Interested in organising, chairing or supporting a husting in your ward or constituency?

Unsure what to do?

Ideas to get you started:

  • Look up the ward or constituency you live in to understand its boundaries - a ward is represented by councillors, and a constituency has MPs

  • Connect with local community groups who might interested in running a husting (or support you to run one) - explain why you want to have a husting, be honest and personable

  • Research venues in your ward or constituency and contact them to ask if they might host a husting - community centres and churches should be receptive, a venue should be accessible for all

  • Ask in your WhatsApp and Facebook groups for ideas, contacts and support - you will never be far away from someone who is engaged in local politics

  • Consider setting up a group using social media to pool resources and ideas - this is often quicker and more efficient than large email chains

  • Worried about costs? Your local community might be willing to chip in with £5 or £10 to cover venue costs or the printing of flyers and posters

  • Decide who is chairing the meeting, where it is being held, and who is organising the event

Remember that you will need to invite all candidates to any event (by email is fine) - council electoral services should be able to provide support if you aren't connected with local political parties, and you will need to invite any independents standing as well.

And it is ideal (pretty much necessary), for any chair to not be a member of a political party to avoid any accusations of bias.

How to promote your husting:

  • Create a digital flyer to share on social media

  • Contact community groups and ask them to share the details

  • Ask the candidates to support your event using their networks

  • Order posters and flyers for distribution within the ward

  • Recruit volunteers to flyer the ward or constituency

Preparing for the event:

  • Write a briefing note for the candidates so they know how the event will run

  • Seek out advice from other organisations or individuals to see how they have run hustings

On the day:

  • Consider providing refreshments if your venue doesn’t provide any

  • The tone of the meeting is set by the chair, at the beginning, he or she could consider telling the room how they expect candidates and members of the public to communicate with one another - differences of opinion are to be expected, and respected

  • The chair’s personal opinions should not be reflected in how he or she treats the candidates and the attendees - they are there as a neutral person to lead the meeting in a positive manner

  • Enjoy the day - you are helping democracy thrive!