Eight candidates are standing in the Westbourne and Poets Corner by-election for a seat on Brighton and Hove City Council.
Nominations closed yesterday (Wednesday 2 April) for the by-election that is due to be held on Thursday 1 May.
The vacancy arose when Labour councillor Leslie Pumm resigned his seat last month citing his health.
At least seven of the eight candidates have run for election to the council before.
The eight candidates are
- Gary Farmer – Reform UK
- Keith Jago – Independent
- David Maples – Independent Trade Union and Socialist Candidate
- Georgia McKinley Fitch – Independents for Direct Democracy
- Tony Meadows – Conservative
- Sam Parrott – Labour
- Geoff Shanks – Green
- Michael Wang – Liberal Democrats
Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 1 May at
- Hove Museum and Art Gallery, 19 New Church Road, Hove
- Holy Cross Church Hall, Tamworth Road, Hove
The results for the two seats in the ward at the local elections in May 2023 were
- Julie Cattell – Labour – 1,911 votes (elected)
- Leslie Pumm – Labour – 1,741 votes (elected)
- Renato Marques – Green – 743 votes
- Geoff Shanks – Green – 691 votes
- Michael Bates – Conservative – 448 votes
- Mark Clayton – Conservative – 421 votes
- James Verguson – Independent – 211 votes
- Geoff Date – Liberal Democrats – 208 votes
- Dave Hill – Trade Unionists and Socialist Coalition – 111 votes
- Patricia Mountain – UK Independence Party (UKIP) – 65 votes
A total of 6,550 votes were cast by at least 3,275 voters, with a further 11 ballot papers rejected. The turnout was 45.86 per cent.
Only four out of the 23 electoral wards had a higher turnout – Rottingdean and West Saltdean (51.49 per cent), Hollingdean and Fiveways (49.47 per cent), Westdene and Hove Park (46.18 per cent) and Wish (45.93 per cent).
Geoff Shanks is the only candidate who stood in the ward in the local elections in May 2023. He came fourth out of the 10 candidates who were running for two seats.
But James Verguson, the only Independent candidate two years ago, was the proposer for Georgia McKinley Fitch for this by-election and the Lib Dem candidate in May 2023, Geoff Date, was the seconder for Michael Wang.
The Conservative candidate Tony Meadows was proposed by Audrey Buttimer, 93, who served as mayor of Hove from 1991-92, having been mayoress three years earlier.
She represented the old Westbourne ward on Hove Borough Council when it was safe Conservative territory and the same ward on Brighton and Hove Council. She retired in 1999.
Westbourne and Poets Corner ward is bounded by the railway line in the north, the seafront in the south and Sackville Road and Hove Street in the east.
The westernmost streets in the ward are Alpine Road, Hogarth Road and Walsingham Road.
Voters are now required by law to show photo ID at polling stations. The council said: “You don’t need ID to vote by post.
“If we received your application before Tuesday 18 March, then we’ll dispatch your postal vote around Wednesday 16 April.
“If we receive your application by 5pm on Monday 14 April, then we’ll dispatch your postal vote around Tuesday 22 April.”
To vote in the by-election, electors must be
- registered to vote by Friday 11 April
- a resident of Westbourne and Poets’ Corner ward or a registered crown servant or service elector in respect of an address in the ward
- age 18 or over on polling day
For more information, click here.
Brighton and Hove News plans to publish a profile of each candidate before election day.
Good. Time for some Direct Democracy. We’ve tried everything else.
You understand that having a political system in your party name has zero effect on how the actual system in place works. You know that, right?!
We need Reform in Brighton & Hove, vote for Gary 🙂
Good cheerleading Mrs F. How did you two meet again? You didn’t seem to be around when hubs was running for the Fishleigh crew.
No idea what you are on about – bless xxx
She absolutely has every idea what you’re talking about, Mike!
Gary Farmer, who criticizes candidates for not being local but stands everywhere. So hypocritical.
Those that seek power should never be given it. Those that do things often get it.
Vote for the candidate that has spent time doing things for Westbourne or at least who you believe will.
Oh dear Katy, you really have issues don’t you – Please check on the current candidates and current Labour cabal in the town hall. Standing more than once is commonplace and not living in the ward is the majority of councillors by far – check it out. Our dear Bella Sankey who is already positioning herself as “mayor” of the new Sussex authority and as a prospective parliamentary candidate for 2029 doesn’t care about you – only herself. If you want to throw stones look no further than Labour who are happily ruining the country with an economic policy written on the back of a pack of fags, hammering businesses, working people, pensioners, farming families, the vulnerable and the disabled…….
People in glass houses, D.
and as for hypocrisy – labour’s manifesto 🙂
Reform ! Please come and save us from these clueless leftys. Hopefully after the last 9 months, people will see sense and not vote Labour.
“clueless leftys”
hoho
It needs everybody in Westbourne and Poets to get up off their backsides and vote.45% last time was pathetic,if you don’t vote don’t moan! Ask yourself,
“am I happy with our Council,am l happy with Labour ?”Time for CHANGE !
Reform supporters, this is the biggest opportunity yet for you to start making an impact to take back control of your country. Don’t let the left/globalist MSM propaganda machine continue to slur you as they do. Be proud, be fed up and go and vote. The future of this country for you and your children is more important than what these indoctrinated people think. If you feel it, do it.
Ward Councillors have next to no influence to “take back” anything. What a weird thing to say.
Damn! I only needed a “WEF” and a “Soros” for a Full House!
Not one will speak up for the locals ,or the wards,we need some body with roots,who cares,passionately about people, and there needs to many names getting paid for nowt doing owt, and someone who can instigate investigation concerning the council homeless waiting list ,and the infrastructure of this once beautiful place it’s a complete disgrace, no parks and gardens, department, no floral clock no Stein gardens fountain to while away a day dream the place has been raped by one lot after another.
Now, to be fair, there are a few who absolutely would do. Levels of effectiveness, though, are probably a good measure.
Indovidual councillors have no power to launch investigations into anything.
As to the Victoria Fountain (to give its proper name) the fountain only operates between Easter and October.
Where is The Donald candidate..
I demand tariffs on all business, Hove 25%, worthing 40%, Brighton 80%…
SUPPORT PORTSLADE INDEPENDENT TOWNHALL
I see that the trade union candidate’s leaflet passes itself off as Green and cannot spell Poets’ gramatically. More than one poet is honoured in the neighbourhood. Is it too much to hope that Cowper will be correctly pronounced as Cooper?
Before anybody else does so, let me say that my previous remark should have been “grammatically”.