All five candidates standing in the Queen’s Park by-election faced a grilling from a packed hall of voters at St Luke’s Church in Brighton last night (Monday 22 April).
The event was hosted by the St Luke’s Residents’ Association and attended by Sunny Choudhury (Conservative), Milla Gauge (Labour), Dominique Hall (Liberal Democrats), Adrian Hart (Brighton and Hove Independents) and Luke Walker (Green).
Voters asked the candidates about a wide range of topics including Valley Gardens phase three, children’s safeguarding, standards in public life and St Luke’s Primary School admissions.
St Luke’s is currently appealing to the school’s adjudicator against Brighton and Hove City Council’s plans to reduced its admission number from 90 reception year children to 60 from September next year.
But 135 families applied for the 90 places available this coming September, with the furthest child living less than half a mile away from the school in Queen’s Park Rise.
Mr Choudhury said that people’s voices had to be heard. He said: “We know the current financial situation but it is important to have our children’s future and education as a priority.
“It’s important for our society, our backbone. I will do everything in my power, whether I’m a councillor or not, to help St Luke’s retain its position.”
Mr Walker said that the situation was difficult because there were fewer primary school-age children in Brighton and Hove and there would be fewer secondary school-aged children in future years.
He said: “This is a thorny issue to deal with. If the Labour Party nationally was to commit to more funding which Kier Starmer has been resolutely opposed to, then the issue might go away.
“The Labour Party locally made huge promises at the last election that they would save schools (and) keep schools open. That has not happened.”
Mr Hart said that he supported parents and staff unequivocally – and that St Luke’s was an outstanding, vibrant school that parents wanted.
He said: “It is a paradox when there is so much interest in the school with applications rising. Independent councillors can fight that without being told what to think and say.”
Ms Gauge said that she supported St Luke’s governors in their appeal against being forced to take fewer pupils and asked for the council’s assurance that it would “abide by the schools adjudicator’s decision”.
She said: “We have a huge fall in numbers in the city and the most primary schools in deficit in the country. To be sustainable in our primary sector, hard choices have to be made.
“We’re working to mitigate school closures. Unfortunately the flip side of that is some schools have to be asked to slim down.”
Ms Hall said: “One of the issues is if it (St Luke’s) carries on with having all the people who apply attending, then other schools will then have to close.
“That’s what is driving the narrowing of class sizes. You have to look at what is good for the entire ward and the entire city. Other schools should be allowed to take up the slack.”
The by-election was called after the resignation of Chandni Mistry who was elected for Labour last May and later expelled from the party. She sat briefly as an independent.
Polling stations in Queen’s Park are due to open at 7am on Thursday 2 May and close at 10pm. Photo ID is required for those voting in person.
Did anyone stick out in particular for you at these, people?
Other schools such as Queens Park that need improvement should not be expected to ‘take up the slack’ from an outstanding school. The council should look at the best choices for the children.