The Wish ward by-election next Thursday is a chance for the local residents to put a much needed common sense voice onto the City Council.

The passing of Cllr Garry Peltzer Dunn left a vacancy and a huge hole in the Wish ward, which he had represented for so long.  Garry had stood in 16 consecutive elections for the Conservatives, dating back 50 years.  It is testament to Garry’s ever-presence in the Hove Community that this will be the first Wish election he will not be a part of in half a century.

Conservative Candidate Peter Revell is hoping to continue Garry’s traditions in the area and will contest the by-election next week.

In a City Council dominated by Greens/Labour and their escalating series of policy failures, it is more important than ever before that there is a local Conservative voice to provide scrutiny and stand up and speak up for common sense.

Peter Revell is a long-standing Hove resident and has been a volunteer in local community, sports and campaigning groups for many years.  He is passionate about the seafront and seafront issues and as Secretary of the Hove Beach Hut Association he has advocated for improvements and better facilities for all seafront users.  

Peter has previously had a long career as a partner in a national law firm, is a former County Councillor and knows how to get things done properly without wasting other people’s money.  His skills would be very much needed at the city council, where there have been many examples of mismanaged and failed programmes along with wasted spending under the Greens and Labour’s ideological policies.

Peter Revell is standing as a voice for residents to hold the Council accountable on four key Council issues that are impacting people across the Wish Ward, including high rise developments, blocked pavements, closed public toilets and antisocial behaviour at Hove Lagoon.  He believes strongly that the council should be accountable with policies based on people, not ideological doctrines of Greens and Labour.

Peter is standing up for residents opposed to the plans for tower block developments on the seafront edge at Aldrington Wharf between Basin Road North and Kingsway in Hove, one of which would be Hove’s tallest building obstructing the view to the sea.  The current proposals are result of a short-sighted Labour/Green Council policy to remove height restrictions on buildings.  They have not listened to residents and when the Conservatives put forward an amendment to restrict height, Labour and the Greens voted it down.

Peter will work to get public toilets reopened as a priority.  This is a basic service that simply must be provided first and foremost.  

The Green/Labour decision to cancel the city’s sole public toilet cleaning contract 5 years early and instead run the service itself (a policy designed to please the unions) has proven to be a disaster – and impacted the seafront which is desperately short on public conveniences as it is.  As predicted, the Council hasn’t been able to run the service itself:  In just 6 months of running the service from City Hall, the Council has blown its budget and had to close 17 public toilets.  Around half of Brighton & Hove’s public toilet blocks are currently closed, including along the Hove seafront at King’s Esplanade and on Station Road.  

Blocked pavements is a similar self-inflicted blow caused by poorly thought-through Green/Labour policies.  The weeds on the streets today are a direct consequence of Labour ordering the end the traditional practice of weeding in 2019 without any tested alternative.  The Council’s current response involves employing just 3 people to weed the city’s 900km of pavements by hand.  

Peter Revell is campaigning to take a stronger approach to antisocial behaviour and graffiti at Hove Lagoon and across the seafront, problems which have multiplied under the council’s soft policies.  As Secretary of the Hove Beach Hut Association Peter has worked with residents and community groups and the police to tackle the problem and knows first-hand that it is the council’s soft-touch policies that need to be changed to address the issues.  Labour and Greens deliberately let the city’s public space protection orders expire for parks in 2019, leaving the city without vital tools to tackle anti-social behaviour.  Peter Revell wants to see urgent action to get on top of the issues of antisocial behaviour and vandalism and for a change of council polices and security to be thoroughly addressed before skate parks are installed as part of Kingsway to the Sea.

Only a strong local Conservative voice can hold this Green/Labour council to account and make a real change.  Peter’s common-sense approach and real-life experience is desperately needed at a council that has gone badly off track.

Good luck to Peter Revell for the by-election on Thursday 8th December.