A third Labour member of Brighton and Hove City Council has been deselected as the party chooses its slate for the local elections in May next year.
Councillor Dan Chapman, who chairs the council’s Children, Young People and Skills Committee, became the second Queen’s Park ward councillor to miss out on reselection at a meeting last night (Tuesday 24 July).
A fortnight ago his ward colleague Councillor Adrian Morris was deselected at the shortlisting stage. Councillor Karen Barford, the third member who currently represents Queen’s Park, is standing down in May.
On Monday (23 July) Councillor Anne Meadows, who chairs the council’s Housing and New Homes Committee, also lost her battle for reselection in Moulsecoomb and Bevendean.
However, in Preston Park ward, Councillor Julie Cattell, who chairs the council’s Planning Committee, last night learnt that she will be on the ballot paper come next May.
She will be joined by Juan Baeza and Denise Friend – two candidates who were backed by Momentum, the campaign group set up in support of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Councillor Cattell said: “I’m so honoured to have been resoundingly reselected to stand again in Preston Park. Thanks to everyone who supported me.
“I’m looking forward to hitting the campaign trail with fellow candidates Denise Friend and Juan Baeza.”
In Queen’s Park the three candidates picked to stand next May are Nick Childs, Amanda Evans and Colin Piper.
While in Moulsecoomb and Bevendean, the Labour council leader Daniel Yates will be joined on the ballot paper by Amanda Scales and Kate Knight.
In Hollingdean and Stanmer the three Labour candidates include sitting councillor Tracey Hill. Her colleague Councillor Caroline Penn will step down in May.
Councillor Michael Inkpin-Leissner, who was elected on the Labour slate in 2015, is now an independent because of his concerns about anti-semitism within the party.
Councillor Hill will be joined as a candidate next May by Theresa Fowler and Phil Clarke. Mr Clarke was one of the members who was elected to the party’s local executive two years ago and then lost his position when the result was declared void.
One critic of Momentum said that Mr Piper and Mr Clarke had both stood against Labour in previous elections.
Elsewhere, South Portslade councillors Les Hamilton and Alan Robins have been reselected as has Nancy Platts in East Brighton, Emma Daniel in Hanover and Elm Grove and Jackie O’Quinn in Goldsmid.
In Hanover and Elm Grove, one of the three women chosen to stand, Danielle Spencer, had also been shortlisted in North Portslade. Her withdrawal means that former councillor Anne Pissaridou takes the place set aside for a woman in North Portslade. Eleanor Humphrey was the third woman to be selected in Hanover and Elm Grove last night.
Councillor Peter Atkinson has been shortlisted in North Portslade, where the final selection meeting is due to take place tomorrow (Thursday 26 July).
Councillor Clare Moonan had also been shortlisted and was due to find out whether she would be on the ballot paper for Central Hove at the final selection meeting next Tuesday (31 July).
But the result in Wish ward – where Alex Braithwaite was selected alongside Adam Imanpour – means that Councillor Moonan is now automatically selected as the female candidate for her ward.
Councillor Clare Moonan is one of the stars of the current council (which is lacking in stars). A harder working, more dedicated and sensible councillor you will not find in this city. If the Labour party do not select her they can kiss goodbye to any chance of winning a seat in Central Hove.
Hardly. She trotted out Sally McMahon’s false figures produced to try to close down Hove’s Carnegie Library. This again has proved to be a national scandal.
Mr Hawtree, can you ever say something positive? Most of your comment are always negative on everyone. Cllr Moonan is indeed one of the hardest working Councillors I know, whether you with her opinions or not. As an Ex-Councillor you should know how to show respect and manners.
Disgraceful that Momentum have targeted two LGBT councillors in Queens Park for deselection. Clearly homophobia is as rife as antisemitism in the Labour Party.
It seems like that. I fear for our City.
Dan Chapman has done a very good job as a Councillor. With no disrespect to those selected last night, they will need to be incredibly impressive to justify ousting or deselecting him.
Julie Cattell……why would you keep the person who presides over the disaster that is the planning dept?
One has to look at where the planning department was in 2015 and where it is now.
It’s still not perfect, but it’s come a huge way since 2015 and Cllr Cattell is in part responsible for that improve.
So great to hear she has been reselected. Here’s hoping she get re-elected by the people of Preston Park and able to continue chairing the planning committee so the improvement can continue over the next 4 years.
RUBBISH!!!!! It
A very ill-informed comment. I am member of the Planning committee, and agree, not all is perfect yet. But I will stand against you and defend all the hard working officers and indeed Councillor Julie Cattell, who does an out standing job as chair of the Planning committee. Possibly you should do less trolling and inserted update your information.
Councillor Michael Inkpin-Leissner, Independent.
She is – bar none – the most incompetent Chair if Planning I have ever seen in this cuty. Her training as a planner did not amount to anything useful in doing this job and cttee mtgs are so badly chaired as to amount to negligence that skewed at least one decision’s outcome.
Anyone who lives in the ward and pays attention to what is really going on would be hard-pressed not to notice the diligence of Dan Chapman and Karen Barford. I have seen somewhat less of Adrian Morris, but that may well be my fault. Before the three Labour councillors were elected, we had three hard-working Green councillors: Geoffrey Bowden, Stephanie Powell and Ben Duncan. Whoever comes next, I hope they will act in good conscience. It is disappointing, though, that someone who was as good a councillor as Dan Chapman will not be on the ballot paper because of internal party bickering. Colin Piper stood in the ward at the last local elections and finished last, but then he was running against Labour, not for them.
It is good to see that Dan Chapman was deselected, and long overdue. He was completely ineffectual and insensitive regarding the whole schools admissions process and debate, hardly working hard for his constituents, and just repeating empty party statements and rhetoric.