Candidates standing at the inaugural meeting of the Local Campaign Forum for Brighton and Hove
At 2.30pm tomorrow (Sunday, November 26), some 60 or more delegates will meet to elect a new leadership team to guide Labour towards what party members hope will be the first socialist majority administration in the history of Brighton & Hove City Council.
The new Local Campaign Forum (LCF) — which will oversee the selection of Labour candidates for the city council elections in 2019 — is the culmination of 18 months of hard work by countless members in our city.
Momentum Brighton & Hove wants Jeremy Corbyn to know — when he is elected prime minister — that he can count on Labour councillors in Brighton and Hove to support him, his government, and the policies he epitomises. That’s why we are asking LCF delegates tomorrow to support the following candidates (see below for brief personal statements):
Chair — Jon Rogers; Secretary (Procedures Secretary) — Andy Richards; Vice-chair — Anne Pissaridou; Treasurer — Claire Wadey.
Literature and political education — Sarah Pickett; Press — Danielle Spencer; Social media — Aaron Austin Locke; Community and trade union engagement — Matt Webb; Councillor candidate support and training — Tim Wilkinson.
Chair — Jon Rogers
“I am a socialist and lifelong Labour Party member, having joined the Party in Brighton in 1980.
“I am firmly on the left of the party and am a strong supporter of the direction which our party is taking under its current leadership.
“As chair of Brighton Pavilion CLP, I have experience of working to unite party members behind our socialist leadership and in support of socialist policies.
“I am standing to be chair of the Local Campaign Forum in order to be part of the transformation of our party that is necessary if our party is to transform society in the interests of working people.”
Secretary (Procedures Secretary) — Andy Richards
“I was inspired to rejoin Labour 18 months ago by the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, having previously been a member for 20 years. During that time, I served as a branch secretary and as a CLP secretary, an election agent, and a councillor.
“I am an active member of my union, Unison, and I am a member of the Brighton, Hove and District Trades Council executive committee.
“I want to see the LCF being an active, campaigning body that takes the Labour message to all parts of the city, with strong socialist council candidates. As secretary, I would do all I can to facilitate this.”
Vice-chair — Anne Pissaridou
“An active member of the local Labour Party for more than 10 years, I have involved in most of the campaigns in the city.
“I was elected as a councillor in May 2011.
“I was a member of Lloyd Russell-Moyle’s campaign committee for the June 2017 general election and actively involved in the election campaign in Hove.
“If elected as vice-chair, I will ensure that the selection process of potential council candidates is open and transparent — and that we select candidates with a wide range of skills and abilities. It is important that the candidates reflect not only the demographic of the membership, but also policies of the national party.”
Treasurer — Claire Wadey
“I am a socialist, trades unionist and lifelong Labour member since I first joined Hove Labour Party Young Socialists in 1983.
“I wish to unite Labour members in support of our party’s democratic socialist policies and the current leadership.
“As a chartered accountant and chartered tax adviser — and an experienced CLP secretary, election agent, and campaigner — I have the financial skills, knowledge of our party’s procedures, and the determination needed to fulfil the role of LCF treasurer.
“Since my first street collection as a teenager, people have noted my fundraising skills. I stand to be LCF treasurer so that the election of a Labour council, to run Brighton and Hove in the interests of working people, is not prevented by financial or governance issues.”
—
Sunday’s meeting will be asked to vote for five other officers, as called for Constituency Labour Parties. The five other officers — with the candidates supported both by Momentum Brighton & Hove and by the Labour Representation Committee — are:
- Literature and political education — Sarah Pickett
- Press — Danielle Spencer
- Social media — Aaron Austin Locke
- Community and trade union engagement — Matt Webb
- Councillor candidate support and training — Tim Wilkinson
If these nine officers hold a majority on the LCF’s executive committee — which will also include not only Councillor Warren Morgan, but also three of his appointees — Momentum Brighton & Hove believes the Labour Party will be best-placed to identify and support the best candidates to win the first socialist majority in the history of Brighton and Hove City Council.
Every vote will count on Sunday! Best wishes and good luck to us all!
