Brighton and Hove’s Labour leader Bella Sankey said that her party’s candidates in two by-elections next month had been selected by local members.
She was responding to former Hove council and parliamentary election candidate Nigel Furness at a meeting of Brighton and Hove City Council on Thursday (28 March).
The by-elections – in Queen’s Park and Kemptown wards – were called after councillors Chandni Mistry and Bharti Gajjar resigned in February.
The two former councillors were expelled by Labour after claims of election irregularities and questions about where they were based. Both had roots in Leicester.
They were selected by the regional party rather than at local level for the local elections last May.
Mr Furness said: “These council prospective candidates that you’ve announced, you’ve been making very large of the fact they are thoroughly local people, with thoroughly local connections.
“Indeed, I know them both, so you are telling the truth, I’m glad to say.
“Are you prepared to go further with that statement and confirm that you are now in control, or your party is now in control locally of future candidates who are being selected, rather than regional or worse still, Labour central office?”
Councillor Sankey said that branch members had selected both the Queen’s Park and Kemptown by-election candidates.
The selection process was organised by a committee formed of members of the three constituency parties for Brighton and Hove.
And members of the Queen’s Park and Kemptown Village Labour branches selected their candidates at hustings meetings on Friday 15 March.
Mr Furness also asked how much the by-elections would cost. Councillor Sankey said that the bill would be £18,000 because the police and crime commissioner elections were also taking place on Thursday 2 May.
The cost of printing polling cards and posting them out would be shared along with the cost of hiring and staffing polling stations.
The closing date for nominations for the election is 4pm on Friday (5 April). To stand as a candidate, people must be over 18 and a British, Commonwealth or EU citizen who is registered and will remain registered to vote in Brighton and Hove.
Qualifying candidates must have lived in Brighton and Hove for the whole of the previous 12 months or have worked or owned land here for the past year.
Voters need photographic identification to vote – and for those who do not have a passport, driving licence or other valid form of ID, the deadline for a “voter authority certificate” is 5pm on Wednesday 24 April.
Candidates announced so far for Kemptown ward are
- Robert Brown (Liberal Democrat)
- Gary Farmer (Brighton and Hove Independents)
- Theresa Mackey (Labour)
- Ricky Perrin (Green)
Candidates announced so far for Queen’s Park ward are
- Camilla Gauge (Labour)
- Dominique Hall (Liberal Democrat)
- Adrian Hart (Brighton and Hove Independents)
- Luke Walker (Green)
As the only candidate who stood previously – showing my commitment to Kemptown – and with both the Greens and Labour deciding not to stand local candidates who don’t actually live in Kemptown – I feel it shows that both parties are taking Kemptown residents of granted.
It appears all the candidates have previously stood for election, including yourself, even though you came last in 2023. Maybe Kemptown just doesn’t trust the Lib dems.
Ouch, did Robert not do his homework on his fellow candidates? That’s embarrassing.
Being a serial complainer doesn’t give you a lot of credit though, anyone can tell you what the problems are for themselves. And whilst you indeed are showing commitment by standing multiple times, you’ve also failed to implement anything meaningful during the interim, even with a political party backing you.
Your goals for safety, as you mentioned in one of your interviews, is commendable. There’s also already a form of that that exists. I feel, if you did your homework, you should have already known this.
We haven’t forgotten the Condem government that brought in austerity and tuition fees. Lib dems are Tory enablers
We haven’t forgotten the 2010 Labour manifesto which planned cutting public services by £47 billion by March 2015 and by 2016–17 by £71 billion. We also haven’t forgotten Labour’s 1997 General Election promise not to introduce tuition fees, but Labour then introducing fees of £1000 only two months later. We also haven’t forgotten Labour’s 2001 promise not to raise tuition fees further, but then Labour tripling them in 2003 to £3000 (from 2006) – and in 2009 Labour increasing them again by 2% to £3,290.
Tuition fees are one of the best forms of credit anyone can have, as it doesn’t generally affect your rating, freezes when income goes below a threshold, and is wiped out after 30 years.
And if you REALLY want to go down who’s the worst at managing the country’s finances, Liz Truss has been the worst, bar none. You can’t really make the argument for economy against Labour reasonably, since our current government has blown all records of shoddy management out of the water.
Local matters are best dealt with by local people with local knowledge and real life experiences from within the ward. I agree with Robert and it is yet again showing an absence of understanding and respect for the residents of Kemptown after the expensive humiliation by Labour triggering this by-election that the Greens and Labour are fielding candidates from outside Kemptown. Outdated Westminster party politics have no place in local issues at a grassroots community level. Independent voices are needed who can speak freely and work directly within their wards without national party dogma stopping councillors putting local matters first.
Didn’t you stand for election in Regency last year? Attacking other candidates for being from different parts of Brighton is quite hypocritical. Respectfully, is the kind of low-brow “Westminster” party politics voters can expect from you? https://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2023/04/28/candidate-profiles-nine-stand-for-two-seats-in-regency/
It’s always reassuring when a political party makes blatant errors of judgement which lead to an absurd fiasco of a situation and then go on to insist they have done no wrong.
Indeed. The ability to reflect and be candid with one’s actions for self improvement is very important. I’d rate that highly in a candidate. We’re all human, and we will make mistakes. What’s not reasonable is to refuse to learn from them.
First media mention I’ve seen of upcoming by-elections. Isn’t election suppression Unlawful?
The notices of the vacancies was published on the councils website on the 11th March as were the subsequent notices of the elections
Just because the B&H News didn’t write articles doesn’t mean there has been any “suppression”.
Really Barry, you’d benefit from doing even a cursory internet search before launching a opinion. This could have been very easily avoided.
Everyone in non-Labour circles has been talking about the lack of publicity this time.
Everyone except the local media.
Could it be that Labour are scared of losing these 2 seats after the parachuted Leicester Ladies scandal?
Labour should also be paying for these by-elections out of their own pocket, not the public purse, since it is their fault they have happened.
Election notices are published by council staff independent of the political make up of the council.
If there was no publicity then how did the other parties find out about the byelections and get their nomination papers completed and submitted?
If you have a complaint about the B&H News not publisicing the byelections them then contact Jo Wadsworth and make a formal complaint.
Nominations close at 4pm on Friday. Plenty of time for you to get the forms completed and submitted.
Will we see your name on the Kemptoen or Queens Park ballot papers Barry?
I echo Chris’ comments. Jo, in my experience, is an extremely professional reporter. I’m sure she would be very keen to ensure she holds herself to a high standard and would welcome constructive criticism. However, I suspect the case here Barry, is that you haven’t been paying much attention.
The previous control of the selection process by the Regional Office was only made necessary by the take-over of the local party by Momentum, Platts and her Corbynista cronies, egged on by the likes of Hadfield Region dropped a terrible clanger with the choice of Gajjar and Mistry and one day presumably we will be told how this awful misjudgement occurred.
Meanwhile, whilst I am all in favour of open debate and disclosure, I find it a bit odd that questions about internal party organisation are legitimate topics to be raised in Council questions from the public. I know Furness is a “poll veteran” as you headline him (some of us would call him something quite different) but aren’t the Council officials indulging him rather too much by letting him raise questions like this.
*Hadfield. Region…
I’d quite happily call Furness a total loon. No need to be polite.
“I’m all in favour of open debate”….unless it’s those left of Peter Mandleson
…. Hadfield. Region ..
Missed a full stop (Greg Hadfield)
I support Mr Furnish and his right to ask questions.
Me too; regardless of who he is. It could even be Barry asking questions, and I’d support that right.
Nathan…maybe you need to look in the mirror and stfu!
Who is Hadfield?