Selby candidates prepare for Question Time grilling

Five of the six candidates vying to become Selby’s next MP are making final preparations ahead of tonight's Question Time showdown.

The prospective parliamentary candidates are each set to pitch for the job in front of members the electorate in a special hustings event, organised by Churches Together in Selby, from 7 o’clock this evening inside Selby Abbey.

The event's main panel will consist of candidates representing parties that held seats in the previous parliament. They are Conservative Nigel Adams, Labour’s Dr. Mark Hayes, Colin Heath for the UK Independence Party and Ian Richards for the Greens. One additional candidate, Ian Wilson for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, will also be taking part in the evening, but will have a more limited role.

Nicola Turner of the Liberal Democrats is unable to attend.

The evening will be split into three parts, beginning with the candidates’ opening statements at 7pm. Following this, pre-submitted questions will be put to each candidate with discussion and audience responses to be moderated by Bishop John Thomson, the Bishop of Selby.

Wrapping up the evening, the candidates will each have a chance to give a two minute closing statement. This will allow all candidates to make their final pitch to the voters based on the policies of their respective party.

The Selebian will be giving full blow-by-blow coverage of the event, giving those who are not able to attend to follow proceedings from home or on their mobiles.

Our rolling ‘live blog’ will be updated with real-time quotes, questions, photos and reaction throughout the evening. Anybody at the event or at home is invited to join the debate by using the twitter hashtag #SelbyDecides or using facebook to comment directly on the live blog page.

We are also planning to stream the whole event live via our website for those unable to attend in person tonight. It will the first time in the history of democracy in Selby that such an event has been broadcast to a home audience.

The candidates are:

Polling will take place on May 7 between 7 am and 10 pm.

Residents who are not already registered to vote are encouraged to do so by contacting Selby District Council or visiting www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. All voters must be registered by April 20th.