The general election is scheduled for July 4th, and a pre-election hustings for Oxford West & Abingdon provided voters with a chance to hear from the candidates. The hustings, organized by the Church in Abingdon, took place last Friday at Abingdon Baptist Church and was live-streamed. You can watch a recording at https://www.youtube.com/live/3VCJuzWwhGk.

Each candidate had an opportunity to introduce themselves (from 20 minutes 00 seconds into the recording):

Anni Byard – Social Democratic
Chris Goodall – Green
James Gunn – Reform UK
Layla Moran – Liberal Democratic
Vinay Raniga – Conservative
Ian Shelley – Christian Peoples Alliance
Stephen Webb – Labour
Josh Phillips, an Independent candidate, was absent.

The event featured questions addressing various national and local issues:
* Food Banks: Discussing strategies to eliminate the need for them (from 37:11).
* Top Concerns: Identify the three most important issues the electorate are concerned about (from 50:26).
* Assisted Dying: Sharing views on this matter of individual conscience (from 59:07).
* Abingdon Reservoir: Addressing the need for a public inquiry (from 1:07:50).
* Solar Farm at Botley West: Stating their positions on this project (from 1:15:38).
* Community Contributions: Highlighting their contributions over the past five years and future plans if elected (from 1:27:30).
* 20 MPH Rollout: Opinions on the implementation of this speed limit (from 1:38:12).
* Immigration: Discussing the need for a timely, affordable, and fair path to citizenship (from 1:47:56).
* Climate Change: Proposing national and local actions for drastic climate measures (from 1:57:00).
* Military Spending vs. Diplomacy: Debating the balance between increased military spending and diplomacy (from 2:07:22).

All candidates agreed on the necessity of a public inquiry into the Abingdon Reservoir. The chairman, Chris Bryan, said this was the first time in his memory that all the candidates had agreed on an issue.

In terms of what three issues the electorate are most concerned about:
James Gunn – Reform UK: Cost of Living, NHS Waiting Lists, Net Zero will crash the economy
Layla Moran – Liberal Democratic: NHS GP appointments, Cost of Living, Sewage scandal
Vinay Raniga – Conservative: Cost of Living, Public Sector Reform (NHS), Immigration
Ian Shelley – Christian Peoples Alliance: Immigration, Free Speech, Economy
Stephen Webb – Labour: NHS GP appointments, Cost of Living, Affordable Housing (younger people)
Anni Byard – Social Democratic: Cost of Living, Environment, Affordable Housing (younger people)
Chris Goodall – Green: Nature and Climate, NHS, Palestine