The Conservatives have selected an academic and economist to stand in the Queen’s Park by-election for a seat on Brighton and Hove City Council.
The party has picked Stefan Speckesser, 53, an economist who is currently associate dean at Brighton University. He has lived in Brighton with his family since 2010.
Dr Speckesser has researched and written about the difficulties faced by young people when making the transition from college or university to the jobs market.
Over the past two decades, he has supported government departments and parliamentary committees with the findings from his research.
He said that he was standing in this by-election because he wants to make a difference with his experience to the local community and improve matters.
Dr Speckesser said: “I want to bring Queen’s Park back to life and make sure Craven Vale gets the regular care, repairs and clean streets residents deserve.
“I want to be an active local voice who follows up with the council to get the basics right and to deliver for our community: affordable housing for families, protecting our green spaces and improving schools and services for young people so families have absolute confidence in their children’s education and wellbeing.”
Conservative association chair Paul Wood said: “Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven Conservatives are very excited about our excellent candidate, Stefan Speckesser.
“If elected, Stefan will bring his wealth of professional experience to the role and work to deliver for every Queen’s Park resident.
“For too long, Queen’s Park has been taken for granted and overlooked by the Labour / Green duopoly in the ward.
“It’s great that our party can offer a break from the status quo with a candidate of Stefan’s calibre, experience and commitment.”
The by-election has been set for Thursday 24 September and is the third in the two-member ward since the local elections in May 2023, all triggered by the departure of councillors who were elected as Labour candidates.
It was called earlier this month after the resignation of Milla Gauge who cited concerns about child protection, particularly for youngsters who were confused about their gender identity.
Welcome Stefan. As a Queen’s Park resident and a parent, I hope all the candidates will engage seriously with the safeguarding concerns that contributed to Milla Gauge’s resignation.
This isn’t about party politics or taking a particular position on gender identity. It is about what we should all expect from our councillors when residents raise concerns about children’s safety: that they listen, ask questions and seek answers.
The WellBN investigation has demonstrated that serious clinical governance failures really did occur locally. That doesn’t establish that the Council or its schools were responsible for those failures, but it does make the case for asking whether the wider system has been adequately safeguarded. Council leaders tell us that they truly believe that all is well – but that’s not how safeguarding works! (Over 100 residents signed this letter to the council CEO https://pshebrighton.org/pshebrighton/parents-bhcc-ceo-letter/ to no avail)
I hope Stefan, and all the other candidates, will tell Queen’s Park voters whether they would support an independent review of those wider safeguarding questions.
I support an independent review because we must clarify whether the council met its statutory duty of democratic scrutiny under the Health and Care Act 2022. It is concerning that a potential lack of local oversight may have enabled the funding of un-safeguarded medical treatments for vulnerable children. A transparent investigation is the only way to uncover exactly where the wider safeguarding system might have broken down and to ensure the children are protected.
Nice to see a candidate in a suit for once.
Does that make a material difference?
Yes
Why? Is that not incredibly superficial?
OK
Thanks, Tracy! And Benjamin, you raise a very fair point: a suit certainly doesn’t solve local issues or make someone a better councillor.
But my perspective is simple: if I am asking this community to trust me with serious responsibilities, I want to present myself with a corresponding level of professionalism. For me, it isn’t about being superficial; it’s simply a mark of respect for the voters and the importance of the role.
Good luck to him. Looks like the residents will have the option of a serious and focussed Conservative candidate.
Thank you. I just want to get on with the job and be of practical help to the area.
What? A candidate with real academic qualifications, a proven track record and no mention of tokenism or virtue signalling? What is the world of local politics coming to?
Haha, I know, it’s a terrifying experiment, but honestly, I’m just hoping to make myself useful.
I do wonder how he will stack up to Reform, that’ll be an interesting litmus test to see if the Conservatives are recovering.
That’s ultimately for the voters to decide! I’m not here to play national politics; I just want to bring some common sense and my own experience to the table to get things done locally. That said, I’m proud to stand on the wider Conservative agenda. We are making a genuinely new, serious offer to the public.
One of the things I’ve found with your party’s councillor colleagues is their constant attempts to politically point-score for the sake of it, and usually quite badly. If you avoid getting stuck in that particular quagmire, you’ll serve your party well. A weak Conservative gave rise to Reform, after all.
Having said that, it takes a brave person to stand for an election become a target of all, so you have my respect for doing that.