Operation Black Vote to host Sheffield election hustings

Operation Black Vote (OBV) has announced it will host a major pre-election hustings meeting in Sheffield on 30 April. It’ll take place from 6-8pm at St James’ United Reformed Church, Scott Road.

The event will bring together candidates from across political parties and independents alongside members of Sheffield’s Black and Asian communities for a critical conversation on the issues that matter most to them.

The hustings will provide a high-profile, non-partisan platform for candidates to set out their priorities and engage directly with communities. It’ll address questions of race equality alongside the wider social, economic and civic issues shaping people’s lives.

The event builds on a series of Race Equality Assemblies which OBV convened in collaboration with the Humanity Project and local partners. These assemblies have enabled residents and community leaders to articulate shared priorities. These include representation, opportunity, fairness, and how communities experience public services and institutions.

With Sheffield’s political landscape delicately balanced, organisers say the participation of Black and Asian communities will be increasingly significant in shaping electoral outcomes.

David Weaver, chair of Operation Black Vote, said:

For over three decades, Operation Black Vote has worked to address the democratic deficit affecting Black and minority communities. Electoral hustings are central to that mission.

In Sheffield, Black and Asian communities are clear; they want to engage on the full range of issues affecting their lives, from economic opportunity and public services to trust and representation.

This event creates a space for political parties to respond directly to those lived realities, including how communities feel they are seen, heard and treated. This is about accountability – communities asking: do you understand our experience and what will you do differently?

Dr Sharon Curtis, chief executive of Ellesmere Children’s Centre (Sheffield), said:

This hustings builds on the strong engagement we have already seen through the Race Equality Assemblies convened in Sheffield over recent months. Communities are organised, informed and clear about their priorities.

This is about ensuring those voices shape the conversation – bringing lived experience, identity and everyday realities into direct dialogue with political candidates. We expect a respectful but honest exchange about how those experiences are understood and acted upon.

The hustings will follow OBV’s established national model. This provides a structured forum where political representatives outline their vision, communities raise questions grounded in lived experience and voters gain clearer insight ahead of the election.

All major political parties have been invited. In line with OBV’s approach, if any party fails to attend, there’ll be an “empty seat”, reinforcing transparency and accountability.

Featured image via the Canary