WITH parliament dissolved, the starting whistle having been blown on campaigning proper, and our TV screens full of one Downing Street hopeful or other, election fever has started to mount, and the televised debate may have left you with many still unanswered questions.

If you’re a home owner, tenant or property investor in or around Stroud the chances are that in this closely contested election, it won’t just be the candidates’ views on the NHS, immigration and the economy that will influence your vote on May 7.

Pollster Ipsos Mori, recently reported that housing related issues are also a major concern to many voters and could play a key role in the outcome next month.

In response to this the team at Andrews, which has a branch in Stroud and a total of 10 branches across Gloucestershire, will be hosting a pre-election event asking “How will the election impact the property market?”

From ‘Help to Buy’ to reform of the planning system; from the introduction of a mansion tax to greater support for tenants; not to mention the most effective ways of addressing the housing shortage, issues around housing and property are perhaps more prominent in this election than ever before.

We’ve therefore decided, for the benefit of our customers, to gather some of the industry’s leading experts to debate what impact the election might have and to help to provide clarity and simplicity to those complex areas.

The event, which will take place on Thursday, April 23, and will take the form of a panel debate with specially invited guests having the opportunity to ask questions to five independent experts from across the property sector.

It will also be live streamed on YouTube from 6.30pm enabling everyone to log on and view the questions and answers in the same way they might normally watch Question Time on the BBC.

The panel of experts taking part in the event includes: Michael Robson, Chief Executive of Andrews who has been with the business since 1976 and who is a Fellow of the National Association of Estate Agents and a Director of the Property Ombudsman; Stephen Smith, Director at Legal & General Network who has over 35 years’ experience within the mortgage sector; Tom Lacey a Chartered Tax Advisor who specialises in personal tax, Capital Gains Tax, IHT and the taxation of trusts; Andy Tilsley from Nationwide and Mike Day, a specialist in issues around shared ownership and other models of affordable housing.