A campaigner against plans for hundreds of flats on an old gasworks site is to stand as an Independent candidate in the Rottingdean Coastal by-election on Thursday 5 May.
Stephen White announced today (Sunday 27 March) that he would take part in the contest for a seat on Brighton and Hove City Council.
Mr White, of Eastern Road, Brighton, is one of the founding members of AGHAST (Action on Gasworks Housing Affordability Safety and Transparency).
He is a BAFTA-nominated, award-winning television producer, with a wide variety of financial and commercial experiences from running his own successful business.
Mr White said: “I have never been a member of a political party and am compelled to stand as an Independent for two reasons.”
He said that the reasons were “to show the strength of local support against the proposals for the gasworks and because our area has never had a councillor who actually lives in the area between Lewes Crescent and Roedean, including the Marina”.
He added: “I know, in person, what the everyday experience of living here is really like – great sea air, beautiful architectural heritage, overflowing bins, rat runs and all.
“My long career has trained me to listen carefully to people’s real concerns. I will work for the people in my community who want – and deserve – to live in a clean, well-run, financially stable city.”
Founded in 2020, AGHAST is a well-supported campaigning community group which is tracking proposals to develop the gasworks site in East Brighton.
Berkeley Homes plans to build 16 blocks of flats up to 12 storeys high on the polluted site.
AGHAST, in coalition with 15 other Brighton community groups, has co-ordinated a community campaign opposing the high-density luxury proposals to help safeguard local residents from the release of poisonous dust and gases into the air.
The group is campaigning for a radical rethink of, what so many local residents feel is, an insensitive and ugly overdevelopment of the site that will provide no affordable housing for the local community.
Jean Hunter, a former Labour councillor and fellow member of AGHAST, is a Roedean resident. She said: “Stephen would be a brilliant councillor and I hope our community will get behind him.
“The developers, and council, have no idea about the exact level of contamination that’s underground. In some other gasworks sites noxious fumes have been experienced up to a mile away. We value our health.”
Rottingdean Coastal ward stretches from Lewes Crescent to West Saltdean and includes The Arundels, Eastern Road, Marine Parade, Roedean, the Marina, Ovingdean, Rottingdean and West Saltdean.
In 2019, voters in the ward returned Bridget Fishleigh, only the second Independent candidate to be elected to Brighton and Hove City Council in its 25-year history. Last year she was shortlisted in the UK’s Councillor of the Year awards.
Councillor Fishleigh said: “Stephen is exactly the kind of person I’d love to see more of at the council – people who’ve lived here awhile and are ready to put the needs of the city, and the people who live here, above party politics, politically neutral with financial and commercial acumen and a track record in our communities.”
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Conservative councillor Joe Miller.
It’s great to see a community spirited independent resident putting themselves forwards to truly represent local issues and put local people first. His genuine concern for the area, it’s residents, our environment and local businesses make him a great choice for councillor. He honestly listens to and will represent every constituent within the ward and as an independent without putting political agendas or party loyalties ahead of what’s good for the city.
Very well done, Stephen. You will get my vote for sure. At last, somebody who cares about this monstrous proposal and who will actually stand up for us ‘very abandoned residents’ adjacent to the abominable ‘thing’
This is excellent news. Our city needs as many genuinely independent councillors as the people can muster. Through his involvement with the robust fightback against the deeply flawed Gasworks proposals Stephen White demonstrates the grit and determination he will need to cut through the fog of officialdom and the party political machinations that constrain good governance at BHCC. Let’s hope there’s a flood of independent candidates next year!
As Chairman of the Brighton Society – one of the sixteen amenity societies and community groups who are opposing the Gasworks development – I fully support Stephen White’s candidacy for the Rottingdean Coastal Ward. I have worked alongside Stephen for the past 15 months as part of the Gasworks Coalition, and can confirm that he is a sincere, able and entirely trustworthy candidate who would be exactly the sort of councillor this city desperately needs to fight for the interests of local communities free from the constraints of party politics.
I would urge everyone to vote for Stephen at the forthcoming by-election.
“our area has never had a councillor who actually lives in the area between Lewes Crescent and Roedean”
also
“Jean Hunter, a former Labour councillor and fellow member of AGHAST, is a Roedean resident.”
Que?
It’s good there is a candidate running with the Gasworks as their primary issue.
The candidates will have to explain why they oppose it whilst we are in the middle of a housing crisis and prefer the derelict remains of the gasworks over homes for people.
We oppose it because we ARE in a housing crisis and this will not be for Brighton people. The Marina already has empty flats owned by landlords that buy three as the minimum and sit on balances sheets. There are almost 3,500 empty properties in Brighton that are either 2nd homes or Airbnb. We don’t need another development producing more. We need housing for the doctors and nurses who work at the hospital. I’m test meet a doctor that can afford to live in Brighton. The consultants might. We need housing for the physiotherapists, Admins, cleaners, hospitality workers who find fares horrendous getting into Brighton from out of town. Most of all we need housing and parking for the trades. Our plumbers, electricians, plasterers etc. they all need to keep their vans somewhere and park to work. There are currently 200 people working on the site. This application is deeply flawed and does not address the needs of the people in Brighton.
“Most of all we need housing and parking for the trades.” – No, most of all people need homes. The population of the country is rising, house prices are soaring due to a lack of supply. Here is a prime brownfield site for development.
I sympathize with the homes going to overseas investment argument but a portion of the properties will end in local people’s hands. At the moment the site provides exactly 0 homes.
AGHAST has presented alternative plans for the site.
The design is dreadful. There is not a human involved; it looks like an off-the-peg software number: everywhere comes to look the same, the soul evaporates, life goes from a neighbourhood.
An Independent councillor, though, does not have the Electoral Roll with which to talk with residents. This makes it harder to learn about their other concerns.
FYI: All Councillors have access to the electoral roll for the area they represent. Comes in pdf or excel!
I meant independent candidates!
you are wrong. I just asked Bridget Fishleigh, the independent councillor for this area, and she said she has a pdf of the electoral roll on her laptop which she refers to pretty often. drop her a line and see if she’ll share it!
No, independent candidates are not given a copy of the Roll (they get one if elected, and are not allowed to share it).
I’ve stood as an independent before and been provided a register before I wasn’t elected. Candidate’s guidance confirms. Section 1.76 https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-03/Part%202a%20Standing%20as%20an%20independent%20candidate%20LGE.pdf
Once he’s been properly nominated as a candidate he’ll have access to the electoral roll for the ward to enable him to campaign and canvass for votes.
It’s not restricted to just the main political parties or existing councillors.
Does he live in the ward?
I suspect not based on the fact that isn’t mentioned. Not all of Eastern Road is.
yes he does.
He’ll only be in office for a year if he wins as the boundaries are being redrawn for the 2023 local elections and the site will no longer be in Rottingdean Coastal.
And to win he’ll need votes from people in Rottingdean, Ovingdean and Saltdean to vote for him and they may not be bothered about what happens at a site miles from them.
Then it’s unlikely he’ll be on the planning committee so he won’t have a vote on it and if he was then the developer will use his pre declared bias against them as a grounds for appeal should planning committee refuse the application
I wish him luck. A few more independents on the council would be good but he’ll need a package of policies to appeal to a wide range of voters..
Yet another NIMBY looking to preserve his own property value at the expense of the city around him. If you’re concerned about local housing staying local, campaign to end second property ownership.
I hope Stephen is more than a NIMBY candidate, as we need someone to fight the council’s failure to tackle climate change and its insane transport policies that drive people off the main roads through residential areas and are killing bus journeys times and fares.
The Gas Works is probably no worse than what was done to North Street and is about to be done to the Aquarium Roundabout or a number of other ill conceived council vanity projects. …
I suspect the proposed development lacks a life cycle carbon assessment, as the council has no credible plan to become a carbon neutral city… it is only concerned with making our well intentioned naive voters think it cares about residents and the planet. Look at its track record.
So good luck to anyone who can help break the rotten smell of party clique politics, but please don’t be a one trick pony.
All the best it would be good to have a strong independent brighton where policy comes before politics. There could be some really good mixed use units going here, being council owned a lot should be based on the local need and commitments to drive down homelessness and increase the number for homes for key workers.
The gas works site isn’t owned by the council.