BY-ELECTION candidates will square up at a public debate hosted by The Argus.
On Thursday, February 8, voters in East Brighton will go to the polls to determine who succeeds Lloyd Russell-Moyle as councillor for their ward.
Neither Brighton and Hove City Council nor any of the four parties contesting the seat had organised a “hustings” – a public election debate.
So The Argus has stepped in to organise and host a debate where the public can grill the prospective councillors.
The event will also be live-streamed on our website.
The debate will be held in the Premier Suite of Brighton Racecourse in Freshfield Road at 7pm on Monday, February 5.
Admission is free, but ticketed so we can anticipate attendance. Please go to:
Green candidate Ed Baker, Liberal Democrat George Taylor and Conservative Edward Wilson have already confirmed they will appear to debate with each other and answer questions from voters.
Labour candidate Nancy Platts, the front-runner, has so far told The Argus she has a full diary for the next month, meeting voters, but we are hopeful of encouraging her to face her opponents.
The debate will be chaired and moderated by University of Sussex professor of journalism Ivor Gaber.
Argus editor Arron Hendy said: “We were very proud when 400 people attended the Argus’s EU referendum debate in 2016.
“A council by-election may not make the headlines like Brexit, but the decisions of our city councillors affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in our city every day.
“We want to give East Brighton voters a chance to hear what the candidates have to say for themselves, and even more importantly, to ask their own questions.”
Brighton Racecourse has kindly provided one of its corporate hospitality halls for the event.
Paul Ellison, the venue’s executive director, said: “We are delighted to be able to assist with the hosting of the hustings.
“As a racecourse, we would like to think of ourselves as being at the heart of the local community.”
The East Brighton ward encompasses Whitehawk as well as several streets around the Royal Sussex County Hospital, extending as far as the seafront.
The event will be sponsored by online gift retailer www.temptationgifts.com.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel