WINCHESTER voters will have the chance to grill some of their election candidates in a traditional hustings event this Friday.

The political meeting will be at St Faith’s Hall, Back Street, St Cross, starting at 7.45pm.

The event has been organised by the Green Party whose Euro election candidate Keith Taylor will be in the city on the day.

Mr Taylor said he hoped the controversy over MPs’ expenses would not put people off voting.

He said: "With both County and Euro elections on June 4, we want to engage voters in Hampshire, rejuvenate the democratic process and pull it free from the mire. With the global recession and the real threat of climate chaos, we're facing the biggest challenges of this generation. Time and again our leaders have let us down so it's time to focus on change and focus on the only party which can get us out of this mess".

The following parties in the Euro election have put up speakers so far: Green Party (Keith Taylor), United Kingdom First (John Petley), Pro Democracy: Libertas,eu (Kevin O’Connell), English Democrats(David Knight), the No2EU: Yes to Democracy Party (tbc).

The main parties (Conservative, Liberal Democrats and Labour) have not responded so far.

County Council candidates (all parties) in all the divisions in which there is a Green Party candidate have been invited to participate and have accepted: Winchester Westgate, Winchester Eastgate, Itchen Valley and Bishops Waltham.