The party is aiming to achieve a majority on Brighton and Hove City Council for the first time in 20 years.

Ms Reeves put forward the party's case in a column written exclusively for The Argus.

It’s wonderful to be out campaigning in Brighton and Hove this week, popping into some of your brilliant businesses, enjoying a spot of lunch at the beautiful Rockwater, and getting out on the doors in Westbourne.

I know that Brighton and Hove has so much promise and potential just waiting to be unlocked. 

But right now, a cost of living crisis and weakened economy are holding people back.

The Tories crashed the economy and left working people to pick up the bill.

Keir and I know the cost of living crisis is not over. That every day from Portslade to Woodingdean, families are watching energy bills, food prices and taxes all go up and up.

The hit to living standards over the past two years is the largest since records began.

And now – your council tax is going up too, a move forced on local authorities by Rishi Sunak. 

A Labour Government would not stand for it. 

LOCAL ELECTIONS 2023:

• Brighton and Hove local elections: Full list of candidates
• Full list of polling stations as voters get polling cards
• The Argus to host three live local election debates (how you can submit questions)

Right now, we would be freezing your council tax in Brighton and Hove for this year.

We’d pay for that by finally bringing in a proper windfall tax on the booming profits of oil and gas giants, who have pocketed huge gains during this energy crisis.

Labour authorities across the country only raise council tax on residents as a last resort.

We know this because the average band D council tax in Labour areas is £72 lower than in Tory ones. We know the value of money.

Your Labour candidates and councillors in Brighton and Hove know how people across the city are struggling with the cost of living.

It’s why Labour in Brighton and Hove have been out on the doors talking about their plans to support vulnerable and community groups through the cost of living crisis, such as by setting up warm spaces and community hubs, as well as boosting small businesses and the local economy with a “buy local” campaign.

They’ve recognised how people’s mortgages are going up and how hard hit private renters in Brighton and Hove are by the Tory economic crisis, and that’s why they’ve pledged to work hard to deliver decent, affordable homes, and rights for people who rent.

Just yesterday, your MP Peter Kyle and I sat down with first-time buyers and others struggling with their mortgages at Wave Community Bank to hear how the Tory economic crisis of recent months is having a huge impact on their family finances.

It’s not just the cost of living crisis hitting families in Brighton. Crime is up while the number of neighbourhood police is down. Speaking to people on the doors, I know how much of a problem anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping and littering is. 

To tackle the crime on our streets, the next Labour government will prevent crime, punish criminals and protect communities with 13,000 extra neighbourhood police and PCSOs to crackdown on anti-social behaviour.

Our ambition is not limited there.

To combat the NHS crisis, a Labour government will train a new generation of doctors, nurses, and midwives, funded by removing the tax break for non-doms – the mega-rich few who live in Britain, but use a loophole to get out of paying their taxes here.

Our Green Prosperity Plan will tackle the climate crisis and get the economy growing.

There is a global race on for the green jobs of the future – why shouldn’t Britain be at the forefront of that? From wind to tidal power, from carbon capture and storage to electric vehicles, we have so much talent and capability.

Across Brighton and Hove and the country, we have a serious plan to tackle the cost of living crisis, to make everyone feel safe in their neighbourhoods, and get you the health care you need.

Our mission to secure the highest growth in the G7 will tackle the climate crisis, and create good jobs and productivity growth in every part of Britain, so everyone not just a few feel better off.

Because for Labour, if Brighton and Hove succeeds, Britain succeeds. 

On May 4th, take your ID to your local polling station and vote Labour. 

Let’s build a better Brighton and Hove and a better Britain, together.