Political opinion: Party leaders’ messages ahead of elections in Worthing and Adur

Here, the main parties’ leaders set out their stalls ahead of polling day and make their appeals for people’s votes locally. A request was also made for the leader of the Conservative Party to submit her election message to the Worthing Herald but this had not been received before the deadline.

Green Party deputy leader Rachel Millward: Millions of people across this country are crying out for something different. Labour promised change but have failed to deliver. And evidence shows all too clearly that whenever the Tories get into power, or Reform take the helm locally, the consequences are catastrophic.

Nigel Farage and Reform offer scapegoats instead of solutions; division instead of bringing communities together. And their promises – be it on cutting council tax or reducing bureaucracy – quickly disappear in a puff of turquoise smoke.

In Kent, a leaked video of a Reform councillors’ meeting showed the council leader shouting and swearing at her colleagues. Several councillors were subsequently suspended, revealing an atmosphere of poor leadership and internal breakdown. In Worcestershire, Reform is pushing through a council tax rise of almost 10 per cent after promising to do the opposite. Meanwhile, in Nottinghamshire, they spent £75,000 on putting up Union Jack flags while services are stretched to breaking point.

While Reform mess up, Labour meltdown. People realise how badly they have been let down by a party continuing with the same austerity agenda as the Tories – and refusing to offer local authorities the extra funding they need to deliver effective local services. In many places in England, Greens are the only party that can take on Reform and win.

Whenever Greens councillors are elected, people like what they see and want more. This also means that Greens tend to be re-elected – voters see how hard they work to get things done in their neighbourhoods.

The Green Party is a grassroots, member-led party – not a party where the agenda is set by vested interests or the highest bidder buying influence. As a result, our elected councillors are embedded in their local communities, pushing positive, practical policies that reflect the interests of ordinary people. Policies such as delivering sustainable social and affordable homes; introducing rent controls in areas where the cost of having a roof over your head is sky-high; bringing local buses into public ownership; rebuilding our crumbling public services and protecting the NHS; reopening youth centres and protecting green spaces for local people and nature to enjoy.

Our promise is this: vote Green and you’ll see the benefits. Vote Green and make hope normal again.

Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer: Worthing is a proud town. And it has a lot to be proud of. People here work hard, play by the rules, and do the right thing.

But for too many families here and across the country, that isn't enough. Rising prices at the shops and the cost of energy bills have become a daily worry. I hear it wherever I go.

That’s been true for too long, and now we're seeing even more pressure on the cost of living given the conflict in Iran. I’ve been clear from the start that this is not our war, and that we won't be dragged into it. But it is still disrupting supply chains, driving up energy prices and putting pressure on family finances here in Britain.

That’s why my government’s core focus remains on making life easier for families in Worthing and and doing what we can to ease the cost of living.

We’ve cut energy bills by over £100, we’ve increased the minimum wage, we’re delivering 30 hours free childcare and we’re raising the state pension.

We’re also making sure we get our NHS back on its feet after years of Tory neglect. Already, we’ve delivered over five million extra NHS appointments and we’ve hired 2,000 more GPs – and waiting lists have come down and they'll keep coming down.

We’re also giving the next generation has the best start in life, with free breakfast clubs opening in local primary schools across Worthing, and over 2,800 children set to benefit because we’ve abolished the cruel two child limit.

We’ve been able to do this because we have the right plan. Not the anger offered by Farage’s Reform, or the wrong answers offered by the Green Party.

This week’s local elections will decide who will run many of the local services you rely on. Reform have shown they can’t run local councils. They promised to cut taxes and cut waste but they’ve put up council tax and cut local services instead. They’ve brought chaos to the places that elected them last year.

As for the Greens, we know they have the wrong answers to the issues local communities face. You can’t fund public services with more borrowing, make our streets safer by legalising all drugs, or respond to global insecurity by leaving NATO. They’re just not serious.

Moments like the one we are living through need to be met with hope, rather than anger and division. The hope of an NHS where waiting lists are coming down – and they are. The hope of a country where people’s wages are rising – and they are. And the hope of a country where poverty is being slashed and our children have a better future – and it is.

That’s the future my Labour Government is building. Together, by standing up for every part of our communities, we can ease the pressure families are facing, fix our NHS and restore pride in every part of our great country. Vote Labour on Thursday 7 May.

Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey: As I travel across the country, visiting towns and villages in West Sussex, I hear the exact same thing time and time again. People are utterly exhausted.

In Worthing, people are tired of feeling ignored by an out-of-touch Conservative party and a Labour party that has done nothing but break promises.

People are demanding change, but Reform are not the answer. Nigel Farage wants to bring Trump-style politics to our local councils, which will only sow more division on our doorsteps.

By voting for the Liberal Democrats in the local elections, you can elect hardworking local champions who will always put your community first.

For too long, the Conservatives have mismanaged our economy and neglected our vital public services.

Families are still wrestling with the cost-of-living crisis, anxious about paying the bills and keeping the heating on.

Meanwhile, our National Health Service is being stretched to breaking point. Too many people are waiting weeks just to see a GP or register with an NHS dentist. As someone who has been a carer for most of my life, I know first-hand exactly how broken our social care system has become, leaving vulnerable people without the dignified support they desperately need.

Then there is the absolute scandal of our local environment, across the South – with fly-tipping on our roads, and sewage in our rivers and coastal waters. Conservative and Labour Ministers have allowed greedy water companies to pollute our waterways, while water bosses walk away with millions in eye-watering bonuses. It is an environmental disgrace, and Liberal Democrats are leading the charge to hold these polluting companies to account.

We also know that getting the basics right matters. Whether it is fixing the endless plague of potholes ruining our roads, securing more visible community policing to tackle anti-social behaviour, or ensuring your bins are collected on time, Liberal Democrats believe that strong local government changes lives.

Our councillors work tirelessly all year round, listening to your concerns and fighting your corner.

You deserve a fair deal. You deserve representatives who listen, care, and act. This May, send a resounding message that you demand better. Vote for a hardworking local champion. Vote for the Liberal Democrats.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage: Britain is broken. As someone who loves their country, that is not something I say lightly. But it is undoubtedly true.

Of all the complaints I’ve heard travelling from town to town over the past 18 months, there is one phrase I hear over and over: nothing seems to work anymore.

Nowhere is that sentiment felt more strongly than at local council level.

Just look around you: bins are overflowing, schools are struggling and our roads are pockmarked with potholes. Meanwhile, our neighbourhoods are over-run with crime.

Yet despite all this, council tax bills continue to go up.

In both Adur District Council and Worthing Borough Council, council tax has increased by roughly 13 per cent in the past five years.

It’s not hard to see why. The CEO of Adur & Worthing Councils earns more than £166,000 a year – almost as much as the Prime Minister – to oversee this mess.

Thanks to Labour’s maladministration, Adur & Worthing Councils have run up a combined debt of £403million. That costs both councils almost £15million a year just in interest – the equivalent of £40,758 a day.

But then are you that surprised when Adur and Worthing have spent almost £500,000 and over £747,000 respectively on bureaucratic reorganisation alone?

Violent crime is a real problem, too – there were over 4,500 incidents in Worthing and Adur over the past year.

It really doesn’t have to be this way.

Last year, Reform UK won hundreds of council seats and already we’re seeing the positive impact the party is having in those areas.

Which is why I am embarking on a national tour to let voters know how you can fix this country. Because we can’t do this without you. We urgently need your help.

Just remember: Labour, the Conservatives and the Lib Dems tried to stop these local elections happening. They wanted them cancelled because they know that voters are desperate to give them a

kicking. So now is your chance to do so.

Let’s send Starmer and the rest of the Westminster establishment a clear message. The turquoise tsunami is coming.