The Guardian has asked each parliamentary candidate to list five reasons why they should become an MP at the General Election on May 7.

Here UKIP's candidate for Walthamstow, Paul Hillman explains why you should vote for him.

1) I have had an interest in politics for a while but only joined UKIP in May 2013 out of absolute disgust at how the LibLabCon establishment were carrying on. I had never been politically active previously. I did not go to a public school, nor Cambridge or Oxford. I did not study a political science degree. I have real world experience and though I cannot be described as working class or poor, I know for myself at least some of the challenges trying to bring up a family in Walthamstow and without being a multi-millionaire.

2) I would be in a position to push for a referendum on our Membership of the EU. No one really believes the Conservatives will offer a referendum after all the previous false starts and broken promises. Please don’t be fooled again. ALL their potential coalition partners would make it even more certain a fair vote on the issue did not take place. Only by getting more UKIP MPs into Parliament has the country any chance of securing a fair referendum for the British people.

3) After the many appalling scandals coming to light recently, it feels there is a cosy elitist clique that has been running the country over the past few decades leading to cover ups and failing the victims. The establishment had trouble even finding an independent head for the child abuse inquiry. Two failed attempts later, they finally had to go as far as New Zealand to find someone they felt would be unconnected! I am totally unconnected with that world and would have absolutely no allegiances to any person or party that has been involved in past wrongdoing.

4) My wife, both my two children and myself have had to make use of the services at Whipps Cross over the years. I have a vested interest in seeing the NHS locally succeed and work well and be sufficiently funded. While ALL the other parties want to scatter our money like confetti all over the world through the Foreign Aid program, I will try to see that budget is reduced as per our manifesto, along with saving our EU membership fees, so we can spend some of that money locally where it is really needed.

5) I know a lot of people are concerned locally about the large numbers of people being allowed into the country and are particularly fed up having either plainly inappropriate or monstrous massive high density housing developments being forced on their local communities. Billet Road, Blackhorse Road, Walthamstow Dogs, the list just goes on. Communities are simply steamrollered by the council. As part of our manifesto we want to give local people the final say on major planning developments in their area. We need stop and think, “What about the people who live here already?”