Hanover and Elm Grove candidates explain why they want to be a councillor. They also answer questions sent in by the public via social media.
Not your ward? Click here to find your neighbourhood on our interactive map.
Eleven candidates are standing for the three Brighton and Hove City Council seats in Hanover and Elm Grove ward.
Why do you want to be a councillor?
Beverley Barstow owns her own business and is standing for the Women’s Equality Party:
I want to represent a new approach to politics in the council, with an agenda that will benefit everyone. I have lived in Hanover and Elm Grove for 24 years and have become frustrated with the way old party politics has failed to address the issues that affect our everyday lives.
Politics should be about policies not partisanship. With national politics divided, it is time for local government to work together, across party lines, to represent and respond to the needs of our community. Women’s Equality will lead to more effective politics, a richer economy and a safer city for everyone.
Danielle Cornish-Spencer is an aid worker standing for Labour:
I am a women’s rights and humanitarian aid worker. I have dedicated my life to ending injustice around the world. I am passionate about equalities, saving children’s and youth services from cuts and bringing the housing crisis to an end.
Emma Daniel works in a school for deaf children and is standing for Labour:
I am standing in the ward I have represented for five years – Hanover and Elm Grove. It is a fantastic ward to serve with lots of people living in it who make a lot of effort to keep the area safe. I am a working mother with a 10-year-old daughter and I want to serve the ward and city on the issues that matter most to me.
I am passionate about ending child poverty, about being a safe and inclusive city free from exploitation of the vulnerable and free from hate crime. I have worked to ensure that we are a City of Sanctuary, playing our part in the global refugee crisis and ensured that there is somewhere to turn for those affected by financial crisis.
David Gibson is a community worker standing for the Greens:
As a councillor I have been able to make a difference and want to do more. I care passionately about housing, climate change and building stronger communities. I amended council budgets to
- Provide funds for a homeless night shelter
- Provide another £4.5 million to achieve more council housing
- Lower the rents on 500 proposed new homes
- Provide £3.5 million for emergency homeless accommodation
At a community level I have
- Supported the Hanover Action petition in council to get to achieve food waste recycling
- Pushed the council to declare a climate emergency
- Helped set up the Hanover and Elm Grove Communities Forum to tackle key issues
- Helped set up the Brighton General Hospital Action Group
Elaine Hills is a lecturer and editor standing for the Greens:
I would see my role as a councillor as listening to and acting on behalf of residents. I have lived in the ward for 10 years and am very involved in the community. I am a member of the Hanover and Elm Grove Communities Forum committee. We work with local groups, charities, residents and businesses with the aim of improving the area for all residents.
I work with community groups to pick up litter and remove graffiti. I co-organised last year’s Hanover Advent calendar. I have been involved in a local campaign to reduce plastics use and to increase people’s awareness of what can and cannot be recycled locally.
I believe in a fairer society with clean air, affordable housing and decent wages, as well as excellent local services. I see bold action as necessary to halt climate change. I recently signed the pledge to end the use of toxic pesticides in our public areas.
Eleanor Humphrey is standing for Labour.
Steph Powell is a former city councillor standing for the Greens:
I am an experienced former city councillor who successfully worked with residents to get things done. I found the role both incredibly fulfilling and challenging.
I have 10 years of frontline work experience in both the voluntary and public sectors in Brighton. I have also been Caroline Lucas’s senior caseworker. This, and my own personal history of growing-up in a single parent household, as a young carer and as an out gay woman has given me a solid understanding of some people’s situations.
With continued austerity and the Brexit shambles, I am committed to protecting public services and to tackling climate change.
What are you views on the design and impact on traffic of the Valley Gardens phase 3 project in Old Steine which includes making Madeira Drive one-way by the Palace Pier?
Bev Barstow: As with any project that uses public funds, it is very important to ensure that these funds are being used in the right places. While the ideas behind the Valley Gardens project, such as increasing safety and air quality, are admirable, there are many public areas that have been overlooked by the council for funding and development.
I have spoken to many residents of Hanover and Elm Grove who want to see improvements to The Level and Elm Grove. I want to improve existing public spaces so that they are safe and inclusive spaces that everyone can enjoy.
Danielle Cornish-Spencer, Emma Daniel and Eleanor Humphrey: The designs are currently being drawn up to a detailed design stage. All comments and issues raised are being addressed and we hope to see a detailed scheme which meets the needs of all residents and businesses/visitors expected.
Those detailed designs will have to ensure that the city keeps moving while addressing the impacts of the climate change emergency and supporting a modern city where sustainable transport routes are protected and enhanced.
David Gibson, Elaine Hills and Steph Powell: Many local people feel that the consultation has been “rushed” but this has been due to delays by Labour. Both they and the Tories have also branded it a traffic scheme but we see it differently. The Greens see Valley Gardens as creating a green lung for the city. It will prioritise the sustainable transport we urgently need.
We have won assurances over new cycle lane provision and have been told that organisations such as Bricycles and Friends of the Earth now on board. The area is an accident black-spot and the Greens have pushed for better acknowledgement of the concerns raised by local residents.
There is a huge problem with dog owners leaving waste behind, either in bags or just out in the open in parks and street. What will you do to tackle dog owners not picking up poo?
Bev Barstow: Dog-fouling is a major concern in our city. The council’s recent collaboration with environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy is a step in the right direction to deal with the issue. I want to tackle dog fouling by implementing and increasing campaigns in Brighton and Hove that address the issue and remind dog owners of their responsibilities, look into the viability of appointing dog wardens to issue fines and act as a deterrent against dog fouling.
Danielle Cornish-Spencer, Emma Daniel and Eleanor Humphrey: Our new enforcement officers who have been brought in-house are out and about in neighbourhoods and targeting those whose anti-social behaviours are affecting all our lives. We need to both educate and enforce our way out of this problem and we want that message to get through to all who chose to leave dog mess across our city.
David Gibson, Elaine Hills and Steph Powell: Having helped set up the Hanover and Elm Grove Communities Forum we would get the best ideas from the people closest to the problem, namely residents, community groups and local businesses. We would then use the collective power of the forum to press the council and the reach of the community groups to influence neighbours.
Ideas may include using the field officers to visit offenders reported through the community. We would use publicity and information to promote a clear-up culture and warn of penalties for non-compliance. We would love us to have more powers to deal with this but scarcity of funds and people to enforce it make it difficult at present.
The council is planning more electric vehicle charging points. To what extent do you support this and will you commit to electric vehicle only parking spaces?
Bev Barstow: Electric vehicles help to combat air pollution and therefore improve the health of everyone in our community and the environment we live in. Electric vehicles are the future but currently unaffordable for the majority. I would like to see local government schemes and incentives to increase the use and affordability of electric vehicles in Brighton and Hove. Additionally, I would like to have conversations with Brighton and Hove transport services to address the need for more environmentally conscious public transport options.
Danielle Cornish-Spencer, Emma Daniel and Eleanor Humphrey: We fully support the installation of electric vehicle charging points (EVCPs) and in fact it is the Labour council that successfully bid for £300,000 funding from the government to allow the installation of 200 EVCPs. Test sites are already in operation.
It was noted at committee last June that the scheme might need to allow for mandatory parking bays for electric vehicle charging in the event, for example, it becomes clear that electric vehicle owners are having problems accessing advisory bays or to adapting over time to increased demand.
David Gibson, Elaine Hills and Steph Powell: All vehicles will hopefully be electric one day (and electricity will be from renewable sources) but in order to encourage people to buy an electric vehicle, parking-only spots next to charging points would certainly help.
Many residents in Hanover and Elm Grove are currently put off buying electric vehicles because of the lack of charging points. We pressed the council to declare a climate emergency and to commit to going carbon neutral by 2030.
To achieve this we need urgent action in many areas including prioritising renewable electricity production, planting trees to absorb carbon and both spreading and incentivising people to switch to electric vehicles and companies to electric buses. So electric-only spaces can only be a good idea as part of an overall package.
If you design with children in mind, you also make it good for older people and create a healthier and more inclusive place that everyone can enjoy. How are you going to make the city safe and attractive for children to move around independently?
Bev Barstow: All public spaces within the city must be designed to make them accessible to everyone. They should be family friendly and accessible to different levels of physical ability, for prams and wheelchairs and small children. Any design should be assessed with this in mind to ensure that all public spaces are accessible to all residents and visitors.
Danielle Cornish-Spencer, Emma Daniel and Eleanor Humphrey: We need a range of measures to be delivered across the whole city. Better protected cycling and walking routes are key to this as well as a safe reliable public transport system. We are also committed to setting up a fund to support improved community safety and neighbourhood policing measures to give people confidence in the safety and responsiveness of their local communities.
David Gibson, Elaine Hills and Steph Powell: We are active in the Hanover and Elm Grove Communities Forum which is meeting regularly to discuss positive ways we can work together to improve our neighbourhood. It is important to bring together residents and interested parties to come up with the best most practical ideas that will work at a local level.
We are working with local residents’ groups and charities, with the aim of ensuring that the interests of all local people are met. There should be work with schools and parents/parent carers, youth organisations and try to incorporate their ideas on proposed layout changes within the city. It is important to talk to youth councils and parent councils.
Would you support a school crossing patrol outside St Martin’s Primary School?
Bev Barstow: School crossing patrols raise awareness of road safety and assist children and parents in getting to and from school safely. I think this is a valuable service and will support a school crossing patrol if the parents and teachers of St Martin’s Primary School feel the need for one.
Danielle Cornish-Spencer, Emma Daniel and Eleanor Humphrey: Road crossings, including safer routes to schools, are regularly considered and evaluated against specific criteria. We would be delighted to put forward such a scheme and to make sure that it is properly considered by officers against those criteria.
David Gibson, Elaine Hills and Steph Powell: Yes, the safety of our children has to be a priority. It would have to be assessed against other priorities but if there is community support there should be some way of achieving this.
Seagulls and foxes attack bins and rubbish is strewn across city streets. Sometimes people need to step up. How will you encourage people to get involved in keeping their community tidy?
Bev Barstow: I will encourage our residents to work together to improve the cleanliness of our communal spaces. I want to show how, if everyone puts in a small amount of time and effort, together we can make a big difference to our city. I will organise and support neighbourhood events and city-wide campaigns aimed at working collaboratively to clean up our community.
Danielle Cornish-Spencer, Emma Daniel and Eleanor Humphrey: We have established the Tidy Up Team, who work with local community groups to provide the training, resources and support to enable community tidy up events and programmes to become an essential part of our community-based approach to these issues.
David Gibson, Elaine Hills and Steph Powell: We have already been working hard with the community to promote and encourage community tidiness in the following ways
- Attending the Hanover rubbish friends monthly litter picks with residents
- Organising monthly visits from Good Gym to work with residents, painting out graffiti, litter picking, clearing overgrown and neglected bits of the area
- Working through Hanover Action to promote neighbourliness through the great get-together event, the Hanover in Bloom initiative and adoption and maintenance of neglected street planters by the community
It is important to raise awareness of the problems we have with seagulls, particularly to those new to the area. So producing clear a poster could help, which could be distributed to workplaces, schools and residents’ associations. It could also go to universities and halls of residence and HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) at the beginning of the academic year. This could remind residents of the mess leaving out bags can cause when seagulls rip into them and give advice on how to avoid this.
Other candidates standing in Hanover and Elm Grove ward are Ed De Souza and Peter Goodman for the Conservatives, Elizabeth Robinson, for the Liberal Democrats, and Kerry Ann Underhill for the Conservatives.
