The smaller and newer political parties have criticised the organisers of a university election hustings for excluding them.
Sussex University plans to host hustings for four of the political parties that are fielding candidates in the Brighton and Hove City Council election.
Only three of the four parties are currently represented in the town hall – although there are seven independent councillors.
The Friends of Brighton and Hove founder Laura King said that she was disappointed that her group would not be included despite being a registered party with the Electoral Commission.
The organisers are also excluding the Trade Union Socialist Coalition (TUSC) and Brighton and Hove Independents, saying that none polled 3 per cent of the vote at the 2019 local elections.
The university said that the event was smaller than the general election hustings in 2019 and that this had led to limits on candidates attending.
Ms King said: “I am disappointed that despite all the talk of democracy and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, the decision has been taken to deny Sussex students access to the full spectrum of local voting options for May 2023, including Independents.
“I also believe it is inappropriate that the manager in charge of political hustings is a serving Labour councillor in another town so how can the university claim to offer political impartiality?
“I have since been told that in many universities, the students union run their own student hustings which sounds a much more democratic idea.
“It is pretty outrageous, even if it is up to Sussex how they do things. And knowing how big a deal fairness is to most students.”
The university said that those involved were acting impartially and had invited those that had polled the most votes at the last local elections four years ago.
The Brighton and Hove Independents founder, Councillor Bridget Fishleigh, was also disappointed that her group has been excluded.
Councillor Fishleigh topped the poll in Rottingdean in the 2019 elections and registered Brighton and Hove Independents as a party with the Electoral Commission last year.
She said: “For a place of learning to close itself off to new and fresh ideas seems counterintuitive.
“For a supposedly progressive organisation, this decision indicates that the university is entrenched in old politics. It doesn’t seem like the powers that be are in touch with the political mood in our city.
“The hustings would have been a good opportunity to talk about the horrendously high rents the university charges students who live on campus.
“It’s no surprise that they choose to live in HMOs in the city which are hundreds of pounds cheaper a month.”
TUSC was formed in 2010 and fielded candidates in the 2011 and 2015 council elections and in the Hollingdean and Stanmer by-election in 2021.
David Maples, from TUSC, said: “All democratic parties should have the opportunity of a hearing. It should be the voters who decide where the votes go rather than unexpected individuals.
“We look forward to having the opportunity to engage with all voters across the city including students at the universities.”
Sussex University said: “As with previous local elections, the University of Sussex is hosting a hustings event on campus ahead of polling day in partnership with our students’ Politics Society.
“To ensure fairness and impartiality, and in keeping with previous election hustings, we and the Politics Society have followed the Electoral Commission’s non-selective hustings good practice recommendations and invited candidates from parties who polled over 3 per cent of votes in the 2019 local elections to participate.
“We look forward to a robust debate in which a diverse range of views can be aired and discussed.”
Independents and TUSC have also not been invited to a “transport and travel hustings” organised for Wednesday 5 April at 7pm at the Brighthelm Centre.
When asked, the organisers Bricycles said that it was because they were not fielding candidates in all wards.
Three candidates have been billed to appear – Hannah Allbrooke, from the Greens, Birgit Miller, from Labour, and Paul Chandler, from the Liberal Democrats.
The Conservative Party was also invited but did not put forward a candidate to attend the event which is to be chaired by the energy and sustainability engineer Abigail Dombey.
To book a free place at the hustings, visit the Bricycles Eventbrite page here.
Intrigued that this event is being organised by anti-motorist group Bricycles to discuss “transport and travel”.
Could there possibly be any bias in debates with Labour and Greens both being so pro-cycling, and ignoring the needs of residents and businesses?
Was about to book a place when I read on their website:
“Bricycles has teamed up with Sustrans (England South), Brighton & Hove Friends Of The Earth, Cycling UK Brighton and Hove, Living Streets, Brighton Active Travel and a range of local people to organise a hustings on Transport and Travel ahead of Brighton & Hove City Council local elections in May 2023”.
Decided against attending due to the likely effect on my blood pressure 😊
I’m attending and planning on live tweeting. If that’s not possible then I’ll be writing up the Q&A.
Looking forward to your tweets and your write-up of the Q&A. I’ve got a ticket for the Transport & Travel Hustings through Eventbrite so will see you there.
Thanks Sarah 👍
Thanks Sarah, can’t make it but will be interested to read your write up.
How are Bricycles ‘anti-motorist’? More cyclists mean less drivers, less pollution, less congestion and everyone benefits. It’s no coincidence that the Dutch are the happiest drivers in Europe.
Bricycles want to take road capacity away from other road users for their cycle lane grid, and don’t care about the impact on others.
Don’t you remember their demands to keep the temporary OSR cycle lane extension that was only implemented for Covid-19, that hardly any cyclists used, that caused delays and increased emissions for other road users, and they got so upset when it was removed?
And did you know that the Dutch drive more miles per individual than Brits, that the Netherlands is very flat making cycling easier, and they had lots of space to provide dedicated cycling infrastructure.
I cycle and avoided the OSR because of the extra emissions caused by the congestion that had been deliberately or recklessly engineered.
Just turn up and demand to be heard. Don’t let the greens live in their sanctimonious echo chamber.
Shocking that the Sussex University hustings is organised by a serving Labour Councillor in another town and a cycling pressure group.
Where does that leave democracy?
Lying in the gutter.
The Sussex University hustings is not organised by Bricycles – there are two separate events.
Oh yes they are Hootsy – read the fine article and check their web site at https://bricycles.org.uk/2023/03/hustings-put-politicians-on-the-spot/
‘Independents and TUSC have also not been invited to a “transport and travel hustings” organised for Wednesday 5 April at 7pm at the Brighthelm Centre’
‘ALSO not been invited’ – because there are two hustings – the University one and the transport one at the Brighthelm Centre.
Apology accepted, Peter/Pheobe.
“We look forward to having the opportunity to engage with all voters across the city including students at the universities.”
So why not hold it somewhere in Brighton where more resident voters are likely to attend – clearly just a stitch-up by Bricycles and Sustran to try and push their unworkable schemes onto local residentsby use of the short term student vote.
Shocking but entirely predictable that they are excluding the independent’s who are more likely to want to discuss what the residents actually want…
The Bricycles event is at the Brighthelm Centre, so very central.
Well this was their plan all along I imagine, to subvert the wishes and needs of residents over the whims of students who only spend a few years here before moving away again.
It is time to lobby for a change of law perhaps, where students can only register to vote at their home address in both UK Parliament and local elections. It just isn’t fair on permanent residents who pay council tax for services and are forced to put up with political parties and candidates they do not want.
What a stitch-up. If a party didn’t exist at the 2019 elections (although, please note, Bridget Fishleigh stood as an independent and was elected top of the pile in Rottingdean Coastal), then it’s axiomatic that they can’t qualify for the hustings via the organisers’ skewed and biased criteria. Anti-democracy at its finest!
James – Independents and TUSC have also not been invited to a “transport and travel hustings” organised for Wednesday 5 April at 7pm at the Brighthelm Centre.
When asked, the organisers Bricycles said that it was because they were not fielding candidates in all wards.
Three candidates have been billed to appear – Hannah Allbrooke, from the Greens, Birgit Miller, from Labour, and Paul Chandler, from the Liberal Democrats.
I note that a Lib-dem has been invited even though they hold NO seats on Brighton council whist the independents have seven – so scarcely democratic then is it? There again Bricycles/Sustarns are more concerned with imposing their Ideological dogma on people than listening to what local residents want. As has been pointed out several times on this post it’s just a stich-up…
If you look at the Bricycles website, they purport to be all about getting people round the city, regardless of age, ability/disability and so on. Unfortunately, the reality is that many of us are unable to cycle, although we once could but cannot do so now for various reasons. Some of us even have difficulty walking these days. What some of us would like, just to get out of the house now and then, which is impossible at present, is a transport service from front door to destination, without bicycles or Bricycles/Sustrans or any of the fit idealists. B&H is not all about the very able-bodied, although Jamie Lloyd & Co seem to think it is. I for one would be willing to pay a reasonable price for a suitable transport service, electric or whatever, just to get out of the house, but the Lycra mob aren’t interested at all.
Blatant bias