Cornish small business voters will be given the chance to quiz candidates in the forthcoming General Election at a series of special hustings.

The Cornwall region of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has organised hustings events; April 1 (Kingsley Village, Fraddon), April 9, (Lowenac Hotel, Camborne) and April 21 (Trethorne Leisure) to give business owners and other interested people a chance to ask all the prospective candidates their views on issues relating to business and other key political subjects.

The events are part of the FSB's national campaign called #ibacksmallbusiness which is designed to get all politicians signed up to show their support for the 99 per cent of private businesses in the UK which qualify as small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The FSB’s Cornwall regional chairman Adrian Penter will be chairing each event and he said he hoped there would be a good turnout from local business people and other Cornish voters.

"The small business community is the lifeblood of the Cornish economy. It is therefore essential to have a lively and informative debate where business issues can be highlighted to the candidates who seek to serve us. Business people who attend will also get to learn more about the policies of the parties while also getting to know the candidates themselves."

Each event starts at 6pm and they are all free to attend. Open to both FSB members and non-members, places will be limited so anyone who wants to attend must register in advance by booking online at www.fsb.org.uk/cornwall.