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 Green Party candidate Ollie Sykes, 57, a climate change consultant.
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Why do you want to be a councillor and how are you qualified for the role?
I represented Brunswick and Adelaide for eight years from 2011-19 so I know the neighbourhood and the council well.
Being a councillor is about responding to the concerns of residents and about contributing to important citywide challenges and opportunities.
I enjoyed both those parts of the role in my time as a councillor, including leading on the council’s finances for a number of years. This is a crucial role now more than ever as cuts continue to hit local budgets.
I love this city and want to be part of discussions that take the city forward once again.
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What are the three key issues for voters in Brunswick and Adelaide?
Brunswick and Adelaide is a busy city centre and seafront ward so residents experience both the upsides and downsides of living by the sea.
Voters are most often concerned with housing and homelessness.
The ward has the highest percentage of private rented housing in the city and voters often raise the escalating costs and the lack of security.
Related to this are concerns about the street community, both about the need for support and managing anti-social behaviour.
As a communal bin area, rubbish and recycling issues are also very common, as is noise and disruption from events.
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If elected, would you put ward before party in the event of a conflict – or the other way round?
The principles of consultation and listening to residents and communities are strongly embedded in the Green Party.
It’s not common that a situation arises in which party interests override local interests.
But as a group of councillors, Greens allow individual members to vote as they wish if such a conflict does arise.
When I was a councillor from 2011-19, I always sought to ensure decisions were beneficial for both local residents and the wider city by taking the time to fully understand respective values and positions.
This is an approach I would take if elected again.
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What would you do to tackle the area’s housing challenges and problems?
Finding and keeping a home in our city has become increasingly difficult for renters, a key issue in our neighbourhood with the highest percentage of rented housing.
The council has a role to play in scrutinising the private rented sector, challenging landlords for poor-quality housing and introducing new affordable housing through construction or purchase.
When Greens ran the council, from 2020-23, we halved rough sleeping, built more council homes and took action on landlords.
Any Green MPs elected on the same day as the by-election would push in Parliament to introduce rent controls and to end the “right to buy”.
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How will you have any influence now the council has ditched committees for a cabinet?
The Labour group of councillors voted to change the cabinet system to committees when in opposition in 2013 and now they’ve done a U-turn and changed it back despite this not being made apparent in their manifesto.
It’s a worrying power grab and means it’s even more important that as many opposition councillors as possible are elected to hold them to account.
I will challenge Labour to stick to their promises and challenge decisions which don’t serve the best interests of residents which I have experience of from serving in opposition to a Labour-led council from 2015-19.
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How would you measure your success as a councillor?
The constituent and councillor relationship is vital and I don’t think you can consider yourself a successful councillor without being present in the ward and responsive to issues raised by ward residents.
As a Green group of councillors, we monitor and hold each other to account on ensuring we are present and responsive.
On broader citywide issues, I would plan to contribute as a critical friend, in particular, on environmental, climate and finance matters, to proposals from the Labour administration on meeting the city’s many challenges and opportunities.
I would consider effective contributions as evidence of success.
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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.
Is wasn’t you was it that was the Greens finance lead when the i360 was given the go ahead was it?
If you win Ollie, it will be nice not to be Phelims skivvy 😊
Why is former Green Deputy Coucil Leader Hannah Allbrookes’ husband running your campaign Ollie? She lost this ward by 8 votes last May and cannot have been happy not to be selected to run this time.
Listen! I can hear a cuckoo.
I’ve got some questions:
Increasing tax and NI on earnings above £50,000. How is this going to serve the UK’s economy if you discourage working and achievement?
Scrapping Trident, but remaining in NATO. You do realise, don’t you, that being a member of NATO requires contribution to the collective armed force. Do you honestly think we could be a part of NATO whilst withdrawing our contribution to it?
Was this manifesto written by children?
When are pedestrians going to be considered and protected from the menace of bicycles?
It is extremely dangerous to cross Kings Road to get to the seafront as no cyclist ever respects the give way markings or pedestrian safety. Anyone that is disabled stands no chance. You have created a monster.
Will you not address the needs of pedestrians?
On this we can agree. Most of us were far happier with the safe and enjoyable to ride promenade cycle lane than the dogs dinner which has been created by carving up the main A259 road through Brighton which has to serve many other places as well. This has purely been done to cut parking spaces in the council’s feud against the car and just as they are turning electric anyway!
Now further disability danger and discrimination is planned with the cycle lane extension to Hove Lagoon subtracting even more visitor parking in a tourist destination.
He’s got a rough record on financial decisions.