UKIP Brighton & Hove councillor calls for reserves to be used to save children's centres

UKIP Brighton & Hove City Councillor, Leigh Farrow, has called for some of the council's £39.5m reserves to be used to save children's centres that are under threat of closure.

The council's Chief Financial Officer says that the council needs to keep only £9m for contingency but the ruling Greens would rather cut front line services or put up council tax by 6% and then blame the British government.

Brighton Greens trying to depose leader

The end of Brighton & Hove Green Party's brief but disastrous reign in the twin city is being marked by a coup against leader, Jason Kitcat.

Several Green councillors have stood down in the face of electoral oblivion in May, including their leader. The Spectator subsequently described Brighton as "an object lesson in why it is a disaster to vote Green".

The local weirdy beardies got together for a glass or two of Victory Gin and urged their leader to take a break and hand over the reins to someone who "has a stake in the election".

Labour councillor suspended for swearing at whip

Brighton & Hove Labour Party have suspended Cllr Leigh Farrow and told him he isn't allowed to seek re-election.

Farrow successfully appealed against a decision not to allow him on the approved candidates list earlier this year but he is now in trouble for swearing at the Labour Party whip before a meeting while she was telling him how to vote.

UKIP is unique amongst mainstream parties in that it doesn't operate a whip and elected representatives are encouraged to do what they think is right, not what they're told to do.

Green councillor calls soldiers "hired killers"

Green Councillor, Ben Duncan, issued half an apology at the weekend for making offensive comments on Twitter on Armed Forces Day.

On Armed Forces Day on Saturday, Cllr Duncan - a Green Party councillor in Brighton - tweeted:

Armed Forces Day has certainly brought the hired killers onto the streets of Brighton today. Hard to explain to my son!

He apologised after his comments attracted widespread criticism but only for being "insensitive" to families who have lost relatives, not for branding all soldiers "hired killers" which he apparently still stands by.

UKIP member takes Brighton & Hove to unfair dismissal tribunal

A refuse collector in Brighton is taking Green-run Brighton & Hove City Council to a tribunal for unfair dismissal after he was accused of writing homophobic messages on three posters in a staff canteen.

UKIP member Des Jones says that he has been hounded of his job by members of the GMB union because of their hatred of UKIP. He goes on to say that he was accused of writing homophobic slogans targeting a members of staff that he doesn't know on three posters but the handwriting on all three posters is different and one of them is in joined up handwriting that he says he never learnt to do.

If his claims are true then we wish him the best of luck and hope that this results in a full and open investigation into the powerful influence of trade unions in the public sector.

Far left extremists disrupt UKIP meeting

Far left extremists from Unite Against Fascism tried to disrupt a public meeting with Nigel Farage in Hove.  See if you can spot the fascists trying to suppress free speech and subvert democracy.

The fascist UAF are backed by the Trades Unions and the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) and jointly controlled by Labour and the SWP.  It's time the security services cracked down on these thugs and the politicians that support them and give them credibility - including David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg - denounced their anti-democratic and violent conduct.

Brighton and Maidstone by-elections

Sabiha Choudhury came fourth yesterday in the East Brighton by-election, behind the Greens who control the council and the Lib Dems who ... well, they're Lib Dems.  This is a ward that UKIP has never contested before, they couldn't start campaigning before the postal votes went out and Brighton produces unusual election results because of the Greens.  More at UKIP Brighton & Hove.

Labour	1596	56%
Conservative	531	19%
Green	456	16%
UKIP	148	5%
Liberal Democrats	59	2%
Trade Union Socialists	55	2%

John Stanford also came fourth in the Maidstone Central by-election, behind the LibLabCon but ahead of the Greens and the English Democrats.

Liberal Democrats	2169	40%
Conservative	1301	24%
Labour	943	17%
UKIP	510	9%
Green	393	7%
English Democrats	89	2%

Westbourne, Brighton & Hove by-election result

Another slightly disappointing election result yesterday in Westbourne, Brighton & Hove.

Paul Perrin contested this ward for UKIP for the first time yesterday and came fifth behind the Tories, Labour, Greens and Lib Dems (in that order).

There's no denying that the result is a disappointment for all involved but there a couple of things to take away from it.  Firstly, it is the first time there has been a UKIP candidate in Westbourne.  Secondly, the Green effect is a bit of an unknown in Brighton & Hove since they took control of the council and got an MP elected there and it will take another couple of elections to figure out how it affects the usual running order.  Thirdly, the Lib Dem vote collapsed again, achieving only double figure votes.

The full results were:

Conservative	1,027
Labour	826
Green	645
Lib Dem	45
UKIP	36
Trade Unionists & Socialists Against Cuts	20
European Citizens Party	13