VOTERS have the chance to put their own questions to general election candidates over the next seven days, as local churches play host to hustings events.

With candidates from a variety of parties battling it out for votes in the Keighley, Leeds North West, Pudsey and Shipley constituencies in next month’s election, churches in the area have offered a neutral ground for them to field questions on matters that matter most locally.

Horsforth Churches Together will host the first election hustings in the area, this Sunday at St Margaret’s Church Hall, near Hall Park.

The 90-minute event will give members of the public an opportunity to question candidates in the Pudsey constituency, which covers Horsforth and part of Aireborough, as well as the Pudsey area itself.

Doors will open at 2.30pm for a 3pm start. There will be light refreshments served before 2.50pm and an optional exit poll will be taken and published on the churches together website to gauge public opinion.

Churches Together in Burley and Menston are teaming up to present a political hustings in Burley-in-Wharfedale next Monday night for voters in the Shipley Constituency.

The meeting will be held in St Mary’s Parish Church, Main Street, Burley, starting at 7.30pm. Organisers say they have candidates from the Conservative, Labour, Green and Yorkshire First parties currently attending, and hope to have a representative of the Liberal Democrats attending too. They have invited UKIP’s candidate to attend.

Anyone who would like to ask a question is asked to e-mail it to the parish office by tomorrow at parish.office@stmaryspc.co.uk.

Specific questions will be selected from those submitted to avoid duplication.

All the main candidates standing for election in the Keighley Constituency have been invited to a hustings by Churches Together in Ilkley. The event will be held next Wednesday at Ben Rhydding Methodist Church Hall, on the corner of Wheatley Lane and Ben Rhydding Drive. It will begin at 7.30pm.

Questions have been suggested by members of the public and will be chosen to reflect a wide range of concerns. Everyone is welcome to attend to this free event.

The following night, it will be the turn of voters in the Otley area to meet candidates standing in the Leeds North West constituency.

Churches Together in Otley will host a General Election Forum and are asking for questions to put to the politicians.

Liberal Democrat Greg Mulholland will be taking part in the event along with fellow contestants for the Leeds North West seat – Alex Story, Conservative; Alex Sobel, Labour; Tim Goodall, Green; Julian Metcalfe, UKIP; Bob Buxton, Yorkshire First; Mark Flanagan, Above and Beyond; and Mike Davies, Alliance for Green Socialism.

The event will take place at 7.30pm on Thursday, April 23, at Otley Parish Church, Kirkgate. It will be chaired by Father Lawrie Hulme.

Churches Together are inviting written questions. They should be submitted as soon as possible and no later than April 21. Email otley.community@uku.co.uk or send to Otley Town Council Resource Centre (addressed to Election Forum).