Dear all:

this will be my last blog post, of course, on the campaign. The campaign is over, but I’ve learned and experienced a great deal.

The result for Central Hove was one Conservative councillor and one Green councillor: congratulations to Andrew Wealls and Christopher Hawtree. Cllr Paul Elgood also lost his seat in Brunswick and Adelaide. There is now no Lib Dem representation in Brighton and Hove. However, there are still Liberal Democrats and those voting for and supporting them, who will continue to fight for a Liberal city.

I spent a pleasant couple of hours telling at Hove Library yesterday alongside Andrew Wealls: I think he’s a good person and one I hope will do good to Central Hove. Christopher Hawtree I don’t know, but equally I hope he’ll serve Central Hove well.

I extend this hope to all who’ve become or continued as councillors. Take care of the city!

I’m not too impressed with the Green record in the past – I’ve pointed this out on their lack of recycling take up, for example – but we can only hope that having 23 councillors means they have a coherent and workable plan of improvement for the city. Listen to us residents, please.

I would have liked to contribute to my community by being a councillor: it wasn’t to be this time. I think national issues have been the focus of people’s voting pattern this time, and it was a difficult campaign to fight. I’m very proud that I and Mark consistently went out to speak to people since September 2011, in all weathers, and kept the campaign positive and energetic and focused on local people. I’ve learned something about the nuts and bolts of campaigning from some experienced and dedicated people. I’ve certainly gained confidence: if you can speak to an aggressive UKIP voter on the door and come away smiling you can do a lot of things!

I’m unsure where I’m headed at present but you may see me in politics again. It’s been a rollercoaster, and I won’t forget.

Many thanks to the 299 people who voted for me!

A note on AV: I’m very disappointed in the result – even Brighton had No, by a small margin. I think the message for the need for change was not put across effectively enough by the Yes campaign – but also national dissatisfaction with the parties who were most supportive of it played a part. I’ll continue to support a change in the system for the better.

The elections are here! My plea is simple: please vote. If you like what you’ve heard and seen of me and Mark, if you want Central Hove and the city to be improved, if you want local people as your councillors who will work hard for you all year round, vote for us: Rebecca Taylor and Mark Collins, Lib Dems.

Have a look at our manifesto, here: http://centralhove.mycouncillor.org.uk/2011/03/29/brighton-hove-liberal-democrat-manifesto-2011-a-manifesto-for-the-citys-future/

You have a unique chance today to change your local area – please use it, before 10pm tonight. If you’re in Central Hove, your polling stations are at Hove Library and Hove Town Hall.

You also have a chance to improve our national voting system by voting for AV in the referendum today. The BNP don’t want you to vote yes to AV – they’re supporting the no campaign. Why side with them? If you want a one person, one vote system, choose AV. If you want the opportunity to make MPs work harder, please vote for AV. If you want to choose only one candidate, AV allows you to do so – if you want to choose one candidate and a back-up candidate, you can do so as well. This is our one time to tell Westminster where to get off – if you’re dissatisfied, like me, with the system at Westminster, please send a clear signal for change today. If we don’t do it today, the politicians will say ‘the people have spoken, and they’re perfectly happy with the status quo’. Don’t let your vote go to waste. http://www.yestofairervotes.org/

As it says below: people should speak. This makes a city. If you want to make Central Hove better, please speak, today.

Hope everyone is enjoying the day. Me and Mark went to probably the best street party in the city, at Osborne Villas, run by a fantastic team of volunteers. Many thanks to Melanie for the invite – a very welcome break before the final few days of the campaign! It was a true community event with nothing lacking – bar, marquee, stage, entertainment, food and morris dancers! Good to see the Hova Villas posse too.

Best get indoors now though – a regular storm is in progress…

There’s one week left until local elections on May 5th. The Central Hove team will be working hard as usual, canvassing and talking to people across Central Hove. If you have any questions or concerns, do get in touch via this blog or rebeccataylorhove [at] gmail.com (replace [a] with @). We have a packed week ahead, out every night in a different street, delivering literature and reminding people about the election. See you on the other side!

As it’s my preferred activity of late, it’s about time for a post about canvassing. What is it and why do we do it?

We’ve been canvassing in Central Hove since about Oct 2010. For those who are unpracticed with political jargon, canvassing is speaking to people ‘on the doorstep’. Why do it? We are interested in what people have to say about the area and their concerns. We build a picture of support across the area in terms of voting patterns and topics of concerns – then keep people up to date on what we’re doing about it! Our recently launched manifesto (http://www.liberalbrighton.org/information.php?id=365) is based solely on what ordinary people say is of concern to them – from making sense of education, protecting our local heritage, to sorting out the crazy transport system and fostering local business.

At present I’m knocking on hundreds of doors and ringing hundreds of bells as we strive to speak to every one in the 7500 households of Central Hove at least once before May 5th. I will typically spend anything from half a minute when people are very busy, to 10 minutes when people want a chat. Most people are happy to hear from someone who wants to listen to their opinion and shows real gains in improving the city through focused campaigning.

If I turn up on your doorstep, this is what to expect: I will introduce myself, let you know the date of the local elections and ask if you tend to vote in them. You can let me know your voting preference if you like; it’s not obligatory. I will leave a copy of our manifesto for you to read at your leisure. And if you have time and inclination please let me know what concerns and pleases you about Central Hove!

That’s it – not rocket science, just a listening ear willing to take up your concerns to the Council.

A small minority of people I canvass in Central Hove have a negative response to me popping up on their doorstep. Please let me know (politely if possible!) if you don’t want to hear from the Lib Dems – we will make a note and you won’t hear from us again, because we don’t want to bother people!

I’m here to present a choice to the residents – an alternative to the current Conservative councillors who I’ve never seen at any community events in my 11 years here and whose lack of vision and lack of action has rendered Hove a neglected part of the city.

Amid the opinions I gather are those passionately concerned about the suffering in our city, who are angry with the system or who have given up engaging. I’ve written before about why vote (http://centralhove.mycouncillor.org.uk/2011/03/22/why-vote-in-the-local-election-on-may-5th-2011/ ). I think local elections make more of an impact locally than nationally in a sense, because there are less people in each area to vote and the issues are such that it’s hard for councillors to pretend to do something about them or ignore them – we local people know our area!

I value all the voices of Central Hove, because I can see the genuine frustration and compassion for people in difficulties behind them. If elected Mark and I are going to do our best to bring effective change to Central Hove and the whole city, in line with what those we represent say they want.

If not elected, I will continue to work towards helping people as I have been doing in the voluntary sector and elsewhere in my career so far – and maybe try again when the time comes.

A quick shout-out to all those who’ve canvassing, delivered and stuffed envelopes with me and Mark so far, and for those who’ve promised to help, especially on Polling Day itself. We are all volunteers including me and Mark – we don’t get paid, we’re doing this because we want to see a fairer and more liberal city.

A brief account of two of the local events I’ve attended in the past 10 days.

21 March: Local Action Team (LAT) Central Hove meeting. Chaired by Hove Town Centre Manager Maddy Carr. Attended by myself, local councillor Jan Young, PCSO Darren Penter, Simon Bannister (Environment Improvement Officer, BHCC) and two Hove residents.

Issues discussed were:

• Cycling: the crossing at the bottom of Grand Ave needs better signage to make it safer. BHCC Highways Dept will be contacted on this. There will be a cycle awareness day 25^th June in George Street.
• Dog fouling in Holy Trinity churchyard – Cllr Simson is in charge of funding for this. Cllr Young was unaware of how much will be allocated to tackle this.
• Hove Library: we discussed signposting the help for older people to get online with volunteer help.
• Safe In The City/LAT meetings: up to date signs are needed outside Hove Town Hall and Library to promote these meetings. LATs could feature in free publication City News.
• Public toilets: the Goldstone Villas toilets are a focus for antisocial behaviour and street drinkers, and the police are aware of this problem. Taking out the bench would be a controversial move as then no-one might want to use the area legitimately.
• Derelict buildings in the area, to be tackled by Planning Dept.
• Misuse of Blue Badges: the police are tackling this problem with proactive sweeps.
• Speeding in Norton Rd/Tisbury Rd: these are police priorities and they are using a speed indication device to monitor speeds.
• Seafield Rd: antisocial behaviour and flytipping. The police are looking into the ASB at specific properties. CityClean are looking into the flytipping problem.
• Pavement cleanliness around Hove Town Hall: the chewing gum cleaning machine is due to clean this area. We requested a chewing gum vestible for people to deposit their gum from Cllr Young.
• Royal Wedding: street parties are taking place in Hove and costs for road closure have been waived.
• Business Improvement District: Hove is no longer taking part in this due to costs to local business.

Next LAT meeting: 23 May. It’s my birthday, so I might send someone else in my stead!

28 March: Pensioner Action public meeting. Chaired by Francis Tonks. Attended by approx 25 older people from around the city, myself, Lila Hunnisett (Pensioner Action), Mick Lister (LiNK), Sue Howley, and James Hengeveld (Head of Finance, BHCC).

I went along to hear what pensioners in the city are concerned about, to inform my work in Central Hove, which has many older residents.

James Hengeveld (Head of Finance, BHCC) gave an in-depth explanation of the 2011/12 – 2014/15 Council budget. The key future budget messages from the Council were:

• Full year effect of savings agreed for 2011/12 is £27m.
• Savings forecast of about £81m to balance the budget over the next 4 years, therefore another £54m savings needed for 2012/13 – 2014/15.
• The City Council has embarked on a new third phase of the ‘value for money’ programme and intends to deliver future saving through ‘intelligent commissioning’.
• Current review of Local Government Finance is looking at possibility of allowing local authorities to keep income raised through business rates in their area.
• Government keen to reform the way grants are allocated to provide incentives.

There was a Q & A session and general discussion afterwards. Issues raised were:

• Council Tax levels – same in less well-appointed flats (same for those without bathroom facilities as with)
• ASB from juveniles and police action on this
• More visible policing
• Empty residential properties. Housing Strategy is getting tougher on this, we were told – the Council will take charge of a property if derelict, do the necessary work and charge it to the owner’s asset.
• Desire to see use of Council reserves and looking at increasing revenues to cushion impact of cuts. The Council is using £11.5m of reserves this year, out of a total Capital Investment Programme of £103.6m. It is also not writing off debts.
• Increasing numbers of empty shops. We discussed the business rates and commercial rates, and the pressure on local business.
• Too many multinationals. Council’s Local Development Framework sets out uses across the city. A Council study from 2 years ago said the city can support increasing numbers of supermarkets. (Of course I and many other residents would differ on this!)

My own questions were:

• Cost of housing in private rental sector not linked to how much Housing Benefit is allotted – lowering the current HB cap again will only put pressure on this. Mr Hengeveld couldn’t give me an answer on specific benefit issues.
• Whether increasing the city’s recycling rate is a serious target for this council – Mr Hengeveld had claimed that households were reducing their overall waste – recycling however has actually fallen in the past year from 29 to 27% and is well below the national average of 35%.

We then had an open forum where people raised ideas for future meetings, and where two upcoming events were highlighted:

18^th June – People’s Day in Jubilee St/New Rd. (An expanded celebration day, previously was Older People’s Day).

Next meeting: 6^th June – a discussion about GP Consortia.

LAT related links:

Safe In The City http://www.safeinthecity.info/

Central Hove LAT: http://www.safeinthecity.info/?q=node/122

City News (PDF version): http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1qyu7/CityNewsspring2011/resources/index.htm

Cycling Awareness Fun Day: http://bit.ly/e9ZzVR

Pensioner Action related links:

Info about Pensioner Action http://www.bh-impetus.org/pensioner_action/index.php

They also produce a free journal, The Pensioner, which is available free around the city or you can order it from Lila Hunnisett, Administrator: 01273 229004

E: lila.hunnisett@pf.bh-impetus.org

LiNK: http://www.bhlink.org

Council Budget info: http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/index.cfm?request=c1242654 (the actual Budget has not been put online)

We’ve launched our citywide manifesto.

Here it is: our Six To Fix.

In it, we pledge to get rid of the school lottery system; use the Localism Bill to reclaim lost public buildings such as the King Alfred leisure centre; rethink Brighton & Hove’s transport; help our city to be no.1 in recycling; get young people into work through the use of local business mentoring schemes and apprenticeships; tackle crime and antisocial behaviour through Community Justice Panels; and make your council transparent and accountable to you, the taxpayer.

Click below to read more.

http://www.liberalbrighton.org/userfiles/file/Lib%20Dem%206%20to%20Fix%20Manifesto%202011.pdf

Why vote? Here’s an interesting 2-minute film about it: http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/how_do_i_vote/film__why_should_i_register.aspx

A minority of people I speak to on the doorstep say they rarely or never vote in local elections. But your vote will have a direct impact on your lifestyle.

Voting in local elections gives us a chance to influence our city and our area in the most basic way: by choosing the people who represent us. Those people decide how our council tax will be spent and on what; what services will be provided and how they will look; and they are accountable to you! The appearance and feel of the city are affected by these decisions. If you’re annoyed by a lack of cycle paths or the way your local park looks, want better social care or leisure facilities, your councillors are directly responsible for these.

You can work with your councillor and lobby them on issues that fall under national provision too; they should be willing to pass on your concerns to local MPs or relevant government departments and fight for the good of the area. Councillors have access to national networks and models of best practice across the country, so they should know what’s going on – or know someone who does!

As I talk to people around Central Hove and around the city, it seems everyone has an opinion about something to do with their local community, but don’t always feel this opinion is worth telling anyone in local government about. It is! I need your input, for the simple reason that I haven’t experienced every facet of living in Brighton & Hove. What needs changing? Let me know!

Voting for a particular person based on what they outline in their policies is a good way to get your opinion heard. You might not find someone who completely agrees with everything you think should happen in the city, but there might be enough to go on that you want to give them your support.

Local elections tend to be less about party politics and more about people’s records of service and community involvement. What has your local councillor done for you recently?

How to make it easier: you might consider a postal vote. We haven’t got online voting yet, but a postal vote is delivered to your house a few weeks ahead of May 5th (around 18 April). No queuing with the rest of the crowd!

You can register for a postal vote online, by 5pm on 14 April 2011: http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/register_to_vote

Or go to Electoral Services at Brighton Town Hall: http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/index.cfm?request=c1107181

I went to Electoral Services to check if I was registered for a postal vote – I wasn’t, though I’d voted this way in the past. So I filled in a short form for a permanent postal vote (renewable every 5 years). It’s easy to register and makes it less likely to forget or run out of time to vote on the day.

If you’re a student, go here to register to vote:

http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/register_to_vote/students.aspx

If you’re in the Armed Forces, or the spouse/civil partner of someone who is, go here to register to vote:

https://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/register_to_vote/armed_forces/registration_forms_armed_force.aspx

Not a British citizen? Don’t rule yourself out!

If you are a citizen of a Commonwealth or EU country and resident in the UK, you can register to vote in UK elections. (Commonwealth citizens must be resident in the UK and either have leave to remain in the UK or not require such leave.)

EU citizens can vote in local elections in the UK (but are not able to vote in UK general elections).

Check here for a full list of qualifying countries: http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/who_can_register_to_vote.aspx

And don’t forget, not being registered to vote can affect your credit rating. http://www.moneymagpie.com/article/21329/why-not-being-registered-to-vote-could-damage-your-credit-rating/

Of course, this year we also get to vote in the AV referendum and choose which voting system we want to use in future. I’ll be doing a whole blog post on that nearer the time.
Helpful sites:

www.aboutmyvote.co.uk

Absent (proxy) and postal voting (BHCC website): http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/index.cfm?request=c1147364

Electoral Services at Brighton & Hove Council – where it is, what it does, FAQs: http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/index.cfm?request=b1000098

Common voting myths debunked: http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/why_should_i_register_to_vot1/common_voting__registering_my.aspx

Ridiculously cute animated guide on how to vote: http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/how_do_i_vote/polling_station_walkthrough.aspx

Look at the categories this post falls into. Your vote affects all of them!

Why I’m standing for Central Hove

Sometimes, in the rushing around and the busyness, I forget to remember why I’m standing for a position on Brighton & Hove Council. Casework, in which I respond to difficulties and concerns of local residents and take action on their behalf, seems more urgent than taking a moment to think. Last night I attended Lewes Liberal Democrat annual dinner, a fundraising and social event, and was inspired to take that moment for reflection. Norman Baker is the Lewes MP and Minister for Transport, a position that’s come after a lifetime of political service and steady work on his area of interest. Sometimes tenacity and excellence are rewarded. And sometimes not: David Laws was speaking at the dinner, and whatever you think of the scandal that led to his resignation, he has never pretended to want to do anything but an excellent job in an area he cares deeply about, because he knows how it can affect the whole of society.

In his speech he mentioned the words ‘social justice’, and they reminded me of why I am here, in Hove, working day and night to listen and respond to the people who live here and ask them to give me the change to serve them further. Social justice. This has been a passion with me since a young age – remember charity bring and buy sales and fairy cakes for 10p each? That was me! I was first able to get seriously involved on a year out spent in Devon, where I worked with young people, running after-school clubs, presenting assemblies and RE/PSHE lessons, and a summer camp where we painted a colourful mural to brighten up a neglected community park in Bristol.

I next took the role of Social Action Coordinator at the Christian Union of the University of Sussex. I developed the role to get students involved in the city and beyond– we did tea and toast runs to late-night clubbers and the homeless, invited charity speakers, raised money for sanitation and sustainable development in Africa and generally tried to do something to change the world, even a little bit. Few of us thought of politics; not many even voted because they believed politicians were all out for themselves. Many Liberal Democrats I’ve met since have a particular quality – a quiet determination to make a difference and an acknowledgement that life is difficult at the best of times, so working together is the best way to make this happen.

I’ve had some painful personal experiences that have taught me the way round difficult and seemingly senseless systems and have given me a lot of determination and tenacity to fight for and see results. Before I was campaigning on behalf of others, I was doing it for myself in areas of disability and mental health. Now I’ve working in the LGBT community and in my church in Palmeira Square (Secretary of its governing body); I’ve been involved in campaigns all over the city like the protest against Hollingdean Waste Transfer Facility and the Marina development; I’ve written, argued, persuaded and won my case, time and again (in the small claims court on one occasion!). For many years, I knew I wanted to work to increase the justice of our society; I didn’t know the opportunities would come to me in the particular guises they did. Looking back, it seems I’ve been working for social justice when I didn’t always call it by that label.

When I was coming home from last night’s event, I talked to a young man who came up to me at the bus stop with a guitar. He asked me if I wanted a song; after establishing it wasn’t going to cost me a tenner, I listened to a very competent version of a Cranberries song. We chatted, and he told me he’d been in Brighton for a month and had been sober for 4 months. We talked about Brighton and its opportunities and beauty, and my experience here. I recommended the Clock Tower Sanctuary to him; he’d been there already, and seemed to think they were alright. I also suggested he go to the Council and ask for advice about services in the city.

This young man is one reason I want to work as a councillor; I want to help him build his life and to contribute positively to our fantastic city. I know there are many people across the city who have difficulties, and those who enjoy the city and work hard to create a life here. I hope to help, whether or not I am elected: I’ve worked in the community here in one way or another for some years and will continue to do so. But applying this knowledge and experience and care to a councillor role is a particularly special opportunity.

I’ve been working very hard to present myself and my co-candidate Mark Collins to the residents of Hove – only 7 weeks left before May 5^th, from a campaign that runs all year round – and it’s up to you to make the choice.