Written by Karl Schneider, Trustee – Wimbledon Community Association
On a pleasantly mild spring evening at the end of April, some 70 Merton residents filed into The Shed – a night club and social venue in the basement of William Morris House, opposite the Polka Theatre. They came not to dance and drink, but to take part in an event that was once a common occurrence across the country but is now in danger of dying out completely – an election hustings.
For the benefit of younger readers who might not even be aware of the word, a hustings is a public meeting at which candidates stand before their electorate to debate policies and answer questions. Once an established, non-negotiable element of British democratic life, today hustings have become a fading custom. As political parties increasingly migrate their campaigns online, the traditional face-to-face public meeting has quietly faded away.
But not in Wimbledon, thanks to the Wimbledon Community Association (‘Wimblecomm’) which organised the event as part of its remit to help make our local community more connected and engaged.
Expertly hosted by Louise Hanson, Executive Director at the Law Society, the hustings featured representatives from all five of the parties contesting seats in at least half the wards in the Merton borough, and hence potentially in with a chance of actually running Merton Council – Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrats, Reform, and the Green party.
The event was a unique opportunity for local residents to get up close and personal with the people seeking their votes. ‘Unique’ because today we live in an era dominated by digital politics. A modern local election campaign is often fought through targeted Facebook advertisements, algorithmic social media feeds, carefully curated Instagram graphics, and brief, pre-recorded video clips. On paper, this transition promises unprecedented access. Candidates can reach thousands of voters with a single click, and residents can comment on local issues from the comfort of their own homes. But this digital convenience comes at a cost.
Social media is inherently performative and highly curated. It allows political campaigns to control the narrative entirely, avoiding spontaneous scrutiny. On Twitter or Facebook, a candidate can easily ignore a difficult question, block a critical constituent, or retreat into an echo chamber of supportive followers. Complex, nuanced community issues are routinely flattened into highly polarised soundbites designed to provoke outrage rather than foster understanding. In this digitised environment, voters are left to make crucial decisions based on polished PR facades and fragmented online arguments.
The hustings at The Shed offered a powerful antidote to this digital isolation. When you place candidates on a stage just a few feet away from the people they want to represent, the dynamic shifts entirely. Faced with an accomplished compere like Hanson, the candidates couldn’t simply swipe questions away, and there were no edit buttons, no spin doctors, and no algorithmic filters. The candidates had to answer in real-time, facing unseen questions on topics sourced directly from local residents over the previous weeks. Voters could look them directly in the eye, witnessing any hesitation, and assess their authenticity.
Beyond evaluating individual candidates, the evening served a broader purpose: it reinforced our collective sense of local community. In a physical room, political discussion regains its humanity. You cannot easily reduce a neighbour with a different viewpoint to an online caricature when you are sitting directly next to them, sharing the same space. The collective nods of agreement, the shared murmurs of scepticism, and even the polite applause for an opponent’s well-made point reminded everyone present that we are all stakeholders in the same neighbourhood.
And while it’s impossible to prove any causal link, the turnout for the 2026 local elections in Merton was significantly higher than for the same elections last time round, in 2022.
You can view a video recording of the full hustings here: https://youtu.be/rfZjgrmjJJ8?si=SxWW5SSCB_zr_EGo
Why not view it now and then check back in 6 months or a year’s time, to see whether the promises made to voters were kept.
More about Wimblecomm
If you are interested in attending in-person events within the community, the What’s On page of Wimblecomm features an events calendar with details of a range of events happening this month and in the coming months: Events 24 – Wimbledon Community Association
If you’re a community group or a venue space that hosts activities or events, and you’re not yet listed on Wimblecomm (or you’re listed on our Directory but don’t yet have a dedicated page set up), it’s FREE and easy to ‘Add a Group’ or ‘Add a Venue’ to the website, and ‘Add an Event’:
Directory of Spaces to Hire in Merton – Wimbledon Community Association
Add Community Group – Wimbledon Community Association
Add Spaces for hire – Wimbledon Community Association
Add Community Event – Wimbledon Community Association
If you’re an existing Group and/or Venue Space member, you can log in and check & update your listing(s):