Students to grill election candidates

A student hustings will give young people in Oldham the chance to ask questions face to face with parliamentary candidates for the Oldham West and Royton by-election.

Oldham College has joined forced with the Oldham Evening Chronicle to stage the event at Grange Theatre tomorrow (10.30-11.30am) and other Oldham schools have been invited to attend.

It will allow students to question the prospective MPs about issues that matter to them.

Kyle Chapburn, a first time voter and Oldham College apprentice said: “I’m pretty sure who I am going to vote for but I’m really interested to hear the candidates’ views on a range of issues including public transport, as my apprenticeship is a partnership between Oldham College and First Group.”

Alun Francis, principal of Oldham College said: “Democracy and British values are at the heart of our curriculum so it is important that we give the young people of Oldham every opportunity and encouragement to become active, engaged citizens who participate in elections, hence staging the hustings.”

David Whaley, managing editor of the Oldham Evening Chronicle, said: “We have been involved in hustings before — we did one for the Woolas by-election — so we are delighted to get the main players together to air their views.

“It is important that our young voters get to understand what is at stake and to encourage them to take part. All too many citizens do not bother to vote and this is deeply damaging to the democratic process.”

There are plans to stream the hustings on the Oldham College’s YouTube channel — TheOldhamCollege — and there will be full coverage of proceedings in Wednesday’s newspaper and on the Chronicle website www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk.