Photo credit: www.stevegeorgephotography.co.uk
Hitting the campaign trail: Rob, Alex and Ruth
SIGN PETITIONS on Goldsmid area junior school places and Hove Station footbridge here
Well-known, campaigning Green councillor Alex Phillips will be joined by a science teacher and a mother with young children as Green party candidates for the three-member Goldsmid ward, Hove, in the local elections in May.
Alex was the Green Party’s first elected councillor in Hove, at a by-election in 2009 following the resignation of Conservative councillor Paul Lainchbury.
The ward which takes in Hove Station, the County Cricket Ground and parts of Seven Dials is currently a three-way marginal, with one Tory, one Labour and one Green councillor.
It is expected to be hotly contested.
Alex will be joined by Rob Jarrett and Ruth Buckley as Green Party candidates in May.
Alex Phillips says; “I was honoured to have been elected by the people of Goldsmid ward in 2009 and would be thrilled to be re-elected. Since my election I’ve done my best and worked hard for the people of Goldsmid, and for the wider city.
“I have fought to prevent development on Bhasvic fields and have backed the ‘Twenty’s Plenty’ campaign, to reduce the speed limit on residential roads. I have also worked hard with local parents to address the shortage of school places.
“I’m delighted to be standing alongside Rob and Ruth. Between us we offer the voters experience, enthusiasm and energy, which we will use to help create a greener, fairer city.”
To contact the candidates:
Call the party office on 01273 766 670.
Candidates:
About Alex
Councillor Alex Phillips is a member of the city council’s Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the Licensing Committee and the Community Safety Forum. She has also taken part in council scrutiny panels on sexual and domestic violence, and on autism. Alex is the Brighton and Hove Green group’s spokesperson on women’s rights, and, outside the council, she is a member of the city’s Sexual Violence Reference Group, and is on the board of Age Concern for Brighton, Hove and Portslade. She has also been active in the local campaign group for more primary school places, Action4Kids. Originally from Liverpool, Alex studied modern languages at the University of London Institute in Paris. She now lives in Goldsmid ward and works part-time for Keith Taylor, Green MEP for the South-east. In her free time Alex enjoys sport. Last year she ran the first Brighton Marathon, and completed the London to Brighton midnight bike ride in support of the Martlets hospice in Hove.
About Rob
Rob Jarrett is a science teacher and maths tutor, for several years he was head of science at Croydon College and he has taught at Northbrook College and City College, Brighton. Married with one grown-up daughter, Rob has lived in Hove for 27 years. Before studying at Brighton University to become a teacher, he worked as special needs assistant at Falmer, Patcham House and Cardinal Newman schools. He also spent six years in the head office of the Alliance and Leicester building society, in Hove Park. Rob was active in the campaign to save the trees on the railway line behind Addison and HIghdown roads.
About Ruth
Ruth Buckley is a mother of two boys under two, and a life-long Green voter. She was inspired to stand as a councillor after helping with Caroline Lucas’s successful parliamentary election campaign last year. Her work on the campaign persuaded her there was a need for women with young families to be better represented in local politics. She uses local amenities for children most days, so is in a good position to ensure they are well-run. If elected, the two issues Ruth would love to address are: the lack of provision such as day centres for the city’s homeless; and the shortage of primary school places in Goldsmid ward. Ruth is determined to tackle the growing problem of children having to travel long distances to primary school, because of the combination of too few school places, and tiny catchment areas.