The Labour group of councillors on Brighton and Hove City Council today elected Cllr Nancy Platts as their new Group Leader.
Cllr Nancy Platts
A former Labour Parliamentary candidate for Brighton Pavilion in the 2010 General Election where she lost to Caroline Lucas MP and Brighton Kemptown in the 2015 General Election where she lost narrowly to the sitting MP, Simon Kirby by 690 votes.
Ms Platts is presently the Labour member for East Brighton which she took in a by-election in February 2018 following the resignation of Cllr Maggie Barradell.
She had previously worked in the office of Labour Leader Jeremy Corby as his Trade Union manager before leaving in March 2017 to take a post in the charity and social sector comms firm, Campaign Collective led by Simon Francis.
Cllr Platts said:“I feel honoured to lead the Labour Group and have the opportunity to serve the people of Brighton and Hove. I want to thank Cllr Daniel Yates for his leadership through the local elections and am delighted that he will continue to be part of our top team. I am excited about delivering our manifesto and working constructively with other parties for the benefit of our City.”
Cllr Nick Childs
Cllr Nick Childs was elected Deputy Leader; Cllr Daniel Yates elected Deputy Leader (Finance) and Cllr Clare Moonan elected Chief Whip.
It is expected that Cllr Platts will become Leader of the Council and Cllr Childs, the Deputy Leader of the Council at the Council AGM on May 22.
Supporters of one of the UK’s largest, free LGBT+ festivals are invited to an elegant evening to raise money for a good cause.
NORTHERN Pride Festival returns this summer with Fleur East and Liberty X headlining the popular weekend event, which takes place from July 19 to 21 at Newcastle’s Town Moor and Exhibition Park.
To help keep the event free, LGBT+ charity, Northern Pride, is hosting its annual Black Tie Ball fundraiser on Friday, June 7.
Guests attending the event at the Crowne Plaza, Stephenson Quarter, will enjoy a three-course meal and first-class entertainment including live music from North East band SWITCH and a disco until late.
Ste Dunn
Ste Dunn, chair of Northern Pride, believes the evening will be one to remember: “We’re delighted to be hosting the Black Tie Ball for another year and can’t wait to show thanks to our sponsors and supporters,” said Ste.
“We have some fantastic entertainment lined up and SWITCH are great performers who are sure to get everyone up on their feet and dancing into the night.
“The committee believe everyone is entitled to have a free Pride and events like the Black Tie Ball help us raise much-needed funds to provide this for our community.”
The Black Tie Ball is open to everyone. There are a limited number of tickets still available costing £25.
Northern Pride is spread across two locations this year, with the Festival Arena at the Town Moor home to the main stage, fun fair and platinum bar, while nearby Exhibition Park will host the Curious Arts Stage, Rainbow Village and various zones at the Community Village.
The Black Tie Ball is one of a number of satellite events taking place in venues around the city in the lead up to the Pride weekend in July.
For more information about Northern Pride, click here:
Or search northernprideuk on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
There is nothing quite like it at any of the Festivals in Brighton this year.
FIVE years in the making,Circus Extreme merges traditional and contemporary entertainment styles with extreme stunts and classical, traditional clown antics to deliver epic heart stopping moments and some of the most exciting daredevil stunts I have seen in a circus bigtop anywhere in the world.
Most of the artists work without any form of safety wires or nets which really adds to the drama of it all and had everyone around me squealing with delight.
With something for all ages to enjoy, special mention goes to the stunning Danguir Troupe for their breathtaking high wire routine and double wheel of death stunt. This was traditional old school circus at its very best and took me back to my youth in Liverpool in the 60s, when every year we went to the wonderful Bertram Mill Circus starring Coco the Clown.
However, without doubt the stars of this epic spectacle are the EXTREME® FMX team who perform in the Globe of Death where three motorbike riders endure G-force pressures on their bodies while executing a dangerous routine including vertical and horizontal loops within the encased mesh globe.
Their finale which closes the show sees the bike riders flying through the air performing mid-air backflips on their motorcycles as they fly over the circus ring and the mesh globe. It is visually stunning and had the audience on their feet screaming the riders on.
Henry the Prince of Clowns, a legendary traditional figure in the circus world, keeps the audience onside all evening concentrating his attention on the daddies in the audience rather than the kids. It all worked rather well.
This show is a masterpiece of theatrical production. Traditional circus routines merge with modern daredevil acts to create a professional theatrical spectacle performed to a genius musical score that build the tension all evening to the eventual climax when the motorbikes fly over the audience.
A Sexuality, Gender and Faith group meets monthly at St Nicholas Church, Dyke Road, Brighton.
Reuben Davidson
REUBEN Davidson from the Allsorts Youth Project will speak on the topic “For the love of Christ! A journey of identity, faith and unanswered questions” at the next meeting on Tuesday, May 28.
The meeting will start at 7-30pm at St Nicholas Church, Dyke Rd, Brighton and is sponsored by Brighton & Hove OneBodyOneFaith.
The Green Group’s new convenorship team on Brighton and Hove City council reveal their pledge to the city, following the recent local election results.
Cllr Phélim Mac Cafferty
COUNCILLOR for Brunswick & Adelaide Phélim Mac Cafferty has been re-elected as Convenor for a fifth term, having steered the Green Party through their growth back to 19 councillors in the local elections.
He is joined by returning Councillor Sue Shanks as Deputy Convenor (Internal Relations) – Cllr Shanks was recently elected as a Councillor in St Peter’s and North Laine ward, having previously represented the Green Party in Withdean ward between 2011-2015.
The Green Party’s new convenorship team is completed by fellow Brunswick & Adelaide Cllr Hannah Clare as Deputy Convenor (External Relations). Hannah, 26, was elected for the first time in May and brings experience as a Digital Communications Manager for a local charity.
Cllr Hannah Clare
Cllr Sue Shanks
Following their election, and discussions within the Brighton & Hove Green Party, the new convenorship team unveiled their pledge to Brighton & Hove residents.
The Pledge reads:
“We thank the city for electing so many new Green voices and we welcome the invitation from Labour to discuss how we can work together to make a difference for our residents. Yet political parties are not the only voices. To achieve truly transformative politics, we also need to take the conversation about how to tackle these issues back to our communities.
Greens pledge to residents in our city that we will work with all partners – from the Labour Party, to our community groups, voluntary sector and local businesses – to deliver urgent action on critical issues; especially our climate crisis, housing and homelessness and austerity.
We would welcome the opportunity to work with Labour Councillors to set up our shared vision of a citizen’s assembly on the climate crisis. We are also keen to explore a City Climate and Biodiversity Crises Summit. We believe now is the time for cross-party action on housing and homelessness. In the face of national uncertainty from a disastrous Brexit, all parties must jointly uphold our status as a city of sanctuary and welcome.
Over the next four years we will work with the Labour council to achieve what is best for our city. We will never fail to challenge on behalf of our residents, and we will also present new ideas and hold Labour to account when scrutiny is needed. We pledge to stand up for what is best for our city; and to continue to hold our council to the high standards our city expects and deserves.
Councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty said: “I am thrilled to unveil our promise to the city today that shows our commitment to doing politics differently and working collaboratively on the issues that residents have regularly told us are their highest concerns.
“Having discussed this with our party membership, we will bring our pledge into discussions with the Labour Group of Councillors over the coming weeks offering a new kind of politics for the residents of Brighton & Hove”.
BBC Creative, the BBC’s in-house creative agency, launches new young photographer initiative to help fresh talent from diverse backgrounds get a step-up into the industry.
Reggie Yates
GET In! will give young people the opportunity to meet and spend time with the Photography team at BBC Creative, who commission, create and produce promotional imagery across all BBC content platforms.
The initiative will be launched at a new exhibition celebrating the art and craft of promotional photography, featuring portraits of actors and presenters from BBC programmes including BBC Three thriller Clique, BBC Two documentary Reggie Yates: Searching for Grenfell’s Lost Lives and award-winning BBC One drama Bodyguard.
Jason Baron, Creative Director of Photography at BBC Creative, said:“The BBC is committed to creating opportunities and supporting fresh talent wherever they are and whatever their background. We believe Get In! will result in real benefits for the creative industry and give budding photographers a valuable insight into how promotional photography is such an important way for audiences to engage with the BBC.”
From Friday, May 10, BBC Creative’s Photography department are exhibiting Portraits: The Art and Craft of Promotional Photography at Elephant West, an art space in White City, London.
A Q&A event on Tuesday, May 14, featuring Jason Baron and Jane Record, Creative Directors of Photography at BBC Creative, and professional photographer Ray Burmiston, will launch the Get In! initiative with a discussion with photography students and other young people looking at getting into the industry.
The new opportunity is open to everyone and BBC Creative is keen to see applicants from varying backgrounds with different views and experiences. It builds on outreach work which has seen BBC Creative visit schools and colleges, presenting to students the world of promotional photography and talking through the work the team does.
Get In! will run every three months and give a group of four young photographers the opportunity to meet the BBC Creative Photography commissioning team, get their portfolio reviewed and receive mentoring for a year.
To enter send an email to: bbcpicturedesk@bbc.co.uk providing a biography or CV and examples of their work. Applicants must be aged over 18.
Cambridge will hold its inaugural Pride event in the city centre on Saturday, June 8. Launching with the UK’s first Pride river parade, it will celebrate the diversity and inclusion of Cambridgeshire’s LGBT+ community.
Some members of the Cambridge Pride team. Centre right-Lara Jaffey Pink Festival Group Chair
IN contrast to its reputation as a global innovation hub and for discoveries such as gravity, the structure of DNA and stem cells, Cambridge is preparing to unleash a more vibrant side for Pride. Initial details of the milestone event have just been announced.
The River Cam features heavily in the festivities. Usually associated with serene punting trips passing landmarks such as the Bridge of Sighs and Kings College Chapel, part of the Cam will be taken over by a flamboyant flotilla of punts.
The UK’s first river parade starts at Quayside in central Cambridge at 11am and ends a short distance away at Jesus Green at 12pm.The 500-year-old Magdalene College and gardens will provide a theatrical backdrop. After launch, the parade will continue to travel in a loop, giving visitors more time to enjoy the spectacle.
Each punt will be decorated using a colour of the rainbow flag, representing different aspects of Cambridgeshire’s diverse LGBT+ community. The flotilla will carry members of LGBT+ support groups, who are designing their vessels with local artists. Cambridge City Council has commissioned and funded the parade.
Two years ago, the Office of National Statistics revealed that Cambridgeshire has the country’s second largest LGBT+ population at 1.8 per cent. Only topped by London at 3.1 per cent. Despite this, Cambridge Pride 2019 will be the first major event in the university town which aims to break down barriers and provide people with the opportunity to celebrate the local LGBT+ community.
The highly anticipated event is organised by volunteers in association with the charity, The Pink Festival Group. The line-up of music, cabaret, dance, spoken word, creative workshops and more, will close with after-parties in some of the city’s venues.
Lara Jaffey, Chair of The Pink Festival Group, said: “A huge buzz is building around the first ever Cambridge Pride, and we’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity and goodwill of volunteers and supporters. The long-awaited event creates an opportunity to celebrate our diverse community, while forging links in Cambridge and across the county. Pride is also important in boosting self-esteem, by connecting people with their wonderful community.
“Approximately 15,300 people identify as LGBT+ in Cambridgeshire, but the community is often fragmented due to rural isolation and relatively scarce services and amenities. Pride provides a platform for advocacy and advice.
“Everyone is welcome on the day, so we encourage the public to come along and help fight discrimination and build social inclusion. Event volunteers are working hard to give Pride visitors an unforgettable and uplifting day.”
Funding has been provided by organisations including Cambridge City Council. Corporate partners include ‘Gold’ sponsor, ARM, and ‘Friends of Pride’ such as Bayer, Irwin Mitchell Solicitors and Encore Estate Management, with more to be announced.
In kind support is provided by businesses including Satyam Yoga and Wellbeing Centre, University Arms Hotel and Enchanted Cinema. Donations from an ongoing crowdfunding campaign will support future Pride initiatives.
Cambridge Pride activities will include:
♦ A line-up of local performers including the band Keltrix and drag act Felicity Flaps on the Main Stage
♦ The Band Stand will host local DJs
♦ The Youth Tent will provide a safe, alcohol-free space for under 25s with creative workshops including the Great British Queer Bake Off
♦ The Pride Community Lounge will offer performances, talks, comedy, spoken word and poetry
♦ Satyam Yoga and Wellbeing Centre will lead yoga, meditation and mindfulness sessions
♦ At dusk, Enchanted Cinema will provide an outdoor screening of international LGBT+ short films, programmed by ‘Queers in Shorts’.
Further details will be released in the run-up to the event. In the meantime, follow @CambridgePride on Facebook and Twitter or click here:
Brighton & Hove City Council makes first successful prosecution for an unauthorised dropped kerb crossing.
THE case againstJason Bennett and CCE Sussex Limited was heard at Brighton Magistrates Court on May 1, 2019. They faced five charges of making unauthorised dropped kerb crossings in Reading Road, Brighton contrary to the Highways Act 1980.
The prosecution came after council officials examined the five crossings and found that they were of sub-standard construction and had been created without the necessary permissions.
Mr Bennett, a former director of CCE Sussex Limited, pleaded guilty to all the charges in his absence relating to the unauthorised highway works.
CCE Sussex Limited of Horstead Keynes was also convicted in their absence. They were each ordered to pay a fine of £1000 for each of the five offences, together with £600 costs and £100 Victim Surcharge.
In addition, they were each ordered to pay £4301.52 of compensation to the council to cover the costs of correctly constructing the vehicle crossings.
Each defendant has 14 days in which to pay a total of £10,001.52 fines, costs and compensation.
Example of legal dropped kerb
Anyone can apply for a licence to build a vehicle crossover (dropped kerb) for access to their property but must meet the relevant criteria and safety standards.
Local celebrity artist Jamie McCartney is exhibiting at the Design Renaissance Gallery in Hove for the month of May to coincide with Artist Open Houses and Brighton Festival.
Jamie McCartney
HE will be making two rare appearances to chat to the public about his work at Open Days on Saturday May 11 and Saturday May 18.
Jamie’s schedule gives him little chance to exhibit in his home town, so this is a great opportunity to see the works and meet the artist.
Jamie is familiar to most for his notorious sculpture, The Great Wall of Vagina. On show will be some smaller pieces derived from this work.
Also on show are Jamie’s figurative bronzes familiar to many from his Brighton Body Casting business. Now located at a large purpose-built studio in the harbour in Hove, it previously became a local attraction when located in the sea front and subsequently in the Lanes.
Design Renaissance Gallery specialises in 20th century French design and 21st Century art.
They harbour an architectural, historic and artistic approach through their projects and realise interior design projects with the same approach.
This year’s Brighton Naked Bike Ride welcomes fellow environmental campaign group Extinction Rebellion, in their shared cause of alerting the world to the worsening climate crisis.
Image: Chloe Solomons
UNITING under the banner“We are Nature!”, the ride will form a colourful and noisy procession through Brighton & Hove on Sunday, June 9 joining other UK rides at the start of national Bike Week, and several other World Naked Bike Ride events across the globe.
Extinction Rebellion has staged a series of creative, radical actions around the country, including the recent sit-down protests in central London.
Locally, they have held a mass ‘die-in’ in Churchill Square and a fete-themed protest outside Barclays Bank against their investment in fossil fuels. They aim to raise awareness of the urgency of dealing with climate change, and encourage people to take action to ensure that the planet remains habitable.
Brighton Naked Bike Ride is supporting them in calling on the government to tell the truth about how deadly the climate situation is, and to enact legally binding policies to reduce UK carbon emissions to zero by 2025.
Brighton & Hove Council have already backed a climate change emergency motion.
Ride organiser Duncan Blinkhorn said:“Moving to a future that is safe from climate chaos requires us to make better use of the Earth’s limited resources, and stop pumping carbon into the atmosphere. World Naked Bike Ride demonstrates that less can be more: less consumption, less pollution, less clothes even! With just bikes and body power, we are campaigning for better road safety, a more stable climate, cleaner air and… more fun!”
Alice Doyle from Extinction Rebellion Brighton, added:“We’re not just campaigning about the extinction of global animal and plant species, but about the potential extinction of human beings due to man-made pollution and climate change. We are part of nature, and thus equally vulnerable to the environmental crisis we have caused. We’re joining this ride, and supporting the event, as a powerful symbol of both our vulnerability to pollution and our power to change it.”
Up to a thousand riders are anticipated to assemble on Sunday, June 9, from 11am, at Preston Park, Brighton. Participants will decorate their bikes and bodies before the ride heads off at 1.30pm.
Accompanied by a fleet of sound systems, the ride will travel along the seafront via Brighton Palace Pier, back down Western Road, through the Lanes, North Laine and Kemptown, before finishing at Black Rock naturist beach.
Participation is free, family-friendly and “as bare as you dare”. Participants are encouraged to paint their bodies and decorate their bikes with environmental messages under the We are Nature! theme.
For more information about the event and how to take part, click here:
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