Candidates set out their stall in Southern Reporter Hustings

Hustings at the Southern Reporter office in Selkirk From left: John Mitchell, Barbra Harvie, Caroline Penman, Scott Redpath, Trevor Adams, Kenneth Gunn and journalist Kevin Janiak, who chaired the debate.

Six of the seven candidates who are contesting the upcoming Selkirkshire ward by-election took part in a hustings today (Monday), broadcast live on Facebook Live from the Southern Reporter office.

The candidates – Trevor Adams (Scottish Conservatives), Kenneth Gunn (Independent), Barbra Harvie (Green Party), Caroline Penman (Independent), Scott Redpath (Scottish Labour) and John Mitchell (SNP) debated on issues raised by our readers. The Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate, Jack Clark, had been pulled away on party business as leader Willie Rennie was visiting Selkirk at the same time, but he was represented in the hustings by Lib Dem Councillor Euan Robson.

The panel talked about issues close to Selkirk people’s hearts – a bypass, the state of the roads, green issues, education, tourism and helping local businesses.

Southern Reporter journalist Kevin Janiak chaired the hustings, which was filmed by reporter Kathryn Wylie.

If you missed the live feed, you can catch up by watching the video above, and see this week’s Southern Reporter for a rundown of what was said.