Two of the candidates contesting the Leeds North West seat in the General Election have officially launched their campaigns.

Katie White, standing for Labour, kicked off her bid with an event at the Guiseley Theatre, pledging to “get Britain’s future back”, while Green candidate Mick Bradley outlined his vision for a “more equal society”.

Katie White’s speech included a commitment “to champion Leeds North West to be at the forefront of the green industrial revolution and secure jobs of the future”, to campaign to bring down energy costs for households and local businesses, and to deliver economic stability with tough spending rules, so “we can grow our economy and keep taxes, inflation and mortgages as low as possible.”

White added that if elected, she would fight to improve young people's mental health so they “thrive, not just survive,” break down barriers to opportunity for people at every stage and invest in local schools and mental health hubs, and put more police on the street.

Before being selected as a Labour candidate, White co-led the campaign for a Climate Change Act in the UK, the country’s first law to set legal targets to reduce carbon emissions. In 2013, she was awarded an OBE for services to tackling climate change.

White said: “I am proud to launch my campaign to be the next Labour MP for Leeds North West. I grew up in Adel, and I know that our community deserves better. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be knocking on doors and speaking to as many people as I can. If anyone has any questions about my campaign, please do get in touch via my website or Facebook page.”

The Green candidate Mick Bradley has lived in the constituency for 12 years with his wife and teenage son and has been an Otley Town Councillor for more than nine years.

He says that as an active councillor, he has been fully engaged with making Otley a better place to live by getting a flood study carried out after the 2015 flooding, leading to the present flood alleviation scheme.

He started the annual Family Cycling Day which allows young children to cycle an off road course away from traffic and having secured funding is leading work in particular, with local schools, to encourage active travel around town.

Bradley says: “I am standing for Parliament with an alternative vision for how our society can operate: a vision which is more equal, where government listens and power is more local.

“Where nature is valued and fully protected, species decline reversed and where we accept our responsibility to tackle climate change for the benefit of future generations. Money towards this can be raised by a 'wealth tax' on the very rich, a proposal that larger parties are avoiding.”

He added that the Green Party aims to support people with warm, affordable homes through Council delivered home insulation; protecting the NHS and cleaning up polluted rivers like the Wharfe.

He can be emailed via: leeds.north.west@votegreen.uk