Packed hustings puts Eastbourne poverty top of the agenda

A packed question and answer event organised by Eastbourne Foodbank gave members of the public the chance to quiz the town’s election candidates on issues such as the cost of living, the shortage of social housing, and the need for welfare reform.

The event was held at St Elisabeth’s Church on Tuesday (25 June) and more than 120 people attended. All six Eastbourne election candidates: Caroline Ansell (Con), Mark Ashdown (Reform), Josh Babarinde (LibDem), Ian Garbutt (UKIP), Mike Munson (Green), and Paul Richards (Lab) answered questions posed by foodbank clients, members of the public, and from those attending.

Juliet Mead, Eastbourne Foodbank’s Campaigns Manager said: “It was a superb turn-out from foodbank clients, volunteers and other members of the public, and we’re really grateful to the candidates for coming along.

“It’s the first time we’ve held such an event and we wanted to make sure that the very real issues of poverty and hardship in Eastbourne were put at the heart of the pre-election debate. It really achieved that. It enabled some really good questions about welfare reform, the cost of living crisis, rising rents, and the lack of social housing. Whoever is elected, these issues will remain after 4 July, and will need to be addressed urgently.”

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