2 April 2024 – Ricky, 45, is a community campaigner, disability sports teacher and a dad. Brighton-born, he has lived in the city for most of his life and in east Brighton for the last eight years. 

“Every penny counts right now for schools, social care, charity, community and third sector organisations in the city. So, for Labour to spend a load of taxpayer cash on by-elections in the month that everyone (including me) has seen their council tax bill jump by 5% is wrong.”

Ricky said: “I have been involved with disability sports for years and have been campaigning to get better leisure centre facilities here in Brighton, with our public services, charity and community services being hit hard by cuts.

“I have felt for a long time that our elected officials locally and nationally do not represent people that rely on these public services. At a time when our public services are being stripped back with budget cuts, the people of Brighton and Hove are footing the bill for the by-elections here in Kemptown and in Queen’s Park, due to the previously elected people who won these seats allegedly not living in Brighton.

“Not only should the preceding councillors pay back any allowances or tax-payer money they received, but the party that selected them should pay all the costs to hold this by-election. Every penny counts right now for schools, social care, charity, community and third sector organisations in the city. So, for Labour to spend a load of taxpayer cash on by-elections in the month that everyone (including me) has seen their council tax bill jump by 5% is wrong.”  

Ricky added, “It should not have to be ordinary people  paying for these by-elections during our cost-of-living crisis and as child poverty and homelessness are rising in the city. If elected, you will find me in and around the community, at the end of an email or a zoom call to highlight the things that matter to all the people of Kemptown ward.” 

Ricky is passionate about protecting local services from the massive funding cuts to local authorities carried out by the Conservative government. He is critical of the decision by Brighton & Hove’s Labour-run council to close schools and axe vital voluntary and charity sector funding. In Ricky’s view, Labour have abandoned many of the promises they made to residents in last year’s local elections and residents in Kemptown deserve a strong opposition voice to hold the Labour administration to account. As a wheelchair user, Ricky also has first-hand knowledge of NHS services. 

The Greens were the closest challengers to Labour in the May 2023  local elections.

The Kemptown by-election is taking place due to the resignation of ex-Labour councillor Bharti Gajjar. Ms Gajjar was expelled from Labour last December alongside former Queen’s Park councillor, Chandni Mistry after the party investigated claims that the pair were living in Leicester. Both councillors have allegedly claimed thousands of pounds in allowances, despite barely attending any meetings; they are reported to have been unresponsive when contacted by residents. Questions still remain about how two individuals believed to be living outside the city were selected by the Labour Party. 

Ricky Perrin’s longer personal statement is below ‘Voter Information’ if of interest.

Ends

Notes

Voter information

• The election will take place on Thursday 2 May – polls to open from 7am to 10pm. Remember to bring valid voter ID.
• Voter deadlines: deadline for council to receive new postal vote or proxy vote applications is 17 April, 5pm. 
• More information from Brighton & Hove City Council Elections Department https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/voting-and-elections/kemptown-and-queens-park-elections-thursday-2-may-2024
• Residents in Queens Park ward who wish to vote in the by-election and need to register please visit https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
• Or call council electoral services on 01273 291 999 (Monday to Friday 9:30am to 1:30pm) or email: electors@brighton-hove

To help with Ricky’s campaign contact the Brighton & Hove Green Party on our site: https://www.brightonhovegreens.org/contact/

Personal statement from Ricky Perrin

I was born in Brighton and have spent almost my whole life living in different areas of the city, living in east Brighton for the last eight years. In my early 20s, I had an injury that left me paralysed and using a wheelchair; my insurance did not pay out and I spent many years relying on the NHS, doctors, pharmacies, social housing, charities, and community services.

I have first-hand experience of needing our local services, and I feel they need protection so that if you or your family need them one day in the future, they are there for you in your time of need.

I am always getting involved in community bits and pieces, from food co-ops and food banks to community sports and community hubs; many people see me out and about walking my dog around the streets of Brighton, the seafront or in local parks.

Having always lived by the sea I get very upset by the levels of sewage being pumped into our rivers and sea and this led me to get more involved with the Green Party as they highlighted the issue. 

I have a teenage son, now 17. As he has grown up, I have become more concerned with climate issues, thinking about the world we leave behind us for future generations.

I currently work for a local disability charity in the mental health lived experience team. On my days off I take sports wheelchairs to schools and get children playing wheelchair sports like basketball, tennis and rugby. So if your child has returned home from school saying they did wheelchair sports in the last eight years then that could have been with me! I hope meeting them changed the perception of people with a disability they had before meeting me.

A year ago I missed out on being elected in the local elections in Brighton. While  I am really happy to have another go at being elected, I am upset about the reasons why these by-elections are being held! 

I hope that running as a candidate for a second time will inspire more people with mental and physical health conditions and disabilities to get involved in politics. 

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The post Mental health worker and disability champion Ricky Perrin to stand for Greens – Brighton Kemptown council by-election appeared first on Brighton & Hove Green Party.

The contemporary arts gallery on Duke Street, which has been in receipt of a regular grant from Brighton and Hove City Council, has now launched a fundraising campaign to plug a £20,000 loss in its funding following council cuts. Despite efforts by the charity to introduce cost reduction measures across the last year, Fabrica now need to fill a gap in finances by the end of March 2018.

The gallery has featured artists such as Anish Kapoor and Brian Eno and also runs a range of community outreach activities and programmes designed to make arts more accessible, including running workshops for children and young people.

Councillor Mac Cafferty has called for support for ‘a cornerstone of art in our city,’ commenting:

“A former dissenter church, where the act of disagreeing through faith has been replaced with bold questions about art, Fabrica is a powerhouse of the local visual arts scene.

“Fabrica’s bold exhibitions has brought us challenging, visually exciting art work. Some of my highlights over the last few years have included: Kaarina Kaikkonen with her shirt sculpture and Janet Cardiff’s magical re-take on the music of Thomas Tallis.

“But Fabrica repeatedly asserts that art is for all too. They helped found Men In Sheds- a project preventing isolation in older men. Fabrica’s outreach work in schools ensures our city’s kids experience art as it is created. Only a matter of weeks ago, Fabrica hosted children from Middle Street Primary School who performed with dancer, Rosaria Gracia.

“22 years after opening its doors, it would be awful to lose Fabrica. This cornerstone of art in our city must survive whatever the perverseness of political austerity. The cultural industries contribute almost £77bn to the UK economy and for every £1 spent on the arts in Brighton and Hove an additional £2 is generated for the wider economy.”

The campaign to keep the gallery open includes a range of local fundraising events, with Fabrica offering a series of incentives in return for a donation such as a film pass or an opportunity to use the gallery space for a day’s event or exhibition.

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/keep-fabrica/

The post Plea to support Fabrica gallery as fundraiser begins to plug council cuts appeared first on Brighton & Hove Green Party.

Brighton and Hove: Join us to wake up the Treasury!

Saturday, 13 February, meet 10am at Brighton Station

Wake up the Conservative government ministers to the cuts hitting Brighton and Hove and the reality of public sector cuts!

Play a musical instrument, sing, blow a whistle, ring a bell or bang a drum before we hand a letter in to the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The Treasury, Horse Guards Rd, London SW1A 2HQ.

We will be meeting by the piano in Brighton Station at 10am to catch 10:18 to Victoria. Once in London we will be marching to the Treasury to make as much noise as possible and to deliver our letter.

More details: Bit.ly/Treasury13thFeb
for further queries please email [email protected]

The post It's time to wake up the treasury appeared first on Brighton & Hove Green Party.

At next week’s meeting of the Policy and Resources committee, we will see the final budget proposals from the Labour council in Brighton and Hove, which look set to propose unprecedented cuts to services for children and young people. In years to come, we may look back and realise that this was when everything changed – when the city sent a clear signal to its youth that it could no longer invest in their future.

The cuts will see massive reductions in early years parent groups and targeted home visits, and an end to intensive courses for new parents struggling with their first child.  It will see the end of open-access youth work by Council teams and massive reductions in services in places like the Moulsecoomb 67 centre, which has served young people in our city for nearly 50 years.

This is the inevitable product of an ideological and fundamentally flawed agenda of austerity, forced upon the country by an out-of-touch Conservative government.  They came into power to fix a “broken Britain”, but all they have achieved is soaring inequality and increasing queues at newly established food banks.  If Britain wasn’t broken when they started, it sure will be by the time they’re through.

The services for children & young people which are set to be cut are absolutely vital.  They help parents to make the right choices for their children and give them the skills, guidance and help they need from an early age.  Youth Services keep young people engaged and happy, ensure they stay on the right track, and allows us to intervene as needed to keep them away from self-harm, substance misuse and crime.

As some of you may know, I used to be a Secondary School French Teacher, as well as teaching German, PSHE and Citizenship and supporting pupils as a form tutor.  Being a teacher provides a remarkable insight into the lives of families and children from all backgrounds.  I have heard from countless parents how important early years support was in allowing them to cope and overcome depression.  I’ve also seen first-hand how children hit puberty and are bombarded with thoughts and feelings they can’t always process, and the right guidance and support is critical at that time.  Teachers face tremendous pressure and rely on youth services to provide this additional support.

These cuts are short-sighted and make no sense. We will see more parents unable to cope, and more young people getting into crisis, self-harming and committing crime.  We’ll see more children being taken into care or needing costly services from the NHS or local authority. The immediate value of any cuts will be completely wiped out by the cost of crisis services.

These cuts reveal that the Labour Council, faced with a huge cut in income from central government, has no plan beyond uniform cuts across the board.  When the Greens weathered a similar storm in their own administration, they used every resource to keep frontline services going.  In contrast, the Labour leadership has thrown its hands up in the air.  In opposition, Greens can only watch if Labour unites with the local representatives of their Tory masters to force these cuts through.

Back in May, Labour promised to offer the change that neighbourhoods and families need. Nationally, the Conservatives committed to giving children the best start in life.  Yet we see both pushing forward with massive cuts which will hit parents, children and young people when they most need our help. We should instead be investing in services as a preventative and cost-saving measure.

It’s not yet a done deal.  Greens will oppose these cuts and I urge the other parties not to abandon our children and young people, for the sake of our city.  Join us in standing up for a better future.

The post The false economy of cuts to our children and families appeared first on Brighton & Hove Green Party.