Seven candidates are standing in a by-election in South Portslade for a seat on Brighton and Hove City Council on Thursday 11 January 2024.
The seat became vacant when Labour councillor Les Hamilton resigned.
The seven candidates are Danny John Booth (Green), Benjamin James Franks (Conservative), Jamie Rutherford Gillespie (Independent), Josh Guilmant (Labour), David Timothy Maples (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition), Georgia Arabella McKinley Fitch (Democratic Liberation Party), Kenneth Lloyd Rist (Liberal Democrats).
Each candidate received questions about local issues submitted by the public and were asked why they want to represent the ward. Below are the responses from Josh Guilmant, 40, a law teacher.
Why do you want to be a councillor?
I was brought up in Brighton and Hove by a family of teachers, my mother teaching at Mile Oak Primary.
I was fortunate to have parents who fought for my education, having been diagnosed with dyslexia from a young age.
I work as a teacher of law. My key social driver is to aid young people to reach their potential.
Being elected as a councillor would be a privilege and allow me to fight for the rights of the local community as well.
Why do you want to stand in this ward?
South Portslade is a unique ward. I love the fact that it can be part of Brighton and Hove but also such a fiercely individual and supportive community, bound together with its own high street, train station and parks. It really is very much a community within a city.
What are the key issues specific to this ward?
None of these will be unfamiliar – making sure the basic services are met, from refurbishing the toilets at Station Road and Vale Park, improving recycling and waste collection and clearing the weeds that blight so many neighbourhoods.
The consultation with the community on the future of St Peter’s school and nursery.
Making sure any new council homes improve the area while preserving areas of natural beauty like Benfield Valley. And the continuing impact of the “cost of living crisis” on everyday life.
Will you toe the party line or go with what the community wants?
I would be elected as a representative of the community and will always make sure that South Portslade has a voice.
However, this should not be an either-or question. The reality is you work within the local Labour group to look after the community’s interest.
Only by working as part of a bigger movement with the same values can I help bring about the change and improvements Portslade needs.
Will you follow council officers’ advice over the demands of voters?
My first job, if elected, is always to make sure that Portslade’s voice is heard. My second job is to make sure that it is listened to. This means providing political direction to the officers of the council.
I would always try to work in a collaborative way as I believe this achieves the best long-term outcomes for the community, focusing on solving the problem.
How will you make South Portslade a better place?
The first task is to make sure we get the basic local services right which is what Labour has been doing since coming into power in May 2023, including refurbishing Station Road and Vale Park toilets, providing additional recycling and improving waste collection with a mop up round.
We need to look at more long-term projects, decently designed council homes that improve the look of the area, but not on Benfield Valley, as well as consulting on future sporting provision.
How will you deal with residents’ problems with missed rubbish and recycling collections?
Local Labour are already dealing with this by implementing a mop up round for missed collections.
Longer term, I would like to see a better system of reporting to the council where residents see when a reported issue has been dealt with. It is very much about showing accountability to the residents.
What are your plans to engage with the community if elected?
I intend to make sure I am listening and engaging with individuals, community groups and businesses.
I will be making sure I am meeting the community through surgeries, local events and consultations.
I intend to make sure, when there is an issue that affects Portslade, I am clear about the views of the community and what the options are.
What are your views on the proposed closure of St Peter’s Community Primary School?
We need to recognise this is a sad position to be in. As a teacher, watching the Conservative government cut funding to our schools has been heartbreaking.
As a dyslexic student who had an EHCP (education and health care plan), I know first-hand the battle my parents had to go through to support my education.
I understand those parents that are looking to now protect their own children at St Peter’s. I would always put the child’s education first and look for practical effective solutions.
How will you ensure that the results of consultations about St Peter’s reflect the community’s will?
The lack of funding in our local education system has not been dealt with but kicked down the road by the previous administration.
It is now up to the Labour group to use its best judgment to make sure all children are equally and fairly treated.
This means listening to the voices of the community and looking at realistic solutions.
If elected, I will make sure a decision is considered in the best interest of the whole community.
Polling stations in South Portslade are due to open at 7am next Thursday and close at 10pm. Photo ID is required for those voting in person.
The crucial question is why hasn’t the Council published a draft Budget as, meanwhile, fears grow that Hove Library will be closed down?
I think they’ll get the budget under control by this year, the way it has been going.
The draft budget will be discussed at Policy & Resources committee on 8th February.
Papers will be released on 31st January.
This is in line with previous years timings.
Let’s hope CIL Tax, Carbon Neutral Fund and Unallocated Funds will all feature in full.
Well you can read the papers when they are published.
This isn’t in line with how it’s been done every year for around the last decade. In addition to the Feb budget papers there’s been a draft published in early December to allow community groups and opposition councillors to look at the proposals and feed in to the final budget. Labour clearly do not want to give enough notice of the awful cuts they’re planning for the community to be able to campaign against them.
yawn
To yawn is the reply of a bore.
How can you say you’re going to “fight for the rights of the local community” when you are tearing apart a community school and taking children’s rights to a suitable eduction away?
Good point. Well made. Blaming the Tories for a decision the Labour Council have made to close local schools and saying how ‘sad’ it is lame in the extreme. He must support school closures if he is running for the administration closing them!
Except Barry, the proposals put forward are inaccurate in terms of numbers, forecasting, and budget. You can’t push something through and not keep to government policy too, which they are breaking in several areas. If he wants to represent this ward, then he should have the residents interests first, before political gains. Also, it would help if he actually lived in the area. There are other, better candidates who would actually represent this community with purpose. He’s not it.
Typical Labour response on the closure proposal for St Peter’s and being whipped into line by the party. He doesn’t even live in the ward he wants to represent!! Tried to get into Withdean so now trying their luck with South Portslade in the hope that Labour can monopolise the council and do what they want. No sense of supporting the community’s interests – no mention of St Peter’s School & Nursery on their campaign leaflet. Education was a key pledge in May 2023 and now they want us to forget it, except we won’t. Don’t expect us to be on your side Labour when you have already proven to be more interested in career politics and “bums on seats”. Absolute joke.
‘Equally and fairly treated’? How is it fair to put children through the stress and uncertainty of potentially having their school closed. If Labour were equal and fair they wouldn’t have pushed this proposal in the first place. They have caused unimaginable stress and worry to families in the community. The last thing South Portslade needs is another Labour representative, there are other candidates who would be much better suited to the role.
If I hear ‘kicked down the road’ one more time I’m going to scream. Any councillor with a genuine interest in the school closure proposal would know to steer well clear of that phrase. I’m equally tired of hearing how families/carers of SEND pupils at St Peter’s will be supported should the school close. Presumably this just means verbal support, as I’ve seen nothing in the way of practical support so far. Lots of handwringing and sympathetic nodding, but no evidence that there will be actual practical action taken to ensure that St Peter’s SEND cohort will continue to get the high standard of care and education they do at another school should St Peter’s be closed.
Josh claims his ‘social driver is to aid young people to reach their potential’. The SEND cohort at St Peter’s Community School and Nursery are already reaching their academic and social potentials. Their parents/carers have looked desperately for alternative, and found none.
Being brought up by a family of teachers I’d hope to have seen how the closure of St Peter’s would affect teachers. Both those currently working at St Peter’s and those at the next nearest school. There are teachers at St Peter’s with 25+ years of experience who are desperately worried about finding jobs elsewhere due to the higher salary that their experience rightly demands, and the fact that budgets are being stretched to breaking. The teachers at other schools are already having to manage classes of 30+ pupils. Where will the extra support for them come if there is no money in the pot? How will this affect the education of children in these large classes, especially those with SEND.
Josh has also failed to mention that Portslade has already lost four nurseries. St Peter’s Community School Nursery is an LA nursery with qualified teaching staff and the only one, of 15 others that parents have contacted, that can offer the hours that working parents need. It’s also the only affordable option for many working parents. Closure of the school will simply make staying in or moving to in the area unworkable for many low-income families. We read lots of Labour pledges about how they are going to improve early years education. But how? Where will the money come from? Are there expecting already overstretched, underfunded schools to fill this gap?
If Labour push forward with the closure of St Peter’s Community School and Nursery they won’t be ‘kicking an issue down the road’ they will be knowingly booting it in the direction of local residents, children and their teachers and causing increased costs in the end.
God! Do you think any of the other candidates are going to do anything apart from complain about St Peters if elected? They have no power. At least this guys a teacher, gets SEN and would get to influence the labour group. What more do you want? Do you really go into teaching and then go oh yeah I want to close down a school!?
Jack S. Labour are not about to change their spots if voted for. Josh will be whipped and forced to toe the party line even if they choose to close every school in the city down. No candidate with integrity can run for them on this basis. Independent is the only way forward. Unwhipped and unbound and free to serve the city.
Jack, he will be whipped into party line like the rest of them. Barry is right, independents are the way forward. This candidate doesn’t even live in Portslade, let alone South Portslade. He’s tried elsewhere to be a councillor and is now trying his luck here. He’s closed his X profile and doesn’t engage. Tells you everything you need to know about Labour – another career politician doing it for ego rather than the community’s interests.
One problem though is that Independents have even less power to do anything within council as they will always be the minority. It works in hung councils because the swing matters, but not in a majority.
Problem is I just won’t vote for them again. Not after they broke their pledges. I believed them, voted in faith, and that trust is now broken. Sooner vote for someone else than Labour. Sorry!!
Nothing to apologise for, you made your position articulately and it is perfectly reasonable.
Yeah maybe the Labour Group should do nothing about the unfilled school places , like the Greens and then have schools go more and more in debt, with no funding for support staff etc. Labour should sit on their hands and let the city go bankrupt. Of course the other candidates are all saying that they wouldn’t close a school, they don’t have to manage the schools budgets. It’s easy to say ‘oh I wouldn’t do that ‘ when your party isn’t in charge of the city’s finances. Hackney in London is in a very similar position currently as Brighton & Hove, when it comes to the decline in pupil numbers and they are having to close 4 schools. No one wants schools to close down , of course they don’t. How can a struggling school keep on hiring the support staff it needs, when it hasn’t got the funding to pay staff, due to there being so many empty places in a school. If the Greens had had the balls last year and the year before to cut classes from the bigger schools , then the bigger schools would be oversubscribed and then more pupils would then go to the small schools. This didn’t happen though and the Greens did absolutely nothing about the schools budgets across the city and the fall in pupil numbers. Is that really a way to manage a city ? Do nothing knowing that the following years another Party will be in charge and have to deal with an even worse problem instead. Ex Green councillor Hannah Allbrook , who was the former chair of the schools committee actually said ‘well good luck to whoever has to chair the schools committee in the future ‘. The Greens knew well that the next administration could not sit on hands anymore , as the situation was spiralling completely out of control. The city’s cohort of schools cannot function getting more and more into deficit. Good outcomes for all children , means schools with full budgets , who are able to employ a full range of support staff. It’s very sad for the families in the affected schools , of course it is but the unfilled places in schools is a funding crisis that has to be addressed and should have been addressed over the past few years but wasn’t and so now the situation is worse due to the lack of previous action.
@JoshGuilmant your supposed to be representing #southportslade but couldn’t even stick around to speak to anyone especially families of @SaveStpeters1 this speaks volumes. #votelabourout
Did you literally copy this, formatting and all, from Facebook? Yikes.