IT was a hustings meeting on green issues, but the Welsh language evoked the most passionate debate among Assembly candidates for Monmouth.

The five candidates were at the Drybridge Centre, Monmouth, on Monday, where they were quizzed by around 50 members of the public, in a meeting chaired by Haydn Cullen-Jones of Friends of the Earth Cymru.

Candidates who attended were Conservative Nick Ramsay, Torfaen councillor and Plaid Cymru’s Fiona Cross, Newport City councillor Mark Whitcutt for Labour, former teacher Janet Ellard for the Liberal Democrats and Chris Were who wants to become the first Green Party member in the Senedd.

They were asked if the Assembly should end the process of administrative bodies sending correspondences in English and Welsh to save thousands of pounds.

Mr Whitcutt said it is about "mutual respect for speakers of both languages". He pointed to Belgium, which he said is divided by two languages, adding: "There’s an awful danger Wales could be split into two areas. The costs and risk of that are far worse than financial."

Ms Ellard said people should choose what language they receive correspondences in, while Mr Ramsay said it needs a "balancing act".

Keeping post offices open and protecting "central hubs in small communities" were Mr Were’s main priorities as well as creating green jobs in renewable energy.

Ms Cross wants to encourage more people to cycle, provide more allotments and better bus provisions.

Mr Whitcutt wants to improve rural transport and recycling, while Mr Ramsay wants to see more electric cars used in Wales and Ms Ellard wants more carriages on trains and to explore the possibility of an Oystercard for Wales.

Candidates were divided on whether a badger cull is right, but united in opposition to plans to build 400 houses on a flood plane just outside Monmouth.

Another major issue was incinerators, with Ms Cross saying supermarkets should be held more accountable for the waste they produce, with Mr Were saying businesses should be penalised for excessive packaging and Ms Ellard said we need to find more ways to repair and reuse objects instead of throwing them away.