Election candidates put in the spotlight by Eastbourne Foodbank

Residents will get the chance to quiz the town’s general election candidates at a public event organised by Eastbourne Foodbank.

The hustings event has been arranged by foodbank to give everyone, including foodbank clients struggling with hardship, the chance to grill the general election candidates. The lunchtime event takes place at St Elisabeth’s Church in Victoria Drive next Tuesday (25 June).

Eastbourne Foodbank’s Campaigns Manager, Juliet Mead, said: “We believe it’s really important everyone gets the chance to understand exactly what the candidates stand for, and how they would tackle the cost of living issues that matter most to the town.

“We know from surveys we’ve carried out in town, and from speaking to clients getting support from foodbank, that poverty, the cost of energy and food, lack of social housing and rising rents are all among the issues causing greatest hardship.”

All six of the Eastbourne general election candidates have been invited to attend the one-hour event which kicks off at 12.30pm.

Juliet added: “Over the past couple of weeks we’ve been working hard to ensure foodbank clients know how to register to vote and know what photo ID they need. Now we want to give people the opportunity to find out what the candidates and their parties stand for . We absolutely are not telling people how to vote, we just believe no-one should be marginalised and everyone should be able to have their say.”

She said Eastbourne Foodbank also wanted to make sure the candidates had every opportunity to explain their views and their policies to all sections of the local community.

“This is a public event and everyone is welcome, not just foodbank clients. The questions will come from those people attending and we’ll try to get through as many as we possibly can. We expect it to be really popular so we’d encourage people to make sure they arrive in good time.” Juliet said.

The hustings event will be chaired by Richard Garland, the independent chair of the Eastbourne Town Board, and structured to give all the candidates a fair opportunity to reply to the questions. As it’s over lunchtime, a free pizza lunch will be provided for those attending on a first come first served basis.

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