Here are some of the activities I've been doing in May:

Thursday 1st May
Off to London to support Ken Livingstone in the Mayoral elections. What happens in London affects people that live in Brighton and I’m concerned that all the good work has the potential to be undone. The congestion charge cleared the London air and speeded up the buses, making life much better for Londoners and public transport users.

Friday 2nd May and Saturday 3rd May
I spent the weekend meeting residents in Patcham with local Labour Party members and David Lepper MP. Lots of issues were raised on the doorstep including the poor state of paving outside shops in Patcham Old Village on the Old London Road. Three elderly residents told us about accidents and David and I will be contacting the Council about to see if we can get safety improvements.

Thursday 8th May
The lighter evenings mean that I can now go out and meet residents after work so I came straight from the station to meet local Party members and knock on a few doors in Hanover. Many residents from this area have raised the problem of graffiti here and I’ve been writing lots of letters to the Council asking them to remove it. Persistency has paid off and I’m pleased that much of it has now been cleared. I’ve written again to the Council about the remaining graffiti in Newark Place because that should have been removed by now too.

Friday 9th May
Out this morning meeting residents in Patcham. I met a couple who had seen my letter in The Argus about controlling the growth in lapdancing clubs and were pleased that I was taking action.

Saturday 10th May
It’s National Campaign Day and this marks the start of my ‘month of action’ in Hollingbury and Stanmer. Lots of local Labour Party members came along to help introduce me to as many residents as possible and listen to their concerns. I met quite a few parents who would like to see better youth facilities in the area and I’d like to see greater investment in sports and leisure activities for young people. I used to work with young people as a volunteer and I know what a difference it can make if a community has decent equipment and facilities together with the support of good role models.

In the evening we went to see Stockholm at the Corn Exchange as part of the Brighton Festival, so good, I wanted to see it all over again.

Monday 12th May
I went back to the Ditchling Road area with David Lepper MP this morning to meet residents. Parking and problems of access for emergency vehicles cropped up so David and I will be contacting the emergency services about this.

Thursday 15th May
I joined Cllr Pat Hawkes as her guest at the Brighton and Hove City Council Mayor’s Reception after work this evening. It was great to meet friends old and new. I had a long chat with Chief Fire Officer Des Prichard of East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service about fire cover in Brighton and it was an opportunity to tell Des about the problem raised on the doorstep with me yesterday. Fire safety is a particular interest of mine having spent eleven years working in the London Fire Brigade.

Weblink: http://www.esfrs.org/

Friday 16th May
We received a warm welcome from parents at our stall in ‘The Dip’ near Hertford Infants School this afternoon. We were handing out copies of ‘Family Matters’ and chatting about the localarea. I popped into all the shops and services to say hello before leaving.

Saturday 17th May
It was off to Coldean this morning to meet Cllr Pat Hawkes at St. Mary Magdalenes Church in Coldean Lane where she does her surgery. Pat introduced me to lots of local residents and we visited the new café at Library Court on Beatty Avenue. This is a new development that opened in 2088. It’s a wonderful facility that provides fully accessible retirement housing and includes a shop and hairdressers.

The play ‘So Close to Home’ was perfect in its setting in an old pizza restaurant on London Road and my last activity of the day.

Sunday 18th May
Brighton University invited me to their reception to celebrate the Brighton Festival and I joined them to hear Susan Greenfield speak her new book, “The Quest for Identity in the 21st Century”. She talked about the impact of modern communications such as texting and email creating a generation who could live life in front of a screen, with short bursts of excitement or the ‘yuk and wow’ factor as she described it on the day! It was a brilliant talk and I cannot do it justice here, but the reviews on the internet are many if you want to know more.

Monday 19th May
Out with David Lepper MP again meeting residents. I had a long chat to a nursery worker about early years’ childcare and education. I worked for Daycare Trust campaigning for quality, affordable childcare for all and I was really pleased when the Government invested more money in these essential services and made a commitment to a Sure Start centre in every community. It’s now high time that the pay and conditions of nursery and childcare workers are increased. I think it’s important to show that this profession is valued in its own right and not seen as the first rung of the career ladder to become a teacher.

Thursday 22nd May
Thankfully my train connection went smoothly at Three Bridges today so I got home in time to join Labour Party members door knocking in Hanover. The issue of ‘studentification’ was raised with me again. This is something that I have raised with the Housing Minister, Caroline Flint. Landlords seem to be expanding properties in all directions in order to pack more students into one house and local residents are feeling the impact. I’ve dropped an email to Caroline Flint’s office requesting a meeting.

Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th May
We spent the weekend door-knocking in Coldean and delivering direct mails about international development and global poverty in Hanover and Elm Grove. A friend from London was staying with us and came out to help too. I got to meet lots of residents in Coldean and one woman told me about the good care she had received at the Royal Sussex. Everyone I meet who has been a patient under the NHS is very happy with the service, but I remain concerned that the staff I meet are not so happy so I will be looking out for an opportunity to raise this with one of the Health Ministers. I’m very appreciative that so many people will make time for a chat and share their views with me.

Tags: Hollingbury, London Road

Posted on May 26, 2008 in Out and About in Brighton.