Countdown to Harrogate and Knaresborough election 2015

With less than 100 days to go until the 2015 General Election, parties and candidates the length of our district are gearing up for what is sure to be a close battle.

On May 7, voters will take to the polls to decide exactly who they want running their local affairs, and the Harrogate Advertiser Series will be at the heart of the coverage.

As the leading source for news in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Nidderdale, Ripon and Wetherby, our team of reporters will be there to cover every twist and turn on the road to May 7.

This week, we take a brief look at your candidates in the four constituencies covered by our readership, and detail the coverage you can expect in the coming months.

Harrogate hustings

The Harrogate Advertiser Series is hosting a hustings evening for the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency candidates on April 9 at Cedar Court Hotel in Harrogate.

Readers are invited to come along, hear what the candidates have to say and ask questions of their own.

The evening will be hosted by Series editor Jean MacQuarrie, who said: “This is our effort to get readers involved, offering a chance to quiz politicians about what really matters.

“It is vital that we engage with politics at a local level.

“We hosted a fantastic hustings four years ago, and I would urge readers to come along and contribute to what is sure to be a memorable evening.”

Time to be announced.

Key battlegrounds

What will sway your vote on May 7?

In the run-up to the election, we will take a look at what could be the key battlegrounds at a local level.

Candidates will be quizzed on:

Crime and policing

Economy

Education

Health

Politics

Transport

Our coverage

In print: Each candidate, as featured on these pages, will be interview, photographed and profiled separately. These profiles will appear in print from March.

Online: Keep up-to-date with the very latest interviews and videos online at www.harrogateadvertiser.co.uk

Get involved

We want you involved every step of the way. What would you like to see debated in our pages before May?

Email: [email protected]

Tweet: @HarrogateHound @RiponRover @Wetherby_News

Facebook: www.facebook.com/harrogateadvertiser

Schools

We are giving sixth form students across the district a chance to have their say on what matters to them in the build-up to the election. Students will have the opportunity to share their views on the key battlegrounds in our newspapers and online. Headteachers should contact news editor Alex Johnston by email: [email protected] to register interest.

District elections

There are also Harrogate Borough Council district elections taking place in May. Nineteen councillors are to be elected in 2015, one in each of these wards: Bilton, Granby, Harlow Moor, High Harrogate, Hookstone, Knaresborough East, Knaresborough King James, Knaresborough Scriven Park, Low Harrogate, New Park, Pannal, Ripon Minster, Ripon Moorside, Ripon Spa, Rossett, Saltergate, Starbeck, Stray and Woodfield.