Dear Voter

I have lived in Westbourne and Poet’s Corner for 26 years and worked as a local cabbie for almost as long. I am also married to a Hovarian and care passionately about Brighton and Hove.

Over the years driving my taxi I have watched every corner of our once-proud city decline daily as we are charged more and more council tax for less and less service.

Enough is enough. I am now standing as an Independent Councillor candidate for Friends of Brighton and Hove to do something about it.

The Green Council’s ‘mini-Holland’ plans for Westbourne are particularly ridiculous and will result in local business closure and discrimination against the disabled as well as obstructing residents in the daily business of living their lives. All for some foolish vanity project which claims to reduce congestion with road obstructions and carve ups when it will cause it.

Now to cap it all the Greens threaten the city with ULEZ – ultra low emissions zone charges to drive your car through the city – currently £12.50 daily in London – if they get re-elected.

As well as being anti ‘Mini Holland’ and anti-ULEZ, I am pro getting all public toilets reopened including 24 hour WCs for anyone who needs overnight facilities including cabbies. I also want to see face-to-face customer services and the Police Station fully re-opened at Hove Town Hall, more facilities for the disabled and the city put firmly back on track with no more wrong and wasteful spending priorities at the expense of the essential services we pay our council tax to the council to deliver. On a local level, let’s see the rejuvenation of Portland Road as a thriving shopping and community area again and stopping the cycle lane extension along Kingsway which will doom the local shopping parade.

Please vote for me, James Verguson, your Independent Westbourne and Poet’s Corner and Friend of Brighton and Hove candidate on 4th May.

No politics. Just residents for residents.