AFTER a busy day campaigning with colleagues in Brighton Pavilion Constituency's Regency Ward, we'd just returned to fortify the "inner persons" and check the emails when, as luck would have it, one pinged up from my local councillor, the excellent Phelim MacCafferty, announcing another clean-up campaign in Brunswick & Adelaide Ward this Saturday.

This reminded me that I hadn't yet responded to an article in last Saturday's Argus (2nd November), referring to a 22 year old graffiti lout who, having admitted to daubing his "LABR" tag across our city more than 80 times, was sentenced to the barbaric punishment of performing a day--yes, a whole day--of work for the city council as part of a community pay back scheme.

What an insult to the good councillor and the local residents who have been hard at work on so many occasions cleaning up this very person's "artwork," among others, which have so defaced our environment.

For my part, having taken pity on our overworked Madam Mayor, Councillor Alex Phillips, I have been paying attention to removing and binning the plethora of fly-posters and stickers (the vast majority, sadly, advertising Extinction Rebellion) and, with the aid of my walking stick, unblocking as many road drain grills as humanly possible; hopefully this has helped to minimise potential flooding and ruined shoes on the steep hills in that area.

May I now be permitted to issue two requests?

Firstly, could The Argus please inform its readers why, after running so many brilliant articles and editorials on the "Scourge of Graffiti Vandals," have you not seen fit to name & shame (including providing a photograph) this convicted criminal and why was it not front page news? I am hoping that you will be doing just this in a follow-up article and also questioning what appears to be undue lenience on the part of our magistrates.

Secondly, would it be pertinent to court the opinion of Madam Mayor (minus, of course, her Chain of Office and indulging in her capacity as one of our MEPs) and her husband and fellow Ward Councillor, Tom Druitt as well as Councillor Phelim MacCafferty in his capacity as Convener of the Greens, on how best we rid our city of these embarrassing environmental outrages?

I remain convinced that if we are all prepared to follow Phelim's example and pull together, Councillors, Candidates, residents and, last but not least The Argus, we can save this city.

Over to you.

Nigel Furness

Prospective UKIP parliamentary candidate

Brighton Pavilion Constituency.