Election hustings in Chelmsley Wood this Friday

CANDIDATES standing in the General Election will have chance to put their case directly to voters at a special debate in Chelmsley Wood.
The hustings, taking place less than a week before polling day, will be one of the last opportunities for the five hopefuls to sway undecided voters.
In Meriden, the constituency which includes North Solihull, Conservative Caroline Spelman is the clear favourite – having turned a wafer-thin majority in 1997 into a close to 20,000 vote advantage two years ago.
Perhaps surprisingly, given the extent to which the Tories have put the emphasis on Brexit negotiations nationally, Mrs Spelman has thus far fought a campaign very much centred on local issues.
In a pitch to voters, she said: “With your support, I will continue to fight for fairer school funding, to protect the Meriden Gap - which remains under pressure for development, defend local NHS services and, work to make sure no one feels left behind or disadvantaged in our community.”
Her main challenger is likely to be Labour’s Tom McNeil, a lawyer and human rights activist who was also the party’s candidate in the 2015 General Election.
“The message I’ll be spreading in Meriden... is that we should invest today for a fairer tomorrow,” he tweeted earlier this month.
Mr McNeil will be hoping that local anger over the state of public services will rack up votes in areas where Labour support has been in steady decline.
The Green Party have also backed a candidate from the election two years ago, confirming that teacher Alison Gavin will stand again.
While the party holds every council seat in Chelmsley Wood and Smith’s Wood, it has fared less well in Parliamentary elections and lost its deposit last time. Mrs Gavin is confident, however, that their message can resonate on the doorstep.
She said: “Whether it’s speaking out against racism, advocating the living wage or defending our NHS, the Green Party has a proud history of bold thinking that our country now needs.”
UKIP’s candidate is Leslie Kaye, who is hoping to capitalise on concerns over HS2 and development of local parkland, although the national polling suggests that much of the party’s support base has flocked to the Tories.
“I will work hard to represent your views and interests in Westminster, not like other parties, to impose Westminster policy on Meriden,” he said.
The Lib Dems will be pinning their hopes on local businessman Antony Rogers who is described by local activists as having “great initiative and drive.”
Meriden has not traditionally been fertile ground for the party and at present they don’t have a single councillor in the constituency. That said, they may find themselves best placed to draw support from the sizeable minority of voters who supported ‘Remain’ in the EU referendum.
The hustings will take place at the Three Trees Centre on Friday, June 2 (6.30-8.00pm). Questions can be submitted in advance to alan@3trees.org.uk