The votes of families always play a key part in deciding any election. With a variety of marginal seats in south Essex, we asked a crucial part of the electorate – families – how they would vote and what they would like to see from a new government.

So what do the main players have to offer?

AN estimated four million couples will benefit from an estimated marriage tax allowance of £1,000.

The group will also give working parents of three and four year olds 30 hours of free childcare a week.

The Tories will continue with their same benefit system, but will freeze working age benefits for two years from April 2016.

The benefit cap will b e lowered from £26,000 to £23,000 (with exemptions for those receiving Disability Living Allowance or the Personal Independence Payment).

LABOUR will protect tax credits for working families so they rise with inflation, and introducing a new National Primary Childcare Service, guaranteeing childcare from 8am to 6pm.

It would build 200,000 homes, giving priority to first-time buyers.

It will extend free childcare from 15 to 25 hours for working parents of three and four-yearolds.

Finally, Labour would double paternity leave to four weeks, with paternity pay increased by more than £100 a week.

ONE of the main Lib Dem policies is to invest £2.5billion into education.

They Liberals have pledged to provide 15 hours a week of free childcare to the parents of all two-year olds and increase this to 20 hours.

The party also says it wants to introduce 15 hours free childcare for all working parents with children aged between nine months and two years.

A plan is for homeowners to ‘rent to own’ homes whereby monthly payments buy a stake in the property.

ONE of Ukip’s main policies is scrapping inheritance tax, which could affect thousands of families.

The group pledges to offer wrap-around childcare before and after school for every school-age child.

Ukip will also legislate for an initial presumption of 50-50 shared parenting in child residency matters, and give grandparents visiting rights.

The group will also amend planning legislation to ensure more nurseries are built to expand childcare places.

Maldon and Burnham Standard: