Grantham and Bourne constituency candidates grilled at St Wulfram’s church hustings amid notable absences

General election candidates faced a public grilling last night (Monday), but nearly half of the candidates didn’t show up.

Nearly 150 people attended the hustings for the Grantham and Bourne constituency at St Wulfram’s Church in Grantham.

Charmaine Morgan (Lincs Ind), Gareth Davies (Con), Mike Rudkin (Reform), Anne Gayfer (Green) and Ian Selby (Ind) all intended but Vipul Bechar (Labour), John Vincent (Lib Dem) and Alexander Mitchell (Social Democratic) did not.

After three-minute introductions, the event, which ran from 7.30pm to 9pm, began with an intense exchange on the relevance and impact of independent candidates.

Several people highlighted the absence of certain candidates. One resident noted Labour 'seems to have trouble finding Grantham' before asking about the NHS, a central topic throughout the hustings.

Local business concerns, particularly around support and economic growth, also took centre stage.

One local business owner questioned the candidates about their plans to foster entrepreneurial spirit and support small businesses in Grantham.

Candidates acknowledged the critical role of SMEs in the local economy and highlighted the need for better support systems, stressing their importance to innovation and the workforce.

Environmental issues were not left out, as candidates outlined their visions for sustainable food security.

Questions from the public covered a variety of topics, including the importance of empathy for your neighbours, understanding and supporting local communities, strategies for improving the NHS, addressing infrastructure, and targeted support for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Some tougher questions also covered national issues such as the Conservative betting scandal, candidates elsewhere finding themselves in trouble, opinions on party leaders, and the effectiveness of independent candidates in a party-political parliament.

In what some are calling an immigration election, there was very little talk of illegal immigration, though some focus was hinted at with questions around "loving thy neighbour" and the training of home-grown employees.

Each candidate presented their vision for the future, offering voters a clearer perspective on their choices for the upcoming election.

During the hustings, Gareth Davies was also asked about the Tory betting scandal.

Father Stuart Cradduck, who hosted the meeting, said: “Tonight was a great success with more attendees than last time.

“Everyone behaved well, and it was good for people to ask questions with honest answers from candidates in a neutral space.”

Gareth Davies (Con) paid tribute to all the candidates: “This is the best opportunity that we have to get close to the electorate in addition to all the door-knocking that we do.

“It was a great pleasure to be here and important that candidates are held to account.”

He encouraged people to look at the manifestos for each party.

Ian Selby (Ind) said it was “disappointing” that not all candidates were there.

“It’s nice to be able to come here to answer the public’s questions and increase public engagement for the community.”

Charmaine Morgan (Lincolnshire Independents) said the event was 'well organised’.

“It was exciting to speak and listen to everyone’s questions,” she said.

“I am shocked that some candidates weren’t here tonight; I think that was a dreadful omission on their part, but overall it was a really well-run event.”

Mike Rudkin (Reform) said his first hustings had gone “really well”.

“We had some great questions, a fantastic audience, and it was compered very well by Father Stuart. I really enjoyed it.”

Anne Gayfer (Green) said it was good to meet the other candidates and that a “very interesting set of policies” were put in front of the audience, both locally and nationally.

She added: “One of the things that was really great to see was all the young people that attended because we need to get the younger generation voting.”

Candidates standing in the Grantham and Bourne constituency are Gareth Davies (Conservative), Vipul Bechar (Labour), John Vincent (Lib Dem), Anne Gayfer (Green), Mike Rudkin (Reform UK), Alexander Mitchell (Social Democratic Party), Charmaine Morgan (Lincolnshire Independents), and Ian Selby (Independent).