Five candidates are standing in a by-election in Brunswick and Adelaide for a seat on Brighton and Hove City Council on Thursday 4 July 2024.
The seat became vacant when Labour councillor Jilly Stevens resigned because of ill health.
The five candidates are Alice Burton (Labour), Jamie Gillespie (Independent), Claire Lachlan (Liberal Democrat), Ollie Sykes (Green) and Chris Woodley (Brighton and Hove Independent).
Each candidate has answered questions about local issues and why electors should vote for them.
Here are the responses from florist and Brighton and Hove Independent candidate Chris Woodley.
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Why do you want to be a councillor and how are you qualified for the role?
I got fed up moaning about the council, the Greens and Labour, their total disregard for people and the city, badly thought-out policies and their extravagant spending.
So instead of moaning, I want to do something about it and get elected.
I feel I’m more than qualified to be a councillor for Brunswick and Adelaide. I have lived and worked in the ward for over 45 years. I have run many successful businesses. The Flower Stand is a local institution.
I have life experience and I’m confident I will have a positive impact on the ward and Brighton and Hove.
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What are the three key issues for voters in Brunswick and Adelaide?
Potholes in the roads are a national scandal but it doesn’t mean it is acceptable and the council should have a policy in place to address the problem.
Footpaths on some roads are so dangerous, undermined by tree roots and weeds, that it’s safer to walk in the road.
Vandalism – shops regularly have their windows broken in Western Road and Church Road.
Drug use is now of epidemic proportion, with the residents witnessing on a daily basis addicts passed out on the streets and open drug dealing.
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If elected, would you put ward before party in the event of a conflict – or the other way round?
I have no allegiance to any party. I represent the residents of Brunswick and Adelaide and as I’m one of them I am a beneficiary.
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What would you do to tackle the area’s housing challenges and problems?
Labour’s purge on slum landlords doesn’t help as some very good landlords have been targeted.
There is a landlord who rents properties, in Lansdowne Place, Palmeira Square, Adelaide Crescent and Second Avenue, at affordable rents to people who otherwise could not afford to live in the area.
These properties may need some TLC (but) are definitely not slums and the residents are grateful tenants.
I would have a sensible conversation with the landlord. I would work with them – in some cases offer grants to get work done and not dictate to them. I’ll try to keep families in their homes.
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How will you have any influence now the council has ditched committees for a cabinet?
As the council has done away with committees and become a cabinet, they will be subject to close scrutiny. Hopefully, the city will come first and not party policy.
Having a cabinet has advantages. It’s possible to have a better performing council but they must listen to the public.
I’m sure they realise they don’t have all the answers and would be open to suggestions and sensible advice. I wouldn’t look at them as being the enemy and vice versa.
If they are open-minded, which I’m sure they are, we can get things done for the best. Talk is good
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How would you measure your success as a councillor?
That is for others to decide but, for myself, improve youth services (with) more social and sports facilities for teenagers.
We complain about them getting into petty crime and hanging around the streets and parks but they have nowhere to go.
This city is geared up for the university crowd and older. Just look at all the events happening in Brighton this summer. It’s a teenage-free zone except if they are accompanied by a parent. Let’s put the kids first for a while.
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Polling stations are due to be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 4 July. Photo ID is required for those voting in person.
It is a lie to claim that he lives in the ward. The nominations published on the council website: https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/voting-and-elections/statement-persons-nominated-situation-polling-stations-and-notice-poll-brunswick-adelaide shows he lives outside the ward in Central Hove ward
Come on, is that the best you can do? At least he publishes his address and it’s close enough for me… the street Chris lives in is literally the boundary of the Ward and his place of work is in the Ward.
2ns Avenue is in the ward, not sure what you are on about. He is the only candidate who is declaring where he lives unlike the others who are all “somewhere on Brighton and Hove”. No doubt you are a Green or Labour paid up member who is trying to discredit a great guy who really cares about the area unlike the mainstream parties who only care about themselves despite the chat GPT nonsense they are programmed to lip sync to.
Check again using his post code on the notice of poll against the councils “find my councillor” tool.
He’s on the Central Hove side of that road – it’s the boundary. He’s not being honest and hoping this gray area of the boundaries will allow him to claim something that is not true. This is not about political party support – it’s about honesty.
Petty points scoring exercise, well done – I live in Central Hove so can’t vote for this gentleman but I also can’t stand by and watch you try and knock down a solid candidate on no true basis.
He clearly lives and works in the locality, and I’m willing to wager given his flower stand (in the ward) knows the community better than most.
A good guy and pillar of the community who’s run his business in the ward for many years. Hope he wins. The most deserving candidate for sure.
The Landlords of the many studio ‘flats’/HMO misery rooms in this area make enough money. The Landlords must pay to make properties safe and habitable for the people paying to live in them. No excuses.
Most landlords pay through the nose to comply with increasingly ridiculous compliance demands, but the real rent rampers are the lettings agencies urging landlords to raise their rents to make up for the Lettings Agent fees to tenants being banned. We are also seeing a whole new breed of aggressive Lettings Agents taking older lettings agents over and telling all their landlords that their properties are ‘underlet’ and almost bullying them into raising their rents so the Lettings agents can cream more off the top. Lettings agents need to be held to account here and bad landlords who don’t comply with anything, prosecuted, which Acorn won’t do.
Fair play to him. Has a moan about the council, decides to stand up to try to do something about it. I have to respect that.
Having said that, I get a lot of “angry man waves fist at clouds” vibe from this short interview. I’m not very convinced he’s a problem solver.