A General Election hustings for the Vauxhall constituency has been called by Steve Coulson, the Vicar of St. Mark’s Kennington, and Chair of the Friends of St. Mark’s Churchyard. The outdoor event will take place at St Mark’s on 18 April as part of the popular Oval Farmer’s Market.
Oval Farmers Market
The Vicar observes: “You will know the extraordinary historic link that Kennington Park has with open air democracy, and the Friends sought to maintain that tradition by hosting open air hustings for last year’s Council elections. There were a good number of the public attending the Saturday morning market who appreciated that opportunity to meet candidates.”
St Mark’s Church, Kennington
The site is of great historical interest. St Mark’s stands on the site of 16th Century gallows. Hopefully the hustings on 18 April should be slightly kinder on any candidate who might be slightly economical with the truth.
The Chartists movement also has a strong Kennington presence. The grand gathering of April 1848 took place across the road on what is now Kennington Park.
The format for the outdoors gathering is familiar: three minutes for each candidate to make a pitch, and then Q & A’s from the electorate.
Vauxhall constituency covers Bishops, Clapham Town, Ferndale, Larkhall, Oval, Princes, Stockwell and Vassall wards. The seat has been held by Kate Hoey MP since 1989. The 2015 General election will be the seventh that she has contested in the constituency. In 2010 her majority over the Liberal Democrats was 10,651.
Nine candidates have so far declared their candidacy. The final list of runners and riders is due to be declared by the Returning Officer at Lambeth Council on 9 April.
Take your pick from the diverse:
James Bellis – Conservative Party
The Great Chartist Meeting on Kennington Common 1848
Adrian Trett – Liberal Democrats
Ace Nnorom – UK Independence Party (UKIP)
Gulnar Hasnain – Green Party
Kate Hoey – Labour Party
Mark Chapman – Pirate Party UK
Simon Hardy – Left Unity
Daniel Lambert – Socialist Party of Great Britain
Waleed Ghani – Whig Party
The hustings is due to start at 11am, running through to 12:30pm.
Remember – you have until 20 April to register to vote.