A total of 12 candidates are standing to be elected as the mayor of Doncaster in the vote on 1 May
The role has exactly the same powers as a council leader but the successful candidate is elected by voters rather than councillors
The BBC invited candidates to take part in today's event based on evidence of past or current electoral support in Doncaster
BBC Radio Sheffield's Paulette Edwards putting the questions to the candidates between 11:00 BST and midday.
You can listen back clicking on the Watch and Listen section above and selecting the debate
The debate has closed.
Candidates answered questions and had the opportunity to to explain how they would do the job of the Doncaster mayor.
You can listen back by clicking on the Watch & Listen section above and selecting the debate.
South Yorkshire political reporter Lucy Ashton will be distilling what was said for a report on the debate to be published later.
The event has now begun - with a few questions about Doncaster.
We will not be updating this page during the debate but you can listen live by clicking above.
Scroll down to find out more information about the candidates and the role of Doncaster mayor.
Image source, PA MediaThere are a total of 12 candidates standing for election on May 1.
They are:
David Bettney – Social Democratic Party
Frank Calladine - British Democratic Party
Andy Hiles - Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
Nick Fletcher – Conservative Party
Ahsan Jamil – Workers Party of Britain
Alexander Jones – Reform UK
Ros Jones – Labour Party
Mihai Melenciuc – Liberal Democrats
Richie Vallance – Independent
Andrew Walmsley – Yorkshire Party
Doug Wright – Independent
Polling day is Thursday 1 May.
Polling stations will be open between 07:00 and 22:00 BST.
You will need photo ID to vote in person.
The mayoral count takes place overnight, so the result should be known by Friday morning.
The council count takes place during the Friday, with results expected from the afternoon onwards.
Candidates with some evidence of past or current electoral support in Doncaster were invited to attend today's event.
Not all of those have accepted the invitation or were able to attend, but below are the candidates who will be answering questions from Paulette Edwards today:
Frank Calladine - British Democratic Party
Nick Fletcher – Conservative Party
Ros Jones – Labour Party
We invited the candidates unable to attend or who did not show evidence of past or current electoral support to record a 'minute manifesto' outlining their aims as a directly elected mayor.
Four candidates did this and their contributions will be played during today's debate.
They are:
David Bettney - Social Democratic Party.
Andy Hiles - Trade Union and Socialist Coalition
Alexander Jones – Reform UK
Richie Vallance – Independent
Image source, Getty ImagesThe mayor has exactly the same powers as a council leader but they are elected by voters rather than councillors.
The idea is to make the holder more accountable and the decisions they make on policy and services more transparent.
They oversee all council services, such as housing, planning, bin collections, pot holes and social care.
They serve for four years and earn just over £33,000, which is made up of a basic £13,000 councillor allowance plus another £19,824 special responsibility allowance.
Find out more about the mayor and Doncaster's council elections here.
Paulette Edwards
Presenter, BBC Radio Sheffield
I'm hosting today's debate in Doncaster focusing on the upcoming mayoral election.
We are all ready to begin at 11:00 BST and we'll spend around an hour hearing from candidates with me asking the questions.
