Vote Independent Socialist in Westbourne & Poets‘ Corner Why vote for me? I am a housing and disability campaigner.

Full statement

My family live in the wards next to Westbourne and Poets’ Corner. I have considerable experience as a community campaigner in helping families and individuals to get the services they need.

As a trade union representative, most of the issues I help people with are very day to day – sickness, reorganisations and discrimination. These are the workplace equivalents of pavements, potholes and bin collections.

Key issues

The Labour council is proposing to close three libraries. It hasn't decided which ones. They also want to reduce opening hours at Hove Library. Libraries are basic community resources. I will work with campaigns to keep them all open. I don't want to see a divided city.

Housing in Brighton & Hove is very expensive. So many households have been priced out we have a falling school numbers. We need rent controls and affordable housing.

Days after the election of the Labour government, the Labour council closed St Peter’s school In Portslade. This had a particularly devastating effect on children with special educational needs. Some children will end up going to three different schools in three years. Some parents, mothers, were forced to stop work because the alternatives offered did not fit.

Closing schools is not the answer. Lack of contact with other children during the pandemic harmed children's development. Starting with reception in 2026, I would reduce class sizes to 25 while keeping funding.

I box at King Alfred Leisure Centre. A replacement would be brilliant, but sessions must be affordable.

We shouldn't ignore developments in an unstable world. I would campaign to ban all arms sales to Israel and to stop the war on Palestine. Collective punishment of the Palestinian people for the actions of Hamas is not the answer.

Hard Work

Candidates promising to work hard is not enough. The Tories and Liberal Democrats cut the money received from central government by £110 million a year. Labour and the Greens have failed to get it back. We need a massive campaign to restore funding.