On Saturday 18th April, Swansea City of Sanctuary hosted a Swansea Hustings, bringing together community members and local candidates to discuss the issues that matter most to people in our city. 

With over 90 people registering to attend, the event demonstrated a strong appetite for open dialogue and civic participation. Events like this are an important opportunity for the general public to engage directly with politics, ask questions, and make their voices heard. At a time when many people feel disconnected from political processes, creating welcoming spaces for respectful discussion is more important than ever.

The hustings was expertly chaired by Professor Matt Wall from Swansea University, a specialist in the study of elections and political campaigns and lead for the Welsh Election Study. His experience and knowledge helped guide the discussion, ensuring that each candidate had equal opportunity to speak and that audience questions were handled in a fair and structured way.

We were kindly supported by Climate Cymru and Hope for the Future for this event. 

Climate Cymru brings together people and organisations across Wales to call for urgent action on the climate and nature emergencies. Through campaigns like Cymru Together, they help amplify community voices and push for a fairer, greener future. You can find out more on the Climate Cymru website. 

Hope for the Future is a UK-wide charity that helps communities engage with their elected representatives on climate issues. They provide training and support to help people confidently speak to politicians and influence positive change. Find out more on the Hope for the Future website.

What is a Hustings?

A hustings is a meeting where election candidates or parties debate policies and answer questions from the audience. Hustings provide voters with an opportunity to hear the views of candidates or parties and to better understand how their priorities align with those standing for election.

When all candidates or parties standing are invited, a hustings does not promote any particular candidate or party because each candidate has the same opportunity to speak and be questioned.

For this event, all candidates standing in the local Gŵyr/Abertawe and Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd constituencies were invited to attend, ensuring a balanced and fair platform for discussion.

Candidates who attended

We were pleased to welcome candidates representing a wide range of political parties, offering attendees the chance to hear directly from those seeking to represent their communities:

• Plaid Cymru – Dr Gwyn Williams
• Welsh Labour – Cllr Rebecca Fogarty
• Welsh Liberal Democrats – Cllr Helen Ceri Clarke
• Welsh Conservatives – Idin Ghotbi
• Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition – Ben Golightly
• Wales Green Party – Lilian Martin

Each candidate shared their perspectives on key issues and responded to questions from the audience, contributing to an informative discussion.

Questions, discussion, and quick-fire rounds

The event kicked off with Professor Wall laying out the ground rules of keeping to time and respecting all contributions. He then invited the candidates to give opening remarks, to give attendees an idea of what they stand for, their backgrounds, and their parties’ positions on both climate and sanctuary issues.

Professor Wall then gave them three rounds of questions selected from those submitted by the  attendees prior to the event. The rounds focused on sanctuary issues, climate issues, and ended with a quick-fire round. Attendees were invited to pose their own questions directly to the candidates, creating a lively and engaged atmosphere.

The quick-fire round was a highlight, with candidates picking two questions each out of a Welsh bucket hat and responding on the fly. 

After this, candidates gave individual closing statements before SCoS Co-chair Tom Avery brought the formal proceedings to a close. Lots of the candidates were kind enough to stay and continue conversations with the public.

Reflections from the day

The feedback from the event has been overwhelmingly positive. We were particularly encouraged to see that 100% of feedback responses said they felt welcome, reinforcing the importance of creating inclusive and respectful spaces for all. One of our volunteers said “I was very happy and excited, and I got more experience and got the answers for my questions I asked – to be honest with you, I want to be a permanent volunteer with you guys!”. Other feedback commented on how well-organised the event and its format was, how well-attended, and how important it was to hear from and interact with candidates. We also had a few people saying they now know who they want to vote for!

Putting this event together was a lot of work, and we couldn’t have done it without a committed team of SCoS volunteers. Special thanks go to ILA Wales and African Community Centre for their contributions and support, as well as the SCoS Advisory Group for their input into the event. Thanks also go to Climate Cymru and Hope for the Future for supporting our event and other hustings across Wales, and to Urban HQ for hosting us so smoothly!

Did you attend? 

Let us know what you think! You can still provide feedback on the event via our short online survey.