Six candidates are standing for election to parliament to represent the Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven constituency on Thursday 4 July 2024.
The six candidates are Valerie Gray (Social Democratic Party), Elaine Hills (Green), Stewart Stone (Liberal Democrats), Khobi Vallis (Conservative), Emma Wall (Independent) and Chris Ward (Labour).
Each candidate answered questions submitted by voters. Here are the answers from Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Valerie Gray, 74. She is retired and tweets as @valeriemgray.
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Why do you want to be an MP and how are you qualified for the role?
I became active in politics as a result of the undemocratic behaviour of our politicians following the EU referendum.
Despite voting Remain, I accepted the decision and was appalled to see our political class working to undermine it. I therefore decided to act and not just complain.
I have had broad experience in my working life, eventually holding senior management roles in a UK regulatory body.
Unlike so many aspiring MPs, I am not a “professional politician”, rather someone who has experience of life and an understanding of the day-to-day problems people experience.
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If elected, how would you deal with performance and pricing problems in privatised utilities such as the water companies, railways, energy companies and the Royal Mail?
The SDP is clear that the state has a role to play in providing essential services to our citizens.
Such services, being monopolies, are not suitable for commercial enterprises that concentrate on shareholder value rather than the interests of the consumer.
We would therefore bring water, rail and power supply into national ownership to ensure they worked for the citizen and maintained the high standards citizens expect and deserve.
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What would you do to help people who are struggling to rent or buy a home? Should second homes or Airbnb-style holiday lets be banned?
Lack of housing drives up prices and rents. The state needs to return to sharing the responsibility for housing provision.
We would establish a British Housing Corporation (BHC) to oversee and fund the construction of 100,000 social homes per year.
We would levy a 50 per cent tax on the increased land value gained by developers when planning permission is granted to help pay for our plans and force developers to use the land.
Banning second homes or Airbnb is tinkering around the edges. Only a significant increase in house building will drive down costs.
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What steps would you take to improve hospital performance, community care and access to GPs for patients in Brighton and Hove?
The principle that all citizens should have access to vital health care is sacrosanct to us. The method of delivery is not.
The NHS requires substantial reform. The SDP would establish a National Care Service which will organise, implement and fund social care to provide good quality, comprehensive provision.
We would reduce NHS management and overhead functions by 15 per cent in real terms over the lifetime of the parliament, with the savings returned to frontline care.
We would also apply special measures to GP surgeries whose waiting times are in the bottom 10 per cent.
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Events in Israel and Gaza have affected many members of the community here. What can people in your constituency expect you to say and do as an MP?
Unlike some political parties, the SDP does not obsess about the conflict in the Middle East. We are more concerned about solving our own problems.
Nonetheless, the SDP would support action to bring the dispute to a swift and peaceful conclusion thus minimising the loss of life on both sides.
We support the idea of two states living peacefully as neighbours and would play our part in the international efforts to achieve this but this will only succeed by building confidence in peaceful solutions.
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Given the importance of tourism, how would you balance the evidence about sea water quality locally with perceptions?
By bringing the water companies into public ownership we would gain the powers to force them to address the pollution of our waterways and sea.
We will set capital investment targets to reduce and prevent future discharges, and consumer charges / incentives for conservation.
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Polling stations are due to be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 4 July. Photo ID is required for those voting in person.
I find a lot of these policies half baked. Respectfully, if you were to bring water, rail and power supply into national ownership, you also add in a significant cost in maintaining and bringing these up to the standard she sets out here.
That would be an overwhelming cost that would have to be passed onto the public, as there is no realistic way it couldn’t. The result would end up being cost of living crisis, the sequel.
They don’t live in the constituency they are standing for so should be ignored.
I’m actually in two minds about that thought. In part, I agree mainly because of the lack of local knowledge. How can someone be an effective advocate for an area if they are disconnected from the area? On the other hand, MPs spend less amount of time dealing with local issues realistically, so their skillset in dealing with things on a national level are more important.
Ward Councillors, I would be more aligned with your thoughts, Mike. Since they are champions for local issues and that is the bulk of their work. MPs, less so.