Climate Action Ilkley has invited members of the public to grill election candidates for both the Ilkley Town Council and Bradford District Council.
On 4th May the first elections to Ilkley Town Council since 2019 will be held with all 14 seats being up for election, alongside elections for Bradford District Council, where 1 Ilkley/Ben Rhydding seat will be awarded.
Climate Action Ilkley has again convened a hustings focused on the environment, this year’s event will be at the Clarke Foley Centre at 7.30pm on Wednesday 19th April. It will allow members of the public to interrogate those standing for election about their stance on issues related to this wide-ranging topic.
The Town Council currently has five Conservative councillors, four Greens, three Lib Dems, and two independents; the District Council seat is currently held by the Conservatives. All of these parties, along with Labour and Ilkley Community Alliance, will be represented at the event.
Currently these candidates have confirmed they will attend:
Conservative Party: Andrew Loy (existing CBMDC councillor), ITC candidate
Green Party: Ros Brown, CBMDC candidate
Labour Party: Amanda Simmonds, ITC candidate; Nick Ryle, ITC candidate
Liberal Democrats: Pauline Allon, ITC candidate
Ilkley Community Alliance: Kath Steward, ITC candidate; Ian Smith, ITC candidate
Independent: Will McBain, ITC candidate
The event will be chaired by Steve Peel, a trustee for the Climate Action Ilkley, who said, “The climate and ecological emergency is the defining issue of our times. In their most recent IPCC report, the world’s leading scientists said that only rapid and drastic action can avert irrevocable damage to the world. This is going to affect every aspect of our lives from how we heat our homes to how we get around to what we eat. As the UN secretary general said: ‘Our world needs climate action on all fronts: everything, everywhere, all at once.’ So it’s vital we get the chance to understand candidates’ views before we vote.”
Those wishing to attend are asked to register at: eventbrite.co.uk/e/climate-and-ecological-hustings-tickets-598561281907
Questions for candidates received before the event will be given priority and can be submitted through this online form: https://tinyurl.com/3ch8ua8e