CANDIDATES from all the main parties represented in the Winchester constituency will go head-to-head at the Alresford hustings.
The event will be held at Perins School on Thursday, June 27, with doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start.
The candidates taking part are: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrats), Hannah Dawson (Labour), Flick Drummond (Conservative), Lorraine Estelle (Green Party) and Sean Whelan (Reform UK).
Organiser Andy Sprott said: “More than 150 people took part in our exit poll at the 2019 hustings.
“Without asking who audience members would actually vote for, we asked whether the candidates’ performance on the night had swayed people’s votes. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the majority told us they would still vote for the same candidate. However, 13.5 per cent made up their minds on the night. That shows the value of this type of event, where you get to see how the candidates might perform for us in Parliament.”
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After the response from the community in 2019, when the first Alresford hustings saw a lively debate enjoyed by around 240 locals, Mr Sprott agreed to arrange this year’s alongside his son Alex who studies politics at Peter Symonds College.
In 2019, just four candidates stood in Winchester. This time around, the newly redrawn constituency has attracted a field of nine. As a result, the Alresford hustings has taken the decision to limit its invitations to those representing the five main parties.
The candidates vying for the Winchester seat (Image: Contributed)
Mr Sprott said: “We set out to invite all the candidates, as we did last time around. But with nine standing this year, we had to be realistic. There’s not space on stage for that number and it wouldn’t allow enough time for a good spread of questions to be addressed. We checked the Electoral Commission’s guidance and this seems to be the best outcome.
“Two of the candidates who we weren’t able to invite have been good enough to write to us and tell us that they understand what was a difficult decision to have to take.”
Chris Barfoot (Independent), Kevin D'Cruze (Independent), Andrew Davis (Social Democratic Party) and Andy Liming (Hampshire Independents) are also standing in the Winchester constituency on July 4.
The event is free to attend, simply turn up on the night. A voluntary collection will be made towards school project funds.
Anyone hoping for their question to be put to the candidates is advised to arrive in plenty of time.
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