THE FocusBARRY community group recently hosted an election hustings meeting, with candidates being grilled by members of the public.

In attendance at the West End Club, Barry on Wednesday, April 15 were Alun Cairns (Conservative Party), Chris Elmore (Labour Party), Ian Johnson (Plaid Cymru), Kevin Mahoney (UKIP), David Paul Morgan (Liberal Democratic Party) and Steve Reed (Cannabis is safer than alcohol Party).

Green Party candidate Alan Armstrong was unable to attend due to illness.

The candidates were introduced by FocusBARRY chairman Dennis Harkus and were each given two minutes to answer a set of preselected questions.

A diverse number of questions were also put to the candidates during the open question session. They included engaging with young adults, housing for disabled people, gender balance, the impact of immigration, the NHS, and what is one idea to make Barry better.

Candidates then mingled with members and supporters of FocusBARRY to discuss issues on a one to one basis.

Chair of FocusBARRY, Dennis Harkus said: "All the candidates handled the questions well especially considering the time pressure placed on them.

"They covered both their party’s position and their own personal view on issues. The quality of the questions and answers made it a very interesting and productive event."

Audience member Paul Keeble from Rhoose said he thought that the meeting was very enlightening and that it was a good idea to hold a hustings meeting as many residents were still undecided about who they would vote for.

Tom Cleland from Barry, who will be eligible to vote for the first time in a General Election said: "It was good to see all the main party’s represented.

"It enabled me to gain more knowledge in helping me decide who to vote for."

FocusBARRY member Debra Cleland said: “This is the first time I have attended a hustings meeting and it was good to hear all the candidates give a detailed answer to my question concerning the NHS."