Our Manifesto

The Seagulls Party was born out of the frustration and anger of local people over the political process that has thwarted the building of a Community Stadium for Sussex.

Despite all the evidence of overwhelming support for the new stadium, the Lib Dems who control the council have used every trick in the book to obstruct the project, committing hundreds of thousands of pounds of tax payers’ money.

The stadium near Falmer will be built on land substantially already occupied by dreary, life-expired buildings. It will deliver massive benefits to the whole area. It will be supported by a sustainable transport system that will minimise congestion and environmental damage. And one of the longest planning inquiries in history concluded that no alternative site is available.

When the stadium was given planning permission in 2005, councillors met in secret and decided to submit an appeal to the High Court.

Months after being told by senior government lawyers that only one of its 13 objections to the decision had any legal validity, the council withdrew its Court Case on the eve of the hearing and the matter reverted back to Secretary of State Ruth Kelly for reconsideration.

Astonishingly, the Lib Dems are now trying to make a case for a stadium on a site at Sheepcote Valley that is outside the built up area and that will create massive traffic congestion if it goes ahead.

If they can behave like this over Falmer, can they be trusted with any important decision that matters to the people of this district?

It’s time for a new kind of councillor – and that’s what The Seagulls Party candidates in this election promise to be.

Local elections should not be about handing over control of our council to a single political party, whose inner sanctum of members will spend the next four years deciding what is best for local people. No party should ‘control’ the council.

What is needed is are councillors who will spend four years looking out for local people, listening and speaking up for them when it matters.

MANY EYES, MANY EARS, MANY VOICES

We are putting only one candidate forward in the wards where we are standing. We’d like people to vote for our candidate, of course, but we’d also like them to choose someone from our rivals who is independently minded and not looking for a career as a ‘party hack’.

We believe a new kind of local government is needed. People in Lewes district have the choice to make this happen.

We stand for more effective community involvement in the decisions that affect people’s quality of life. Our candidates know the area and care about its future.

We stand for Openness, Honesty, Accountability and Engagement.

We want to involve the whole community in a partnership that will:-

• Enhance the employment prospects, education and skills of local people
• Address social exclusion and enhance opportunities for the disadvantaged
• Promote sustainable regeneration
• Support and promote growth in local economies and businesses
• Help tackle crime and improve community well-being

All good reasons for supporting the community stadium.

But also good principles for our local council to follow in everything that it does.

Click on the candidates' information, below, to read their election leaflets:

ED BASSFORD Ouse Valley & Ringmer

MARK JACKSON Newhaven Denton & Meeching

ROZ SOUTH Lewes Bridge

STEVE WILLIAMS Lewes Priory