LAST week we got the manifestos the Green and Tory parties intend to run their local election campaigns on. The one thing that stood out to me, in both manifestos, was their lack of any real interest in the issues that affect communities of colour.

Our city is renowned for being welcoming to its diverse communities. And, for the most part, it is.

There is no doubt about it, most people who live in this city are kind, respectful, considerate and lovely.

I am an immigrant from Nigeria and I have loved living in Brighton. Brighton has welcomed me with open arms.

But it is also true that our city has had its fair share of problems.

A Muslim woman was verbally attacked on the bus some weeks ago.

Black and brown children have sometimes faced racially charged bullying at school. Our city played host to a relatively sizeable Tommy Robinson-supporting demonstration a few months back.

There is real concern in the Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (Bame) community.

Clearly the Greens and Tories are not in touch with the real concerns of 20 per cent of this city’s population who have an ethnic minority background.

To be fair to both parties, they express an intention to protect communities of colour from discrimination.

The Green Party even pledges to reserve seats on the powerful Policy and Resource council committee for the Bame community, although it is not clear how they plan to fulfil that promise as they do not currently have any Bame councillors or candidates.

But the Bame community does not just want to survive, we want to live. We want to be empowered to thrive.

Labour’s pledge “to invest in an independent Bame-led voluntary sector” strikes at the heart of what Bame communities in our city want, short of radical systemic remedies to our problems.

Those most affected should be at the heart of the solutions.

Additionally, the Labour pledge to impress upon the council’s partners the need for best equalities practices as well as establishing a civic leadership programme should, in time, help increase Bame representation in elected offices in the city.

The Labour Party is practising what it preaches and have selected six Bame candidates standing in wards where they have a good chance of winning.

As far as I know, none of the other parties, Tory, Green, or Lib Dem, have any Bame candidates.

And that is very telling.

Johnbosco Nwogbo Address supplied