Lancaster council candidates campaign at Politics Society event

The event was an open forum where students could ask candidates what they would do if elected


Students gathered in the Faraday lecture theatre Tuesday November 9th to listen to candidates for the upcoming University and Scotforth Rural by-election run through their manifestos.

The candidates also answered any prospective questions that the audience had.

The contenders in attendance included Fabiha Askari of the Labour Party, Matthew Maxwell-Scott of the Conservatives, Jamie Payne from the Greens and Zanna Ashton of the Liberal Democrats.

The event, hosted by Lancaster University Politics Society in collaboration with LUSU, was in a “Question Time”-style format and live-streamed by LA1TV for those who could not attend in person.

Candidates began with initial, minute-long remarks, after which the floor was opened to audience questions, with topics ranging from student safety, to Covid-19, to the proposed Bailrigg Garden Village housing project.

All of the prospective councillors were allotted 45-seconds to answer any questions asked which allowed answers to remain concise and to the point. Once queries had been responded to, the nominees were permitted to provide closing statements, where they could reiterate their policy and address any last-minute concerns.

The session opened and closed with an opinion poll, denoting whom the audience intended to vote for.

In both instances, Ms. Askari from the Labour party was the front runner, holding a share of just under 50 per cent of the vote in the closing poll, with Mr. Maxwell-Scott of the Conservatives placing second with around 25 per cent of the vote.

For anyone wishing to vote, the election takes place on Thursday 11th November, with voting open between 7 am and 10 pm.

Polling stations on campus include the Chaplaincy Centre and Barker House Farm. Anyone wishing to attend events such as this in the future should follow LU Politics Society on Facebook or Instagram

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