Hustings Herald Electoral Harmony

Hustings Herald Electoral Harmony

One of the biggest hustings for the City Council elections has been staged by the Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce. Almost a hundred business leaders assembled at City College on April 6^th to challenge candidates from the main political parties on their proposals for the business community, should they be elected.

The parties on the platform turned out in force. The Conservative party, which presently runs the city as a minority administration, fielded the council leader, Mary Mears, together with Cllr Brian Oxley. Labour, the official opposition in the city, also provided its leader, Cllr Gill Mitchell, and Cllr Melanie Davis. The Green party, which is not the ‘official’ opposition but in fact holds the same number of council seats as Labour, was represented by its convenor, Cllr Bill Randall, while the Lib Dems, the only other party represented on the city council (though by a single seat) provided its chairman, Lawrence Eke. All six speakers are candidates for election.

There was a general sense among the audience afterwards that all the candidates strove as far as possible to agree on major issues: the event seemed more about trying to tell the city’s businesses that they would be well supported whoever gets in than about opening up policy differences. Nevertheless, some policies were clarified along the way. For example, the question of London-style congestion charging, so often the subject of worrisome newspaper headlines, was tackled: both Conservatives and Labour stated absolutely that they were against proposals for a city Congestion Charge, and were both in favour of a better Park & Ride scheme with three separate sites to cover the major arteries into the city. The Green candidate added more support for neighbourhood car clubs and greater competition between bus companies, while the Lib Dem candidate advocated the removal of NCP, as the city’s major parking manager, and an improvement in traffic flow management, along the lines of Rio de Janeiro.

Transport and parking are ‘standard’ city issues but employment and job creation came a close second, as audience and panellists alike condemned the status quo in which the city’s retail counters seem widely manned by graduates and even PhDs.  The Conservative Focus was on attracting more big businesses, citing the expansion of Amex and the newly awarded development at Patcham Court Farm as examples. This opened up some inter-party division: Bill Randall for the Greens felt that hotel and conferencing was a poor use of the Patcham Court Farm site, which might have better been turned over to high-tech industry, and suggested that big companies leave Brighton as they can’t afford to be based in the city, while small companies offered the best prospects for future employment. Lawrence Eke for the Lib Dems agreed on the difficulty of basing large businesses in Brighton & Hove. Labour also proposed more support for small businesses.

On helping the next generation, and particularly in the more deprived areas of the city, consensus once again broke out with ubiquitous calls for more apprenticeship schemes and incentives for businesses to become involved.

The question of opening up the city’s information (that is to say, data) was also met by consensus, with all four parties committing themselves to ‘open data’.

There was a bit of quiet bickering on the panel, notably about why and at whose behest the city had signed up to the environmental 10:10 campaign, and about just how green and sustainable the city really is, but there were few actual commitments to new green policies.

Indeed, commitments to new business-friendly policies were mainly marked by their absence. One attendee said afterwards: “It was great to have all the party leaders in one room so that we could size them up and make our own decisions, but many of us felt the night was full of rhetoric and rather empty of any specific promises to help businesses generate new wealth and employment for the city. It was hard to see major differences between the parties, so we all simply hope that whoever gets in will act decisively and not just talk about actions.”

About Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce

Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce supports many businesses of all sizes and sectors across the city with services ranging from its popular twice-monthly breakfasts and monthly evening events to skills training and business support. It is also the voice of business in Brighton & Hove, representing its members on all the key local partnerships and initiatives, sitting on a variety of bodies and forums, and feeding local business issues into the City’s strategy developments. The Chamber offers several levels of membership depending on business size, starting at just £99 a year. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT

Sarah Springford, director
Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce
Tel: 01273 719097 
Email: director@businessinbrighton.org.uk 
Site: www.businessinbrighton.org.uk

Photography by Mi Bewick.

Copy by Rob Shepherd.

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