AN ELECTION candidate believes Labour's values makes them the compassionate choice for voters in next month's general election.

Labour's Rachel Rogers also thinks West Dorset's tourism industry should embrace people's changing holiday habits. The Weymouth and Portland Borough Council's briefholder for tourism, leisure and culture believes political parties' values should act as a guide for voters.

"It's not like you join the Labour Party and you have your brain taken out and then the Labour Party brain goes in" joked Ms Rogers. "It's about finding the best fit and somewhere you can make yourself at home.

"As a voter, the values should act as a shorthand for the candidates that are standing because very few voters have the time to investigate the detailed backgrounds of all the candidates. I think the core values of the Labour Party have always been about fairness, justice and social equality – and I don’t think that compassion has changed."

Ms Rogers believes rural exclusion will be a major issue for West Dorset voters next month.

"Partly, the problem is that young people are moving away from the communities they grew up in, which tends to leave populations more isolated" she said. "We need to be really concerned about public transport because we seem to be running it for profit rather than people."

Ms Rogers is concerned the focus on the personalities of political leaders is distracting voters from the issues.

"I think people need to look beyond watching squabbling politicians and look at how politics is part of our every day lives" she said. "Part of the Labour message is that everybody matters - everybody's informed opinion is of equal value.

"I think we are in danger, as a society, of paying attention to how the media portrays the image of politicians and not listening to the words that they say. Ed Miliband has been a really strong voice for the Labour Party and I think it's really disappointing that the media has chosen to focus on images of him eating a bacon sandwich.

"I worry that our constant focus on how politicians look is distracting us form serious debate. If that's the case, maybe we should bring back the Miss World competitions and turn the winner into the Prime Minister."

Ms Rogers believes West Dorset should be shouting about its tourism heritage and work with partners to help the industry grow.

"We need to move away from what we know as traditional seaside tourism" she said. "We're broadening our tourism season - bringing people into the local area all year round and hopefully encouraging them to do more while they are here.

"All of our coastal towns benefit from having that seaside tourism but we need to look beyond that and see all the fantastic things we can offer in West Dorset."