Shake up for Labour as senior figures are not selected to stand for council in 2019

Cllr Anne Meadows, chairman of the council's housing and new homes committee

This week Cllr Anne Meadows, who served as a councillor for 25 years in Moulsecoomb and Bevendean, and is the council’s chair of the housing committee, lost out to Corbyn-supporting candidates in a selection battle this week.

Cllr Daniel Chapman, the council’s chair of the children and young people’s committee, was not selected in his Queen’s Park ward.

And his ward colleague Cllr Adrian Morris also failed to be reselected.

Cllr Daniel Chapman is the chair of the children's committee

With many sitting Labour councillors standing down, it means that more than half of the city’s current Labour councillors will no longer be on the ballot ticket in the next local elections in May 2019.

Those standing down include former council leader Warren Morgan, deputy council leader Gill Mitchell, and lead for adult social care Karen Barford.

Cllr Barford spoke out about death threats and receiving abusive calls from members of the public, contributing to her decision to step down as councillor.

Cllr Kevin Allen, a Corbyn supporter who is standing down from his Preston Park ward in 2019, said in an email to colleagues: “Over the past few years Labour has changed fundamentally: from the deformed party of Tony Blair, that accepted far too much of the neo-liberal agenda, to the rejuvenated party of Jeremy Corbyn, that has rediscovered its true democratic socialist purpose.”

Those who will stand again for Labour include council leader Daniel Yates (Moulsecoomb and Bevendean), planning chair Julie Cattell (Preston Park), Nancy Platts (East Brighton), Emma Daniel (Hanover and Elm Grove), Les Hamilton and Alan Robins (South Portslade) and Jackie O’Quinn (Goldsmid).

New faces backed by Corbyn-supporting group Momentum include: Gill Williams and Nichole Brennan in East Brighton; Phil Clarke and Theresa Fowler in Hollingdean and Stanmer; Kate Knight and Amanda-Jane Scales in Moulsecoomb and Bevendean; Denise Friend and Juan Baeza in Preston Park; Debbie Taylor and John Allcock in Goldsmid; and Colin Piper, Amanda Evans and Nick Childs in Queen’s Park.

Last night (Thursday) in North Portslade, sitting counillor Peter Atkinson fought off a challenge from Momentum-backed candidate James Ellis. But he will be joined by Corbyn-supporting Anne Pissaridou, who replaces long-standing councillor Penny Gilbey, who is set to retire.

MP hits out at ‘deselections’

After Cllr Chapman and Morris failed to be selected in Queen’s Park, Hove MP Peter Kyle tweeted: “The second Brighton LGBT councillor to be deselected is @Chapman_Dan. It seems only straight white middle aged men are immune to the sacrifices demanded by the onward march of socialism. ”

A Brighton and Hove Momentum source said: “17 of the 27 candidates selected so far are women. 11 of the 19 successful Momentum-backed candidates are women, including Danielle Spencer (LGBT woman) and Alex Braithwaite (BAME woman). I do not know the sexuality of all 27 successful candidates - and I suspect neither does Mr Kyle.”

‘I would have liked to have done five years’: Outgoing council leader on stepping down

Brighton and Hove council leader resigns