Council Leader Paul Spooner to Appear at Monday Evening’s Hustings

Published on: 14 Apr, 2019
Updated on: 14 Apr, 2019

Controversial Guildford Borough Council leader, Paul Spooner will represent the Conservatives at the hustings for the most unpredictable election in many years. All other political parties now on the council will also be represented.

The hustings, organised by The Guildford Dragon NEWS, will be chaired by its editor, Martin Giles, and held at the Guildford United Reformed Church, Portsmouth Road, Guildford GU2 4BS.

Modelled on the BBC Question Time format, the audience will be asked, when they arrive, to write their question before the panel convenes.

Questions for the panellists will be selected from those submitted. We expect the event to last about one and a half hours. A vigorous but civilised debate is expected.

The panel will comprise: Paul Spooner (Con), Susan Parker (GGG), Anne Rouse (Lab), George Potter (Lib Dem), and Joss Bigmore Ind Alliance/R4GV

Other panellists are: George Potter, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Burpham, Susan Parker, the outspoken founding member of the Guildford Greenbelt Group and a candidate for the Send ward, Joss Bigmore, one of the driving forces behind the new Independent Alliance/Residents for Guildford and Villages and a candidate for the Christchurch ward and Anne Rouse, vice chair of the Guildford Labour Party, candidate for the Stoughton ward and part of the team last year to agree the national party’s position on Brexit at their conference last year.

Questions could be posed on any number of local topics. The unpredictable election on May 2 will be fascinating with national factors, including Brexit, of course, at play while the Local Plan is probably the main Local issue.

Other possibilities on the question papers could be the development in the town centre or the high street retail crisis. Or our heritage assets in the town and how we can best use them.

If you want to pose a question, please come to the Guildford United Reformed Church, Portsmouth Road, Guildford GU2 4BS this coming Monday, April 15 at 7.30pm.

We look forward to a lively debate.

Responses to Council Leader Paul Spooner to Appear at Monday Evening’s Hustings

Jules Cranwell Reply

April 14, 2019 at 4:18 pm

Unfortunately, I cannot attend due to travel commitments. However, there is a question I would want to pose to Cllr Spooner, which perhaps someone could pose for me.

“Does Spooner believe it was proper and appropriate for him and Cllr Furniss to collaborate with a developer and SCC to promote the Garden Village at Wisley?”