General Election: Who's standing in North Solihull?

THE final list of candidates has been confirmed for next month's parliamentary elections.

Six people (four men and two women) are fighting to become the next MP for Meriden - the constituency which includes North Solihull.
Traditionally seen as a safe seat, a lot of the media attention will be focused over the border on the ultra-marginal Solihull.
All the same, the rise of the smaller parties has washed away a lot of the older certainties and there's no doubt that campaigners will be out in force in the days and weeks to come. 

The candidates are:

Caroline Spelman (Conservative): The sitting MP since 1997, she increased her majority to over 16,000 at the last election. She was subsequently appointed Environment Secretary, one of only four women in David Cameron's first cabinet. She remained in the post until a reshuffle in 2012, which saw her return to the backbenches. A mum-of-three who lives in Dorridge, she had a background in agriculture prior to entering politics.

Tom McNeil (Labour): Tom was confirmed as Labour's candidate in December 2013. He is a practising lawyer, specialising in European and competition law and provides free legal advice to a number of charities and environmental organisations. At 29-years-old, Bromsgrove-born Tom is the youngest candidate contesting Meriden.  

Ade Adeyemo (Lib Dem): Ade has lived in Solihull for almost 20 years. He is a chartered civil engineer and risk management professional. He was announced as the Liberal Democrat candidate earlier this year, having previously been named as chair of the party's Solihull and Meriden branch. A keen rugby fan, he previously played for Birmingham & Solihull RFC.

Alison Gavin (Green): In January, the Greens confirmed that teacher Alison would be their candidate for Meriden. She has lived in the constituency for eight years (in both Bentley Heath and Chelmsley Wood) and taught at Oaklands School, in Smith's Wood. 

Mick Gee (UKIP): The former bomb disposal expert did tours in the likes of Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo. Leaving the Army in 2008, the father-of-two now works for Jaguar Land Rover in Wolverhampton. He is a keen motorcyclist in his spare time, having raced in the UK and Isle of Man.
Chris Booth (An Independence from Europe): Chris, a chartered surveyor, is standing for a eurosceptic party founded by former UKIP MEP Mike Nattrass.
The General Election takes place on May 7. You have until April 20 to register to vote.

Six questions for six candidates:
With less than a month until polling day, Other Side of Solihull will be looking to put questions to all six candidates campaigning for your vote. This week we will be emailing everyone standing, asking for their response to six questions. Three of these will be the same for every individual; dealing with some of the issues of particular importance to the people of North Solihull. Two others will allow the candidates to respond on the strengths and weaknesses of their individual parties. And the last question will give the would-be MPs a final chance to put their argument about why you should vote for them on May 7. Every set of answers we receive back will be posted on this blog in the order they are returned.