Local Issues

Since 2003, I have been working closely with local councillors and residents on a wide range of issues affecting the quality of life in Hove and Portslade. I am particularly proud of the part I played in helping Councillor Jan Young get a new post office opened on Church Road. I am also glad to have been able to support the campaign by local residents to save Hove Library and stop the Council closing this vital part of our town's heritage. At the moment, I am particularly concerned by the poor quality of the service we get from CityClean - particularly in Portslade - and the insensitivity with which people have been forced to take wheelie bins without any reference to their personal circumstances.

Falmer Stadium

I fully support the proposed new stadium at Falmer. John Prescott's failure to make a decision is putting the Albion's future in jeopardy. What is the point of having three Labour MPs in Brighton and Hove if they cannot even deliver something as straightforward as this ?

Read more...

Police

Nothing would do more to improve the quality of life of everyone in Hove and Portslade than an increase in the number of police officers on our streets. That's why the Conservatives have made a commitment to recruit an additional 53 officers in Hove and Portslade over the next 5 years.

Read more...

Post Office

The opening of a new post office in Church Road to replace the branch that closed down in May 2004 is the result of determined efforts by Conservative campaigners and local residents. The post office is a vital public service and I will fight against any plans for further closures of branches in Hove and Portslade.

Read more...

Hove Library

I was happy to support the vigorous campaign by local people which forced Labour councillors to drop their plans to close Hove Library. We need to invest in this magnificent building so that it can provide future generations with opportunities for learning and enjoyment.

Read more...

Wheelie bins and recycling

The new system of wheelie bins is forcing many residents to do the refuse collectors' jobs for them and creating hazard for the disabled and the elderly on our pavements. I want to make the system more responsive to people's particular circumstances and am pressing the Council to introduce weekly collections of the recycling boxes.

Read more...

School discipline

We are lucky enough to have some great schools in Hove and Portslade. I have done work experience in two of them: Hove Park School and Hillside Special School. I was hugely impressed by the commitment and professionalism of both teachers and teaching assistants. But there is no doubt that their jobs are made much harder by the poor discipline of some pupils. That's why I am campaigning for headteachers to be given more power to stop rowdy kids from disrupting classrooms.

 

School discipline

We are fortunate enough to have some good schools in Hove and Portslade - and none that are failing badly. But it is clear that even in good schools discipline is a major issue. When I spent a day working as a teaching assistant at Hove Park School, I was shocked to find the level of persistent disruption in some classes. The troublemakers were not violent or aggressive. But their constant interruptions made it nearly impossible for the teacher to explain new ideas or for their classmates to concentrate on what he was saying.

While I was at Hove Park I also spent time in the Learning Support Centre where kids with behavioural problems and learning difficulties are given special support. I was impressed by the attitude of the teaching staff as well as by the quality of the equipment and learning materials available to them.

I do not think that there are easy answers to the problem of school discipline. But I am sure that the people who are best placed to make the difficult judgements involved are the teachers and, in particular, head teachers. That's why I believe that headteachers should be able to make decisions about suspending or excluding pupils without being second-guessed by local authority appeal committees. We need to be boosting the authority of head teachers not undermining them.