EX-MINISTER Chris Leslie, a "national" candidate who was selected by the Labour party to contest the Nottingham East seat, stressed he was keen to hear from his new constituents about their priorities.

During his door-to-door campaigning he said many were worried about petty crime and anti-social behaviour.

"One of the first meetings I want to have is with the Chief Constable, to talk through their strategy for inner city and urban communities, helping our young people get into activities, such as sport or music," he said.

Mr Leslie was an MP in Shipley until he lost in the 2005 election. He then became director of a think tank, The New Local Government Network.

"The second issue I thought would be quite key to look at was healthcare," he said. "I'm conscious the NHS budget has been quite generous in recent years and I want to get a sense from the local NHS about their plans. I want to know how best they are using their resources.

"In terms of education, a lot of money has gone into the buildings in Nottingham – the academies. But a lot of people have raised teaching issues with me, for example, how children with particular needs can get extra support in the classroom.

"There's also a large Pakistan-Kashmiri population in Nottingham East. Many will have friends and relatives back in Kashmir, and there's an unresolved conflict which a lot of people are very worried and concerned about."