Hindu Forum (Walsall) held an event to encourage the community to get actively involved and contribute to the social, cultural and economic life in Walsall and surrounding areas from diverse groups.
The President of the Hindu Forum, Ashvin Patel, and a 20 year old medical student Vikram Patel, chaired the hustings which was in the style of BBC’s Question Time. Five of the candidates were available for the debate on the day: Andy Street (Cons), Sion Simon (Lab), Pete Durnell (UKIP), James Burn (Green) and Graham Stevenson (Communist).
This event allowed first hand questions from the community to be answered and addressed the questions raised by the community by our future potential ‘Regional Mayor’.
The event was held at Venue: Shree Ram Mandir (Temple), Ford Street, Pleck Walsall, West Midlands. WS2 9BW.
Date: Sunday 30th April 2017. Time: 4-6.00pm. Attended by 150+ from Walsall and surrounding areas.
Streamed live to an audience of 50+….
Hindu Forum of Walsall Team with James Burn (Green Party), Andy Street (Conservative Party), Pete Durnell (UKIP ), Graham Stevenson (Communist Party), Sion Simon (Labour Party),
Questions like:
“How will you represent the Hindu community”
“How will you deal with Brexit”
“How will you ensure community cohesion via community centers”
were presented to the candidates.
The Mayoral position is a new one – the elected Mayor will have a £8bn budget to cover Housing, Transport and Jobs & Skills. The Hindu Forum’s hustings was a unique programme with a key objective to encourage the Hindu community in Walsall and surrounding areas to get engaged with Local, Regional and National Elections.
Ashvin Patel was quoted saying in the press release:
“It is astonishing that we are the least engaged community despite being one of the most successful and integrated. I hope that the hustings will go some way in inspiring people to get involved in local politics – such as joining a party and standing for Council elections next year.”
Congratulations: Andy Street (Conservative) who has now been successfully elected West Midlands Regional Mayor on the 4th of May 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdHeU_44C74
Some more pictures from the event:
