Electors in the Penrith South ward will head to the polls next Thursday to elect a new councillor to represent them on Westmorland and Furness Council for the next 13 months.
Ahead of the vote, a meet-the-candidates Q&A event was organised by local resident Jeff Thomson and held at the Castle Town Community Centre on Thursday evening to give voters the opportunity to question those standing in the by-election.
All four candidates were invited to attend the event, which got underway at 7pm. However, only the Conservative candidate Maiki Tolmie and the Reform UK candidate Michael Houston were present on the night.
The Green Party candidate Emilia Hoffmann and Liberal Democrat candidates Barbara Jayson did not attend, although spaces had been set out for each of the four candidates.
Despite a relatively small audience, the two candidates faced a series of questions from members of the public in a session that lasted just over an hour.
Both candidates began the evening with opening statements before answering questions from residents. Topics raised included how councillors should engage with the public, dealing with issues such as litter, and improving local council services.
One discussion focused on the role of young people in politics. The Reform UK candidate said he did not agree with appointing 18- and 19-year-olds as councillors, suggesting young people should instead engage with politics through student unions.
The Conservative candidate said he believed young people should be encouraged to get involved in local politics and should have the opportunity to serve as councillors.
Both candidates also emphasised that although they are standing for national political parties, their campaigns in the by-election are focused on local issues affecting residents in the ward.
During the discussion, the Reform UK candidate also referred to aspects of national politics within his own party as “dog whistle politics” while the conservative candidate said that he believed his party was back on track.
Both candidates said that if elected they would hold regular ward surgeries and listen to concerns from the local community.
Voting in the Penrith South by-election will take place next Thursday and the four candidates standing are:
Emilia Louise Hoffmann – The Green Party
Michael John Houston – ReformUK
Barbara Jayson – Liberal Democrat
Maiki Tolmie – The Conservative and Unionist Party
You can read more about each candidate in our by election candidate feature Meet the Candidates
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