A WEST Fife community group has hit out at the Labour candidate defending Gordon Brown’s Westminster seat in next month’s General Election.

Yes Kelty had planned a hustings but said it had been “thwarted” in its plans to “bring some political discussion” on the election to the village after Labour’s Kenny Selbie (pic) declined to take part.

Roger Mullen and Dave Dempsey, the SNP and Conservative candidates, both agreed to attend but Mr Selbie – who is also a Kirkcaldy councillor – turned down the invitation.

All three candidates will be contesting the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency after former Prime Minister Mr Brown announced he would stand down.

Yes Kelty member Jock Penman (above right) said, “We are really disappointed that the Labour candidate has declined to explain his party’s policies to the people of Kelty.

“I think it will be a bigger disappointment to Labour supporters who may well be eager to hear what he has to say and, particularly, to compare his ideas with Roger Mullen, the SNP candidate.

“He is bound to be accused to ‘running scared’ in a community which was traditionally solid Labour. We offered him the opportunity to send a deputy, as this is normal procedure if the main candidate can’t make it, but he told us that ‘no one from the Labour Party will attend’.

“We can only let people make their own minds up about that.” Mr Penman said Yes Kelty wanted to “give as many people the opportunity to listen to the issues and hear what each candidate had to offer and, importantly, to put forward their opinions”.

Mr Selbie (pictured top) confirmed he was unable to attend the event but said, “It is my intention to do a number of public meetings across the constituency including a meeting in Kelty.

“It is not uncommon for non partisan groups to organise hustings meetings where all the candidates get a fair chance to put their point of view across and if that happens in this campaign then I will certainly be involved.” He said he had looked at Yes Kelty’s web pages, adding, “Some of the language used to attack Labour politicians goes way beyond petty squabbling and is something I want no truck with.

“My vision for Scotland is one where people have respect for one and other, where every young person gets the chance to achieve to their full potential and older people are able to live with pride and with dignity in their own homes and own community.

“We will achieve the kind of change we need for our communities not by calling other people names but by creating the skills, the training and the jobs to get people into work and by offering the best education investing in early years and making sure we have the best social care services in Europe, this is my vision, a vision I will fight for.

“I am enjoying meeting so many people on doorsteps across the constituency and hearing from them what they think and this is the best way to reach many more people and to be listening to what they have to say.”