Seagull Weekly Briefing 08/06

Good morning, and welcome to the Brighton Seagull's Weekly Briefing. Is anyone else really sad that Fringe has gone? You can relive your favourite moments in our final Fringe Friday feat. our annual Awards right here. It was such a mission putting that together so this week's Briefing is a bit late, so let's crack on.

Protest held for Lloyd Russell-Moyle's suspension

Around 200 people met at New Steine Gardens last week, protesting the suspension of Lloyd Russell-Moyle and the selection of Chris Ward to replace him.

Alongside this, a petition has been started to 'express solidarity with the socialist and democratic principles embodied in the character and actions of Lloyd Russell-Moyle'.

Campaigns officer for Russell-Moyle's previous constituency, David Yates, wrote to the National Executive Committee expressing 'concerns regarding the hurried nature of the process for choosing another candidate to fight this election and their consequent lack of agency in this process'.

In the letter, he requests based on the Labour Party's rulebook that the constituency be allowed to meet to choose a candidate.

Chris Ward, Keir Starmer's former chief of staff, has been chosen as Russell-Moyle's replacement.

He is currently director and head of Labour unit at Hanbury Strategy, working to 'help clients navigate what could be the next government', with clients having included Navitas Petroleum, controversial prize company Omaze, and gambling company Flutter.

He's been in his current role since January 2022. Before that he was Starmer's chief of staff from 2020 to 2021, his leadership campaign manager before that, and all the way back in 2015 he was Starmer's head of office.

Hundreds have signed the petition so far, which 'demands the inclusion of Party Members in the process of selecting a new candidate for this General Election of 2024'.

It says:

If we are to give our blood, sweat and tears to return the next Labour MP to parliament then we should be at the heart of the process of their selection, ensuring that the democratic values we want to see enacted in a Labour government are practiced by the Labour Party at all times. 

If the party wishes to demonstrate unequivocally that this is not a factional purge, then they should give the members a choice of candidates and allow us to decide who is best fit to represent the constituency of Kemptown and Peacehaven.  We know our community best and the people who have dedicated their lives to standing up against the suffering caused by these miserable years of vicious Tory rule.    

More affordable homes planned for Hove

The council is looking at a proposal later this month to build 300 affordable homes, at what will be the new cabinet's first meeting.

If agreed at the meeting, a mix of council-rented and shared ownership properties would be built in the Sackville Trading Estate in Hove.

The intention would be to let the council-rented homes at social housing rent levels to people in housing need on the city’s housing register, which is currently at more than 7,500, with 1,800 in emergency and temporary accommodation.

The properties would be built by Homes for Brighton & Hove, a partnership between the council and an affordable housing developer which was set up to provide much needed low-cost homes for people in the city.

🖋 News in Brief 🖋

• We're sure you've heard, but in case you haven't: there's an election coming up on Thursday 4th July (coinciding with a by-election in Brunswick & Adelaide). Make sure you're registered to vote by midnight on Tuesday 18th June. You also must have ID. If you don’t have a valid form of photo ID, you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate (VAC) online, at the latest by 5pm on Wednesday 26 June.  
• Saltdean Lido is a finalist for a Constructing Excellence SECBE award!
• Charlie Southall watch: he's been granted planning permission to remodel the Montreal Arms, but refused change of use from a pub to a commercial unit and changes to the roof. Planning permission was granted with 16 conditions attached.

What's happening? A planning application submitted by the manufacturing company L3Harris was unanimously refused by councillors on Wednesday 5th June.

Why is this important? Campaigners have been protesting outside the factory every day for the last three months, building a peace camp nearby, and disrupting council meetings.

What did L3Harris want to do? They'd requested to permanently keep a temporary extension to their premises, a request which was meant to be heard in March but was delayed while the council sought legal advice.

Why was it refused? The council said keeping the benefit of keeping the extension would be 'outweighed by its impact on community cohesion'. Legal advice said that councillors had to consider whether granting or refusing this application could have a disproportionate impact on individuals or groups with protected characteristics.

What was public opinion? During public consultation, 603 objections were registered, and a petition with 130 signatures was presented. During the meeting, more than 100 people met outside Hove Town Hall to protest L3Harris, with an art installation containing names of children who have been killed in Gaza since October 7.

Objections included:

Our city playing this part in these mass deaths and the destruction of a civilization is the antithesis of what we stand for as a 'city of sanctuary' and the huge response to this planning application shows it is against the values of many residents.

And:

L3 Harris Brighton makes bomb racks and bomb release mechanisms for the F-16 and F-35 planes that the Israeli Air Force is using in its assault on Gaza. Without these components, the bombs can't be dropped… On these grounds, I object in the strongest possible terms to the planning application. I ask that the Planning Committee meet to discuss L3 Harris' planning application and reject it; and that the Committee examine the legal implications of knowingly allowing the supply of weapons parts made on its land that are destined for use in Gaza against international law.