The Conservative parliamentary candidate in Nottingham South has placed the Government's debt at the heart of her election campaign.

Rowena Holland has focused on the issue after the Conservative Party claimed the average family is almost £900 worse off than in 2005. The Tories also focus on the size of the country's budget deficit.

Ms Holland, who will be up against Lilian Greenwood, the Labour candidate, said: "We need a Conservative Government to get a grip on our debt crisis. As any family with a credit card knows, the more we spend and the longer we wait to pay off our bills, the worse it gets."

All the major parties plan to reduce public spending.