has with the local authority to transport people with mobility issues via taxi, rather than relying on buses.

Yorkshire is owed money from the government because of the huge cost of the southern leg of HS2 and London's Crossrail project, Bob Buxton of the Yorkshire Party says.

He calls for "more personalised" bus services and an underground system to be built in West Yorkshire, which he says would reduce congestion.