Residents have just 24 hours to add their questions to the Salford and Eccles General Election hustings taking place in Eccles this weekend.
On Saturday 18 April from 1.30pm, candidates vying to take over Hazel Blears’ seat in Parliament will be quizzed on a variety of moral and ethical questions at St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church Schoolroom on Oxford Street.
The 90-minute debate will see each party get a short introduction before being asked to answer questions on hot-button topics such as health, education and local spending priorities.
Chair Reverend Anne-Louise Critchlow will put the questions to the candidates.
She told SalfordOnline.com: “This is open to every thinking person of conscience in the local area.
“Each candidate will be asked to give short and manageable answers, but if any overrun they will be politely brought to a standstill.”
Of particular focus will be the parties’ interests in the community, such as attitudes to the NHS, or membership of the EU, how they plan to treat asylum seekers, and how each of these plans will be paid for.
Confirmed attendees are Rebecca Long-Bailey (Labour), Greg Downes (Conservatives), Emma Van Dyke (Greens), and Noreen Bailey (Trade Union and Social Coalition).
UKIP have confirmed their attendance, but have not yet announced who they will be sending to the hustings.
Yet to respond, but invited, are Charlie Briggs (Liberal Democrats), and Sam Clarke (Pirate Party).
Mark ‘Bez’ Berry, from We Are The Reality Party, is unable to attend as he has a prior engagement in Swinton.
Vice Chair of Churches Together Eccles, Joan Seed, said: “The hustings will be along formal lines, we have a chair and a moderator, and the questions are entirely up to the people, we won’t cherry pick, so they’ll represent the general feelings of the people of Eccles.”
The hustings are being hosted by local faith umbrella group Churches Together, who intend to ensure a fair and reasonable event for the benefit of Eccles residents.
“Churches Together is neutral; we’re here to support the people of Eccles. We’re here for people of any faith, and people of no faith.
“This is being done as a service to the local community; it gives the public the opportunity to put questions to their prospective MP.”
If you have a question you would like the panellists to answer, email cteccles@outlook.com before 5pm on Thursday 16 April.
On the same day from 11am Walkden Town Centre (formerly the Ellesmere Centre) will host a hustings focusing on candidates standing for the Walkden and Eccles South seat.
You can read all about that here.
