You may not have heard, but Hove and Portslade's current MP, Ivor Caplin, is standing down. That means that after the General Election, someone new will be representing you in Parliament.

You deserve a strong voice. Someone who will fight for your interests. And someone who will work to make Hove and Portslade even better places to live and work. With me that is exactly what you will get.

Let me tell you a bit about myself. I live in King's Gardens which is on Hove seafront at the end of Third Avenue. I am 39 years old and 6'6" tall. It shouldn't be hard for you to spot me on a Saturday morning shopping in George Street!

My mission is simple. I want to highlight the different ways in which our community is getting a raw deal - from Brighton & Hove City Council and from the Government. And to suggest practical ways in which the lives of everyone in Hove and Portslade could be made better.

Let me give you a few examples. Life would be better for everyone in Hove and Portslade:

* if the Albion had a new stadium at Falmer so more of us could go and see home games.
* if Sussex Police recruited more police officers and if they could spend more time on the streets fighting crime and less time filling out forms.
* if the Government would stop taking grant away from the South of England and using it to prop up Labour councils in the North with the result that Brighton & Hove City Counil has put council tax up 100% since 1997.
* if people were encouraged to save for their old age and if fewer pensioners were subjected to humiliating means tests.
* if Labour councillors gave up on their megalomaniac scheme to build a monster development of over 500 flats on the site of the King Alfred Centre.

These are just a few examples of ways in which I believe we could make life in Hove and Portslade even better. I hope you will join me in these campaigns.