Six candidates are standing in a by-election in Goldsmid ward for a seat on Brighton and Hove City Council on Thursday 25 June.
The seat became vacant when former councillor Jackie O’Quinn resigned.
The six candidates are Louis Bird (Conservative), Nadia Barton Ahmad (Green), Philip Berman (Labour), Kim Leyland-Walker (Liberal Democrat), Luke Willmoth (Reform UK) and Glenn Kelly (Trade Union and Socialist Coalition).
Each candidate has answered questions about local issues and why electors should vote for them.
Here are the responses from Conservative candidate Louis Bird, 18, a student.
Why do you want to be a councillor?
I’ve reached the end of my tether. The decline of Goldsmid is visible and people are getting poorer.
I can’t just listen to people’s stories. I need to get stuck in. I would love to turn Goldsmid around.
That starts with the so-called little things for residents – they’re actually really important – a new bin, a parking permit that’s got stuck in the system, a planning application.
That would make my day and the community better. Bigger things include the state of the park, cost of living and the lack of responsiveness from the council.
Why do you want to stand in this ward?
I live a stone’s throw away from Goldsmid. I grew up playing in St Ann’s Well Gardens.
I’ve had enough of seeing the state the streets are in – graffiti, bad pavements, potholes, litter.
Labour promised to fix these things but they’ve barely scratched the surface.
Potholes are fixed but they don’t last a month. The park’s looking rundown with clapped-out rubbish bins and litter blowing around.
We need councillors who are out and about, day in, day out, keeping the pressure up on the council to make sure things are tidied up and fixed.
What are the key issues specific to this ward?
When I meet people on the doorstep, the same old issues come up time and again.
“Why is St Ann’s Well Gardens full of litter?”
“Why hasn’t my bin been collected?”
“I have a problem with my parking permit.”
“No one has answered my email from the council or answered the phone.”
There are also concerns about anti-social behaviour, drug dealing and graffiti.
Local shops and pubs are struggling because of the national insurance rises.
Some of the communal bins are in a real state. That attracts rats.
Falling birth rates are affecting pupil numbers in primary and secondary schools. How would you manage this issue?
It’s true schools are struggling because of falling pupil numbers. But that’s only part of the picture.
Half the city’s schools are also straining due to huge deficits Labour and Green administrations allowed them to rack up over many years.
Not to mention the national insurance hit Labour forced on schools.
Schools are becoming academies because they don’t feel supported by the council.
Even schools with plenty of children are struggling financially.
Labour promised more teachers yet schools are making them redundant.
Schools are at the heart of our communities.
Temporary and emergency housing is a huge expense. What measures should be taken to reduce this cost?
Our city can’t cope. We even send vulnerable people to Eastbourne and other towns.
Temporary accommodation is hard to find and often in a shocking state.
We need to buy up more housing to turn into temporary accommodation and ensure flats aren’t left empty.
Under Labour, taxes go up, the cost of living has shot up, young people can’t find work and Labour’s Renters’ Rights Act is going to force people out of rental accommodation due to unwarranted pressure on landlords.
Our Labour council should lobby the government for change otherwise the need for temporary accommodation will only increase.
How would you improve and maintain roads in the ward?
Labour will say they’re fixing potholes and resurfacing roads more than ever before.
But how long do any of the fixes last? A resurface that is supposed to last 10 years has potholes appearing after a couple of months.
And the state of the pavements is appalling. Everything seems to go on cycle lanes while those in wheelchairs or with prams are forgotten.
The centre of town takes priority but what about Goldsmid?
I would be out and about every day, reporting every broken paving slab and pothole until they’re fixed.
Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm. Valid photographic ID is required to vote.
