Today (Sunday): Hustings for Hackney's GLA members

A ‘question time’ for the candidates standing for the London North East seat on the Greater London Assembly will include these four candidates:

Caroline Allen: Green
Jennette Arnold:Labour
Naomi Newstead:Conservative
Farooq Qureshi:Lib Dem

The even has been organised by Hackney Unites which said:



Each of these candidates are after our votes in the election next Thursday, but tomorrow they will be answering our questions.

If you have not already registered, please visit: http://glahustings.eventbrite.com/ The event is at the Arcola theatre and begins at 7pm (but please arrive in good time to be seated by 7pm).

To ensure we get as many questions asked as possible, we will be asking people to write out their question so that we can sort them into ‘batches’ which will be themed (for example on environment, unemployment, crime/policing etc).

Question slips will be available on the night, but you can also email your question in advance (which means that at the beginning of the meeting we will have a bank of questions to get us started).

To submit a question just tell us your name, organisation (if any) and your question. You can submit a question by emailing HackneyUnites@btinternet.com, or by filling in a form when you arrive.

Having seen a few of the questions already submitted, it is going to be a lively evening, and it will be fun, but most importantly it will tell the candidates that whoever wins the election we expect them to be accountable to our communities.

See you at the Arcola from 6.45pm for a 7pm start. Spread the word Please help us publicise the above event by forwarding this onto people you know in Hackney who would be interested in the issues. Hackney Unites is a coalition for social justice, if you are not already on our mailing list, you can sign up on-line (http://eepurl.com/bPJDH) to receive regular updates. You can also follow us on twitter and join us on facebook. Many thanks John Page Secretary Hackney Unites

I don't think I can make it.

If I could I think I'd want to know if candidates believe in Hackney's apparent economic boom (if house prices are a measure) whether they think it is a healthy growth, and whether it is likely to continue beyond the Olympics?

Whether the Met police's Trident is safe from cuts (Hackney is Trident's second biggest customer) and whether it is healthy that Hackney relies so heavily on this centralised force?

I'd also like to know if they think Mayor Jules Pipe is more likely to get on with Ken Livingstone or Boris Johnson?

(He was getting on with Boris pretty well it seemed here & here. It also looks like Ken is courting Hackney's Charedi community who aren't big fans of Jules Pipe or the Hackney Labour Party - even when they are Labour Party supporters like former Labour councillor Rabbi Pinter who told Blood and Property: "I’ve have always thought that the council should be more proactive in helping the community find solutions. There should be more strategic work being done. That hasn’t happened in the past. It’s very difficult when you expect the local authority to be working with local people – when they have the resources to know what the growth is, and what the needs are – and yet people are left to find their own solutions. Consequently these haven’t been as desirable as other people in the area would want them to be."

Lastly whether they think it is healthy for Hackney's Labour Party - or any ruling party in a London borough - to restrict the free speech of its councillors with the press?