Media consultant Lizzie Deane has been chosen as the Green Party’s candidate for the forthcoming council by-election in the St Peter’s and North Laine ward.
The seat has been vacated by Green councillor Keith Taylor, who is replacing Caroline Lucas as MEP for the south east region after her election to represent Brighton Pavilion in Parliament.
The seat is a crucial one – if Labour win, they will secure the status of official opposition on Brighton and Hove City Council. If the Tories win, they will be able to vote down any attempts by the Rainbow Coalition to derail their policies.
Lizzie, who works in local government, is the vice chair and a founding member of the St Nicholas Green Spaces Association, set up by local residents to encourage greater use of the three green spaces around the church and to reduce anti-social behaviour. The association was instrumental in winning £67,000 for new play equipment.
Lizzie has been involved with the West Hill Local Action Team since it was set up a few months ago, and she regularly attends North Laine Community Association meetings and writes for the association’s magazine, The Runner.
She said: “I know the character and variety of areas across the ward, from Round Hill to West Hill, from the Triangle to the New England Quarter.
“I’m very aware that each neighbourhood has its own issues and priorities, whether it’s the survival of the small businesses that define the character of the North Laine, poor air quality on Lewes Road, the desperate need for the regeneration of the London Road or the damaging effects of the licensing system almost everywhere.
“I am a woman of compassion and principle, and I believe wholeheartedly in the Green’s ambitions for a just and equal society. I have a thorough grounding in local government from my work as a media consultant, and would bring fresh ideas to the council.
“It would be a great honour to be elected to succeed Keith Taylor, who served this vibrant and diverse ward and the city so well for so long, and to be part of Brighton and Hove’s Green revolution that recently saw Caroline Lucas elected as the UK’s first Green MP.”
