The general election is just around the corner and voters have just days to decide who they will vote for on July 4.

We have been speaking to candidates from all the major parties who are campaigning to be the next Richmond and Northallerton MP.

Kevin Foster, 60, is standing for the Green Party against the current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

We sat down with Kevin to find out why he went into politics and what he hopes to do if he is elected.

How did you get into politics?

"I’m a local lad, my story starts in a pub with my friends talking about local councillors. I ended up leaving the pub and being co-opted into the council to see what it was all about.

"Everything I do when I get a grasp of something, I really go for it, I’m very self-motivated. And then here I am as a North Yorkshire councillor. 

"I have been through the mayoral election and now the general election, so I've been successful at every level. I've got local town courage. 

"I just found myself getting into it and thinking we can do better here.

"We need better and people are sick of politics and I think they want something real.

"I'm not special. I'm just the local bloke off the road.

"I was born in Germany, my father was a serving soldier. He ended up in Catterick and we settled here, I love it here.

"My background is as a civil servant and I have been a reservist for 30 years.

"Now I know how the system works. I want to do better for Richmond and Northallerton. I've got a chance to get the message out there about what the Greens are about and our values."

Why did you decide to stand as a Green Party parliamentary candidate?

"Neither of the main parties are trying to make things better for our environment.

"Our rivers are polluted, the country's broken. Somebody needs to speak up for us.

"Let's work together regardless of party, put the politics one side, and let's get the country sorted out. That's the important message we want to get out. 

"We know Labour are going to win the election but what the Greens do is give people and communities a real voice.

"It's all about values really. It's about what is right and what is wrong. As a country we are in a really difficult situation right now.

"The NHS is broken, the environment is off the agenda. The main parties aren't interested and as for Reform they're just going to say it's not happening. Their heads are in the heads in the sand.

"If people really look serious at what they're doing, they've gotten that nothing there. They're just sound bites.

"Don't vote for reform. Use your vote for what you believe in, not what you hear on the telly."

What are your top three priorities for Northallerton and Richmond?

1. Improving the NHS

"We need better healthcare. My daughter is 22, she has epilepsy. She has just had her third neurosurgeon appointment cancelled.

"They cancelled it in February and she will have to wait until December.

"My wife has got MS, my wife can’t get an appointment. She has got a bit of skin cancer that needs knocking off so she can have her MS meds and that is waiting until August.

"I know what we want around here. I live around it. I didn't move away. I'm still here."

2. Improving the housing situation

"The housing crisis is horrific. My daughter's just in the process of buying her own house. She's had to find 24,000 pounds at 22 years old. She's got it.

"She's a really good kid and. She should be proud of herself. 

"It forms part of our infrastructure problem which includes our Victorian sewer system.

"There's no such thing as affordable housing, let's get that out of the way. It doesn't exist. It's a nice catchword.

"It's got to be council housing because people can actually get council housing. Then there's more housing that drives competition to get the rents down. Renters are paying too much. 

"It's a downward spiral. The renting, housing and the buying markets are all connected.

"We also want to make sure that we are looking after veterans as well. They need good housing too."

3. Taxes

"We are brave enough to say that we will raise taxes on the people who can afford it. 

"If someone is earning one million pounds a year or even one billion then they can afford to help out more. They won't even notice it's gone.

"We need to stop people dodging taxes too, clamping down on non-dom status." 

Do you think you can win?

"A lot of people tell me that they will vote for me locally but on a national stage they think twice.

"I am holding more votes than I thought I would though but people are wanting to vote Labour to make sure that the Conservatives lose.

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"We doubled our votes at the mayoral election so anything is possible.

"I'm the most experienced, I have been through town, parish, district and North Yorkshire County Council.

"I live around here. There's no doubts I'm the most local. If you want politics changed get the lad down the road on the bus down to Westminster."