A new political party has announced two candidates for the local elections in Brighton and Hove in May.
The Friends of Brighton and Hove plans to field Laura King and Nigel Furness who have been to numerous council meetings to quiz councillors on various issues.
Ms King is expected to stand for election to Brighton and Hove City Council in Hanover and Elm Grove ward which is currently represented by three Green councillors.
And Mr Furness has his sights on Central Hove ward where both seats are currently held by Labour.
Ms King said that Hanover and Elm Grove was the area where her mother grew up, adding: “I have known and loved the ward and its vibrant community spirit all my life, with family still here.
“I am anti-LTN (low-traffic neighbourhood) but pro-sensible road safety improvements which come from the residents themselves rather than being imposed by a council whose job it is to run the city, not the citizens.
“I am also passionate about keeping Brighton General in the community as a community asset.”
Mr Furness has stood for election in Central Hove ward twice before but without success.
He said that he grew up in the ward and his parents were married in the Sacred Heart Church, in Norton Road, before joining the war effort in the Middle East in 1940.
Mr Furness said: “Politicians of the three main parties have presided over the demise of this once proud ward in recent years and seemingly done nothing of benefit to the residents.
“They’ve spent their time grandstanding on gesture politics regarding national issues while the King Alfred and our seafront have suffered deliberate dereliction, the ever-present threat to our beloved Carnegie Library still hovers and our town hall remains as hostile and forbidding as the Kremlin.”
One of the current Central Hove councillors, Clare Moonan, is stepping down in May after eight years while the other, Gary Wilkinson, is to stand in the new Kemptown ward in Brighton.
Labour has chosen a former Hanover and Elm Grove councillor, Emma Daniel, and Joy Robinson, a member of the party’s South East Regional Executive Committee.
The Greens have picked Helen Dixon, who teaches at Sussex University, and former Green councillor Christopher Hawtree who stepped down because he had been chosen to stand for Parliament in Hove.
In Hanover and Elm Grove, which has three councillors, another new party is fielding a candidate. Bev Barstow is standing for the Brighton and Hove Independents.
Sitting Green councillor Steph Powell is expected to run again alongside Wai Lee and Fiona Wright while Labour has picked Ty Galvin, Tim Rowkins and Maureen Winder.
Polling day is on Thursday 4 May when all 54 seats will be contested in 23 wards – up from 21 wards last time because of a boundary review.
The election will be the first at which votes will be required to have photo ID such as a driving licence or a voter authority certificate.
The Friends of Brighton and Hove has set up a Facebook page and Twitter account @FriendsofBandH.
Laura King would be the one who got upset about a cycle hangar on one of HER parking spaces?
I’ll pass thanks.
Another ableist pro-cycling obsessive who doesn’t care about the needs of other road users including the disabled, families, residents, tradesmen, or local businesses?
Perhaps you should vote for like-minded Green Party councillors instead.
Let us know when and where you’re brave enough to stand for election. It would be a welcome contrast to your snidey comments.
Nigel Furness stood in last General Election for UKIP!
Furness is UKIP. That’s all you need to know about him.
Seems counter productive to stand against another independent in Hanover, (especially as that candidate lives in the ward and is part of the anti LTN movement).
Nigel Furness being an ex UKIP candidate is going to go down like a lead balloon in Hove.
Well good luck to these Independents!
Oh and Labour do not respond to any questions you may have about their candidates. I’ve tried. They blank with silence, especially when you ask what a woman is.
It doesn’t bode well for anyone female in the Hanover & Elm Grove ward.
It seems very smart of them that they’d respond to a question that can only possibly be asked to sh1tstir by ignoring it entirely. Wherever your feelings/ beliefs are on that specific question, no one on earth asks “What is a women” with any other intent than to inflame an issue or score a point someway and somehow, and that goes for both ‘sides’. Better to ignore such a foolish question asked as a ‘gotcha’ and, if need be, have a reasoned discussion in the right way at the right time about the whole ares.
Don’t respect my sex? Then don’t get my X
Yes, that’s another cringey statement like the ‘What is a Woman?’ one. Excellent, we can add that to the list of toe-curlers.
Hmmm… you appear to dislike women advocating for themselves and their own needs and also for those of girls ie. children.
Yes, that’s it Nina, you’ve got it in one, I dislike women advocating… what bizarre twaddle, and an extraordinary leap to make with no evidence to back it up.
Labour’s inability to answer this fundamental question is more important than you seem to appreciate. My niece has become reluctant to go to school because of the shared (gender-neutral) toilets at BACA. Girls of 11 and 12 should not have to deal with boys of 15, 16 and older in the way they do. The toilets there offer precious little dignity and don’t appear to be well policed by the school. She wasn’t an anxious child before starting at BACA, but her mental health has noticeably suffered, and her school studies as she has become so reluctant to attend. Gender-blind policies may help a few trans children, but they are harming a greater number of girls, and Labour is very muddled about this.
Hope they behind all things people want
1. More universal credit
2. More affordable and free housing
3. Higher tax for rich
4. Support real locals not rich people
5. Free WiFi for people on uni credit
6. Ban statues. They are racist
7. Fund nhs
8. Ban private schools
9. More cycle lanes
10. Better bins and Cleaning
Gary
Gary can clean himself surely……..?
11. Shut down all public toilets.
12. Invite all homeless, illegal migrants, drunks and druggies to this wonderful City of Sanctuary.
13. Allow weeds to continue growing on pavements, while encouraging vehicles to park on them.
14. Discourage the elderly, the infirm and the sick from entering the city.
15. Allow all bars, cafes and restaurants to remain open all night, regardless of where they are located, even those with a zero hygiene rating.
16. Pour more ratepayers money into the i360.
17. Keep town halls closed to the public, so that staff can enjoy “working” from home.
Aside from perhaps 16, I think I’m more in favour of these than 1-10, a couple of those first set are a bit much, but these look good!