Green councillors and Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas (pictured) welcomed freshers students at local universities last week.
They were there to give students an opportunity to meet their local elected representatives, find out more about the Green-led city council administration’s plans for the coming months and learn more about the work being done by the council to help students.
Green councillors Christina Summers and Sven Rufus, who represent the University of Sussex campus, dropped by with Caroline to chat with students at Brighton University and Sussex University.
Sven said, “Many freshers will be living and studying in the local area, and during this exciting time they don’t necessarily realise the role they can play in local democracy.
“They are residents as much as anyone else and we are here to listen to what they have to say.
“We want to make sure they know how to access and use local services.
“As Green councillors, we want to help foster relationships between different communities.”
Christina said, “It’s clear from having met with USSU and university officials that there’s huge potential for an exciting new relationship between the university, its students, and the city council.
“We want to bridge the gap between the council and the university, particularly getting students’ input on local issues and developments such as the improvements to Lewes Road.”
Caroline said, “This is a great opportunity for new and returning students to engage with the work of the council and to learn more about what the Greens are doing for the city.”
*Research last year showed that the city’s two universities injected approximately £1bn into the UK’s economy, the vast majority of which was spent in the local area.
(http://www.sussex.ac.uk/newsandevents/?id=5402)
If you are a student living on the University of Sussex campus and want help from Sven or Christina, you can contact them here.
For more information please contact the Brighton and Hove Green Party office on 01273 766 670.