Eight candidates are standing for two seats in South Portslade on Brighton and Hove City Council in the local elections next month. They answered questions sent in by the public via social media.
Why do you want to be a councillor?
Friends of Brighton and Hove Independents candidate Helen Dear, 56, is an AAT accounting technician, sports massage therapist, health food shop manager and full-time mother.
Ms Dear grew up in the area and her father’s family are the Muggeridge ships chandlers, based in Southwick, who have lived in the area for hundreds of years.
She said that she wanted to see “positive change” which delivers, rather than empty promises.
Ms Dear said: “Residents are concerned about the ever-increasing developments in the area.
“These are rushed through without proper consultation and without consideration of the impact they will have to the area. Extra amenities are lacking. No extra provision of GP surgeries or school spaces.
“Will the infrastructure be able to cope with the increase in residents? How will extra traffic impact the roads available for access?
“What will be the impact on utilities? Water supply, sewage, etc. People are also concerned about the increase in cost of living.”
Labour candidate Les Hamilton, 81, is a retired teacher who is seeking re-election to the council. He has lived in Portslade for 75 years and served as a councillor for the area for 51 years.
He said that Portslade needed a strong voice to be heard because it had just four out of 54 councillors.
Mr Hamilton said: “The key issues are lack of toilets, poor refuse and recycling service, unacceptable planning decisions and controversy about cycle lanes in the town.
“New toilets are needed in Victoria Recreation Park and there needs to be far more councillor and resident consultation.”
Labour candidate Alan Robins, 66, is retired and is also seeking re-election to the council. For the past 12 years, Mr Robins has represented South Portslade, where he was born and has lived all his life, as did his parents and grandparents.
He said: “I believe I have always taken great pride in representing the people of my ward with honesty, good humour and their best interests at heart.
“Over the last 12 years we have faced several issues, including residents’ parking, speeding traffic in Portslade’s narrow streets and many difficult planning issues. Now the main issues are the lack of public toilets.
“Over the last year, for one reason or another, all Portslade public toilets have been closed. Other issues include erratic refuse and recycling collections and pavement weeds.”
Liberal Democrat candidate Ken Rist is a retired caterer. Mr Rist was born and bred in Portslade, as was his father and grandfather.
He said that he wanted to keep an eye on what he considered a “forgotten area” of the city, as Portslade had its own urban district council until 1974.
He said: “A big key issue for me is the forgotten overgrown memorial to the Portslade Gassie. It was a ferry service across the canal and important to the local workforce that kept the whole area of Brighton, Hove and Portslade alight and running.
“It might look calm waters but it was not in those days. The workers could not afford cars and even by bicycle it was a long route around via the lagoon to reach the power station and gasworks.”
The Conservatives is fielding two candidates – Steve Harmer-Strange and Aijuan Wang.
The Green Party is also fielding two candidates – Danny Booth and Sally Cranfield.
Should the council bring back the Old Shoreham Road cycle lane?
Helen Dear said: “No. It caused chaos.”
Danny Booth and Sally Cranfield said: “It is regrettable that Labour and Conservative councillors joined together to not only remove the temporary Old Shoreham Road cycle lane but also block plans to make improvements to this stretch of road. This included needed changes to junctions such as Olive Road.
“While we welcomed the funding from the Conservative government to deliver new active travel schemes, the limits of the funding meant that only temporary works could be completed and this resulted in lanes that aren’t ideal for anyone.
“We support well-planned, safe and permanent cycle lanes being built across the city, including in Old Shoreham Road.”
Les Hamilton and Alan Robins said: “No, certainly not in the previous format.
“The idea of an east-west cycle route is sound and is included in the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) but it must be properly designed, engineered and consulted on.
“Maybe once the new developments at Sackville Road and Hove Station are completed an east-west cycle lane can be revisited, with full consultation with the local community.”
Ken Rist said: “The implementation of the Old Shoreham Road cycle lane was botched. It was brought in in a hurry and with very little consultation.
“The work was then reversed at considerable expense to council tax-payers even though the original plan was funded by a central government grant.
“Liberal Democrats support active travel initiatives in general and properly designed cycle lanes in particular.
“There may be room to re-introduce the cycle path if the snags thrown up by the ill-judged experiment are addressed.”
How will you improve our embarrassingly low recycling rates?
Helen Dear said: “Bring back reliable weekly collections of recycling and refuse. Encourage residents to shop locally, using greengrocers, butchers, etc, which will reduce the waste from the excess packaging so loved by supermarkets.”
Danny Booth and Sally Cranfield said: “Greens were the only party to vote against the private finance deal with Veolia when presented to councillors back in 2003 due to our fears about how it would restrict what we can recycle.
“Sadly, we have been proven correct – and we have 10 years left to go. Greens have been completing a study on introducing more plastic collections and took plans to introduce food waste collections to the committee which were blocked by Labour and Conservative councillors.
“We would try again to introduce food waste, introduce weekly recycling collections and continue the study on collecting more plastics.”
Les Hamilton and Alan Robins said: “There are major guidelines attracting multimillion-pound funds expected from the government over the next few months, including guidelines on food waste collection and deposit return schemes and other recyclables.
“While we wait for these guidelines, we can improve our collection facilities as follows
- a) Those who already have a garden waste collection facility should be encouraged to add their food waste – this is recycled together at the same facility and only not publicised because the council are not allowed to charge for food waste collection.
- b) Expand our community composting scheme via the Food Partnership who already run a number of successful composting schemes across the community run by volunteers.
“While we wait for these, we can begin to fund additional sorting at the Veolia plant to include foil trays and possibly other pots and trays, but this will need some investment in staffing.”
Ken Rist said: “If you want to improve your recycling, ask a Lib Dem councillor. All of the top six local authorities in England for their level of recycling are run by Liberal Democrats, according to the latest DEFRA figures.
“Meanwhile, Green-administered Brighton and Hove lies 303rd in the league table.”
What will you do to support the schools in and around your ward?
Helen Dear said: “Work with parents and teachers. What are their concerns? Does the curriculum provide a well-rounded education that empowered pupils to help them learn important life skills?
“Mental health is at an all-time low. How can we work together to help our young people thrive?”
Danny Booth and Sally Cranfield said: “Schools across the city are facing a funding crisis thanks to the lack of funding provided by the Conservative government and falling pupil numbers.
“It is clear that the next council must continue to support schools through these challenges and find a route to ensure that school closures are avoided.
“On top of this, we would continue to fund and deliver programmes like the Our City Our World environmental education and anti-racist education, as well as having a relentless focus on programmes to support children and families who face additional barriers.”
Les Hamilton said: “I have served as a governor on four Portslade schools. Serving on the Children, Young People and Skills Committee and having taught in the city for 43 years, I will do all I can in committee to support our schools and fight academisation.”
Alan Robins said: “I have always supported the schools in my ward and, for many years, was a governor at two local schools.”
Ken Rist said: “Encouraging more children to walk or cycle to school reduces road traffic and makes travel safer.
“Having good, popular schools near to homes is important. Different schools will require different solutions. I would work closely with schools and neighbours to meet their needs.”
Polling day is Thursday 4 May. Photo ID is required for those voting in person.
