General Election 2024: Meet the Green candidate for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven

The six candidates are Valerie Gray (Social Democratic Party), Elaine Hills (Green), Stewart Stone (Liberal Democrats), Khobi Vallis (Conservative), Emma Wall (Independent) and Chris Ward (Labour).

Each candidate answered questions submitted by voters. Here are the answers from the Green candidate Elaine Hills, 56, a Brighton University lecturer. She tweets as @Elaine4Kemptown and her Facebook page is Facebook.com/elainecampaign.

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Why do you want to be an MP and how are you qualified for the role?

I’ve held public office at city council level, working for local communities in Brighton.

I care deeply about the people who live in Kemptown and Peacehaven.

As a former city councillor, I am the only candidate here with experience of working hard for residents.

I am reading closely the hundreds of emails they’ve sent me and pledge to listen to them as MP.

People want a free, properly funded NHS, fair wages and affordable, warm homes.

They see tackling poverty in the area as important, as do I, along with a first-class education for all our children.

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If elected, how would you deal with performance and pricing problems in privatised utilities such as the water companies, railways, energy companies and the Royal Mail?

Privatising our public services has been a huge failure. The ongoing release of sewage into our precious seawater demonstrates the disastrous effects of an approach to public services that cares more about profit than people.

Greens will end storm overflows by nationalising water companies and large-scale investment in infrastructure.

We will take failing railways back into public ownership and subsidise rail travel to make it affordable.

We’ll support and properly staff essential services such as the Royal Mail.

We’ll regulate big energy retailers, to protect households from high energy bills and push for community-owned renewable energy.

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What would you do to help people who are struggling to rent or buy a home? Should second homes or Airbnb-style holiday lets be banned?

Everyone deserves a warm, secure, affordable home. The number of social homes built jumped 250 per cent under the last Green-led council.

Increasing affordable housing and making rental accommodation more secure is a Green priority nationwide.

We’d build 150,000 social homes annually and abolish “right to buy” so these homes are never lost.

Locally, the cost of private rented housing has soared. Greens will empower local authorities to control rental costs, end no-fault evictions and introduce long-term leases.

Airbnb-style lets put pressure on local housing supply and I’d push to allow local authorities to control the number of holiday lets.

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What steps would you take to improve hospital performance, community care and access to GPs for patients in Brighton and Hove?

NHS funding is at rock bottom. Greens are the only party to sign the WeOwnIt pledge to invest the £40 billion investment needed annually to fund our NHS properly.

We need a fully public health and social care system to reduce waiting lists and improve patient outcomes in Brighton and Hove.

GPs are key to prevention and early diagnosis, ensuring we stay healthier for longer.

Greens would offer trusts long-term funding commitments, investing in and supporting health workers, providing free personal care and mental health provision.

We must rebuild our care workforce by offering carers better pay and career structure.

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Events in Israel and Gaza have affected many members of the community here. What can people in your constituency expect you to say and do as an MP?

I am horrified by the ongoing conflict. I would push for an immediate bilateral permanent ceasefire and a durable solution that ensures security and equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians.

We need to achieve long-term security for everyone there. I would advocate for the recognition of the state of Palestine and an urgent international effort to end the illegal occupation of Palestinian land.

I believe war crimes must be investigated and prosecuted. Finally, I’d push hard to stop all UK arms exports to and military co-operation with Israel, as this makes the UK government complicit in these war crimes.

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Given the importance of tourism, how would you balance the evidence about sea water quality locally with perceptions?

Concerns around seawater quality are evidence-based. Sewage spills push a cocktail of bacteria, viruses and harmful chemicals into our sea, making surfers and swimmers ill while devastating marine life.

The number of sewage spills has jumped massively due to underinvestment in water infrastructure.

As a councillor, I led a campaign to push Southern Water to stop dumping sewage into our seawater by 2030, inviting the CEO to answer councillors’ questions on their plans to reduce storm overflows into the sea.

As MP, I’d push for nationalisation and investment in sustainable drainage systems to absorb rainwater and stop run-off into the sea.

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Polling stations are due to be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 4 July. Photo ID is required for those voting in person.