South Yorkshire Mayor candidates to face voters in upcoming hustings event

Taking place at Doncaster College, this will be an opportunity for attendees to hear from those who are running to be Mayor of South Yorkshire this year.

For context, a similar forum was organised back in 2022, when the mayoral post was last up for election. Here, the then-aspiring candidates had a platform to explain their respective visions, priorities and plans for the region, before fielding questions from an audience comprised of local businesses.

In a nutshell, it was a chance for delegates to get to know their prospective mayors so that they could then make a more informed decision about who they wanted to vote for come election day.

Oliver Coppard emerged as the successful candidate in 2022 and, under normal circumstances, this would mean that he would only be halfway through his term right now. However, because the remit of the South Yorkshire Metro Mayor will soon be expanding (to take on additional Police and Crime Commissioner powers) it must once again be put to a vote.

As such, yet another hustings event is now being convened, which will this time take place on Friday the 19th of April. Once again, it will be an opportunity for attendees to learn more about those who have put themselves forward to be Mayor of South Yorkshire. In addition to this, they will also be able to take part in a lively Q&A session; where they can pose their burning questions directly to candidates and raise any concerns that they think ought to be on the radar of whomever gets elected.

Encouraging businesses and prospective candidates to attend this event, Dan Fell, Chief Exec of Doncaster Chamber, said: “It’s vital that our region’s Mayor be attuned to the needs and wants of the local business community. After all, they will play an instrumental role in shaping South Yorkshire’s infrastructure and economy in the years to come.

“Now that they are also taking on Police and Crime Commissioner responsibilities, they will no doubt be instrumental in tackling issues like antisocial behaviour, theft, and cybercrime, which we know to be major concerns for many of our members as well.

“With that in mind, this hustings event is a great opportunity for businesses to really get a feel for the prospective mayors and to make sure their voice is being heard by them too. Meanwhile, for the candidates themselves it is a chance to find out what’s important for their future constituents and how they can better represent them. We are therefore urging businesses and candidates alike to attend, so that the conversation here can be as productive as possible.”

Organised in partnership between the three South Yorkshire Chambers, FSB, CBI and Make UK, the hustings will take place on Friday the 19th of April, starting at 9am. More information, and the actual link to book onto the event, can be found here https://business.doncaster-chamber.co.uk/events/details/south-yorkshire-mayoral-hustings-9152?calendarMonth=2024-04-01.