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A general election hustings for the new Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney constituency is being held in Ebbw Vale next week – but Labour’s candidate has sought reassurances it will be chaired independently.

It will be the only hustings debate in the new constituency, which includes the Upper Rhymney Valley, Bargoed, Aberbargoed, and Gilfach.

Organisers say they have received assurances from all candidates that they will turn up to the debate at Ebbw Vale Institute on Wednesday July 3 – apart from Labour’s Nick Smith.

Event organiser Ivor Beynon said that formal invitations have gone out to all eight candidates and all but one had responded.

Mr Beynon explained that the invite to Mr Smith had been sent to his agent’s address in Brynmawr and that other attempts to contact him had also taken place.

A spokesman for Mr Smith said: “We have agreed to attend but have asked that there’s an independent moderator or chair at the event.

“At the moment we believe that Ivor Beynon will be moderating it.

“He is an agent for another candidate.”

The spokesman believed that to have Mr Beynon chairing the hustings would be “very inappropriate.”

The spokesman added: “I think Mr Beynon does not quite realise that this is not traditionally how a hustings would be organised – someone else needs to be running the question selection and moderation.

“We have asked him for that.”

On the Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council website, the statement of nominated persons which confirmed the general election candidates was published after the deadline on June 7.

The details include the names of who nominated the candidates contesting the election next Thursday July 4 as well as their proposer, seconder.

A “notice of particulars” of election agents has also been published and shows that the agent for Mike Whatley, who is standing as an independent candidate in the general election, is Ivor Jeffrey Beynon.

In the rules sent out by Mr Beynon for the hustings, candidates will be given three minutes each to make a “short” statement and then there will be an opportunity for the audience to ask questions.

Mr Beynon said: “Historically during the period before a general election there is a local hustings event.

“There was none planned for this election, so I went ahead and organised one.”

“This is an important part of the democratic process where members of the public can listen and ask questions to all of the candidates who are standing in the election and let the community know why they should vote for you.”

The full list of candidates is:

• Ann Baker – The Green Party.
• Jackie Charlton – Welsh Liberal Democrats.
• Robert Griffiths – Communist Party of Britain.
• Yas Iqbal – Workers Party.
• Hannah Elizabeth Jarvis – Welsh Conservative Party.
• Niamh Salkeld – Plaid Cymru.
• Nick Smith – Welsh Labour.
• Stewart Sutherland – Reform UK – has withdrawn his nomination and is no longer on the ballot.
• Mike Whatley – Independent.