Blackpool North and Fleetwood hustings launched

Residents in the new Blackpool North and Fleetwood constituency are being given the chance to put the area’s prospective MPs on the spot ahead of the general election. The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is co-hosting a hustings event on Wednesday, June 26 – a chance for you to hear from the candidates vying for your vote in the constituency, all eight of whom have been invited to take part.

It will be staged at The Venue in Cleveleys on Wednesday, June 26, between 7pm and 9pm (doors open at 6.30pm). If you would like to attend and ask a question on local or national issues, you need to register via this link.

Places are limited and allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. If you can’t make it in person, you can still put a poser to the people who want to represent you in Parliament.

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Just keep an eye on the Facebook and X/Twitter pages of the media titles that have teamed up to host the gathering – the Blackpool Gazette and Blackpool Lead – in the coming days, where you will be able to submit your questions. A flavour of the answers – and a video of the full debate, hosted by local democracy reporter Shelagh Parkinson – will be available in LDRS coverage of the hustings late next week.

The organisers of the event, which is being staged in conjunction with Shelter Lancashire, are encouraging voters to get involved – regardless of whether or not they have made up their minds about where they will be placing their cross at next month’s poll.

The Blackpool Gazette’s digital editor Vanessa Sims said: “It’s great to be teaming up with the Blackpool Lead on an event that will give the people of Blackpool North and Fleetwood the opportunity to hear directly what candidates think on the issues important to them ahead of the election. This is your chance to hear firsthand what their priorities will be if they get elected.”

Luke Beardsworth, senior editor (North) for The Lead, said the hustings will help residents make sense of an election “that came sooner than many of us expected”.

“Anything that can help people feel empowered by the process of democracy – and to make an informed decision on who to give their vote – is a really important step. Plenty of people will consider their mind made up on who they vote for – and plenty won’t. Either way, this will be the best chance to make up your mind on who deserves your vote on 4th July.”

Meanwhile, community organiser for Shelter Lancashire, Hope Barnes, said: “Ending the housing emergency must be a key priority for whoever wants to be elected in Blackpool. The devastating effects of the broken housing system are felt every day in this town, where landlords make money from homes that are making people sick, and kids grow up in temporary accommodation because no genuinely affordable social housing is being built.

“Take the fact that only one social home has been built in Blackpool in the last 10 years! In this election, campaigners are clearly stating that they will be voting for home – and are eager to hear urgent solutions from everyone who is a candidate to be a future MP”

AM I IN THE BLACKPOOL NORTH AND FLEETWOOD CONSTITUENCY?

The new Blackpool North and Fleetwood constituency – which resurrects a seat that previously existed between 1997 and 2010 – replaces the now defunct Blackpool North and Cleveleys seat, but also takes in parts of the axed Lancaster and Fleetwood, and Wyre and Preston North constituencies.

The Carleton and Stanah wards will move in from Wyre and Preston North, along with the central and southern parts of the Marsh Mill ward that are not already part of Blackpool North and Cleveleys.

Meanwhile, the Park, Pharos, Rossall and Warren wards will join from Lancaster and Fleetwood. The Claremont, Clayton, Park (different to the aforementioned) and Warbreck wards will shift into Blackpool South.

WHO CAN I VOTE FOR?

The full list of candidates standing in the Blackpool North and Fleetwood constituency is:

Dan Barker – Reform UK

Lorraine Beavers – Labour Party

Jan Creswell – Social Democratic Party

Gita Gordon – Independent

Bill Greene – Liberal Democrats

Paul Maynard – Conservative Party

Tina Rothery – Green Party

James Rust – The Official Monster Raving Loony Party