A hustings is set to be held for candidates hoping to win over voters in the Kent County Council elections next month.

The event will take place at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) tomorrow evening (April 23), and will see candidates from the major parties debate and set out their stall.

The representatives attending are:

Cllr Alex Ricketts - Liberal Democrat candidate for Canterbury North
Cllr Alister Brady - Labour candidate for Canterbury City North
Cllr Dan Watkins - Conservative candidate for Herne Bay East
Dirk Ross - Reform UK candidate for Canterbury North
Henry Stanton - Green Party candidate for Canterbury South

Tickets are free for the event, to be held in Augustine House, but booking is required and tickets can be obtained here. KMTV will also be streaming the event live on YouTube.

The event will be chaired by Dr Demetris Tillyris, a reader in politics and international relations at the university and will take place between 7pm and 8.15pm.

Dr Tillyris said: “Hustings are vital because they bring democracy to life.

“They give voters the opportunity to hear directly from candidates, ask questions, and compare who’s standing for what.

“These events are not just about policies on paper - they enable voters to see how candidates engage and connect with real people, and whether they understand local concerns.

“As such, they create space for dialogue, and shared deliberation, making politics accessible, transparent and grounded in real community concerns.”

Each candidate will have time to outline their party’s policies and pitch to voters, after which there will be a question and answer session with the audience.

The event is part of the university’s long-running Making Politics Matter campaign - through which they have hosted public speakers, debates and lectures at their Canterbury campus for more than 20 years.

Research released by polling experts Electoral Calculus in March predicted that Nigel Farage’s Reform UK would take control of the county council - which has been run by the Conservatives since it was founded in 1974 except for a stint of no overall control from 1993-97.

However KentOnline’s Local Democracy Reporter Simon Finlay analysed the possibilities for the election this week and said a Reform victory is certainly not guaranteed.