Green Party candidate Emily Torode is a 32 year old engineering project manager who lives in east Berkshire.

What’s your connection to Bracknell, or why do you want to represent Bracknell? I am a resident of East Berkshire and I understand the issues that people in the area face. I think its important that everyone in the country has the choice to vote for a fairer and greener country, which is why I am standing for the green party.

What are the three biggest challenges facing Bracknell? Lack of affordable housing, NHS waiting lists, the cost of living crisis.

What issues are you campaigning on, and  what causes will you be championing if elected? The key issues I am campaigning on are water pollution and housing. People and Planet are at the heart of the green party, so taking care of our seas and waterways is a high priority, and making sure people have secure, affordable housing is crucial to supporting struggling families. Clean water is something that I care about a lot as an open water swimmer, and it is shocking that this government have allowed things to get as bad as they have.

How will you help struggling high streets and town centres? I would improve public transport in and around Bracknell to make sure that the surrounding areas are well connected. In Berkshire we need more transport options between towns and villages instead of just focussing on the commuter routes into London. On the wider scale, the green party will introduce measures to make it fairer for small businesses to compete with multinational corporations who often avoid paying their fair share of tax.

How can you help make sure people can afford to live here while protecting our green spaces and countryside from development? I would campaign to abolish the unfair "No fault" evictions, which I experienced myself last year. It has become more and more difficult to get on to the housing ladder, and we need better support for renters. The green party have committed to introducing rent controls, which is a policy that has been successful in many other countries, making housing more affordable and secure for ordinary people. There are more than 1 million many empty homes in the country, so we don't necessarily have to build loads of new houses to solve the problem. I oppose building new houses on green spaces, as I think we have other options.

How will you help councils struggling with their finances? Can you help them to deal with the special educational needs crisis? Will you want the government to continue the Household Support Grant? The green party recognises that councils have been underfunded for the last 14 years of conservative government, and we have committed to restoring public services. We will push for £5bn to be invested in special needs (SEND) provision within mainstream schools, and ensure that free transport is available for 16-18 year olds with special educational needs.

What will you do to make sure residents don’t lose easy access to NHS services when Frimley Park hospital moves? I will campaign for better public transport options in Bracknell to make it easier for patients to get to the hospital. I know that there are concerns at the current site about a lack of accessibility via public transport, so I would like to work with the council and local bus companies to ensure the new site is serviced adequately by bus.

I would also like to add that the NHS relies on its fantastic workforce, and the Green Party is committed to investing in the NHS to make sure we bring down waiting times and people get the care they need. We will restore pay for NHS workers to get more people into the workforce so that we can fix the damage that has been done over the last decade.

What car do you drive (do you drive)? I drive a second hand fiat panda (which I hope not to replace when we introduce better local transport options!)

What's your favourite film or TV show? I enjoy watching the great British bake off, it gives me lots of ideas for using my allotment produce.

When was the last time you cried? At a friend’s wedding last year. I always cry at weddings- which is something I inherited from my mother

Have you ever taken illegal drugs? I prefer a good craft beer!