A ROW has erupted in Henley over the cancellation of public hustings for all the candidates.

The Liberal Democrat and Labour candidates said incumbent John Howell was ‘running scared’ of debating with them at public meetings But the Conservative candidate said the debates were an outdated way of discussing politics and clashed with other diary engagements.

Dr Howell did not attend a hustings at Dorchester or a public meeting at Gilletts School, Henley, while proposed events in Thame and Henley were scrapped because not all the major candidates could attend.

Labour’s Richard McKenzie said: “In an election campaign when even the party leaders have been in television hustings for the first time, in Henley we have lost an opportunity for the electorate to meet the candidates and be questioned by them. It is disappointing Dr Howell could not make himself available and would not take part.”

Liberal Democrat Andy Crick said: “To me, it seems like rank cowardice. We need to have these debates.

“My guess is that when we gave him a bit of a hard time on a radio debate, he did not like it.”

Dr Howell said he had been contacted too late by hustings organisers to book them in his diary, and added Mr Crick had been unable to re-arrange an alternative date — a charge the Liberal Democrat candidate denied.

Dr Howell said that instead, he was holding 14 small-scale public meetings in restaurants, pubs and people’s houses to meet constituents face to face.

Dr Howell said: “There is no debate at hustings. They are old-fashioned meetings about knocking spots off each other.

“There is practically nobody who turns up to hustings with an open mind.

“They are already supporters of one party rather than being genuinely interested in debate.”