South Ribble general election hustings to be held in Penwortham

South Ribble residents are being given the chance to put the borough’s prospective MPs on the spot ahead of the general election.

Blog Preston is teaming up with the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Lancashire Post and Lancashire Lead to host a hustings event on Thursday 27 June.

It’s a chance for you to hear from the candidates vying for your vote in the constituency, all five of whom have been invited to take part.

It will be staged at Penwortham Golf Club between 7pm and 9pm (doors open at 6.30pm). Address is Blundell Ln, Penwortham, Preston, PR1 0AX.

If you would like to attend and ask a question on local or national issues, you need to register using the form below or follow this link to view it.

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. Just keep an eye on the Facebook and X/Twitter pages of the media titles that have teamed up to host the gathering – the Lancashire Post, the Lancashire Lead and Blog Preston – 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 Paul Faulkner – will be available in LDRS coverage of the hustings next week.

The organisers of the event 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. It is the latest hustings to be held jointly by the city’s media, following the general election hustings in Preston on Monday evening.

The Lancashire Post’s digital editor Vanessa Sims said: “It’s great to be teaming up with Blog Preston and The Lancashire Lead on an event that will give the people of South Ribble the opportunity to hear directly what candidates think on the issues important to them ahead of the election.

“This is your chance to hear first hand 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, founder of Blog Preston CIC and co-editor, Ed Walker, added: “The level of debate online about elections can be increasingly hostile, so it’s important people have a safe, moderated and fair space to hear directly from candidates.

“We are glad to be working with the Post and The Lead to put on this event to ensure candidates are asked the tough questions and see how they fare when faced with real people asking about real issues.”

Am I in the South Ribble constituency?

Electoral boundaries mean that the South Ribble constituency is not exactly the same as the South Ribble Borough Council area. Here’s how the two differ:

The wards of Bamber Bridge East, Bamber Bridge West, Coupe Green and Gregson Lane, Lostock Hall, Samlesbury and Walton, Walton-le-Dale East and Walton-le-Dale West are in the Ribble Valley constituency.

There have also been changes to the parliamentary boundaries since the last general election which mean that Farington East and Farington West have moved into the South Ribble seat from their previous home in Ribble Valley.

The South Ribble constituency also contains some parts of the Chorley Council patch – namely the Croston, Mawdesley and Euxton South ward and the Eccleston, Heskin and Charnock Richard ward, which is now entirely in the South Ribble parliamentary seat, having previously been only partially within its borders.

Meanwhile, Hesketh-with-Becconsall, North Meols and Tarleton in the West Lancashire Council area have moved from the South Ribble constituency into an expanded Southport seat.

Who can I vote for?

The full list of candidates standing in the South Ribble constituency is:

Katherine Fletcher – Conservative Party
Paul Foster – Labour Party
Andy Hunter – Reform UK
Stephani Mok – Green Party
Ange Turner – Liberal Democrats

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