Six candidates are standing in a by-election in Kemp Town for a seat on Brighton and Hove City Council on Thursday.

The seat became vacant when Bharti Gajjar resigned. She was elected for Labour last May but expelled from the party in December. She then sat as an independent but resigned in March.

The six candidates are Robert Brown (Liberal Democrat), Gary Farmer (Brighton and Hove Independent), Jamie Gillespie (Independent), Theresa Mackey (Labour), Josephine O’Carroll (Conservative) and Ricky Perrin (Green).

Each candidate received questions about local issues submitted by the public and was asked why they wanted to represent the ward.

Below are the responses from Theresa Mackey, 66, a retired teacher.

Do you live in the ward and why do you want to represent Kemp own?

I have lived in Brighton for over 30 years. I live 10 minutes from Kemptown. I know and love the Kemptown community.

I ran a support group at St George’s Church for six years and represented tenants from Kemptown on housing management panels for 12 years.

I am aware of the challenges but want to work with residents to ensure Kemptown remains a beacon of enduring commitment to community, social justice and progress.

I want to make life better for people in Kemptown.

How were you selected to stand for election?

I was selected by members of the local Labour Party after submitting my nomination and participating in a hustings.

I’ve been an active Labour member for 22 years and very pleased to be the Labour candidate for Kemptown, having been involved in the local community for over 30 years.

Kemptown ward is blighted by litter and graffiti. How will you support residents and tackle this?

Graffiti and littering is such a blight on our city. That’s why the Labour administration has made cleaning up our city a top priority.

Since taking office, your Labour council has already allocated resource to ensuring graffiti is removed more quickly and increased enforcement, with offenders now taking part in community payback schemes.

As your Labour councillor for Kemptown, I will ensure we reap the benefits of this too.

What are your views on the return of glyphosate weedkiller? Will you volunteer to join the tidy up team?

Labour councillors have been really hands on in tidying up the city through “Big Clean” events. I very much welcome the opportunity to join them.

Labour’s new approach to tackling the city’s hazardous weeds is a pragmatic solution which has been reached after exploring all options.

Glyphosate will be used, in a targeted way, not sprayed as was done previously, and only on roads and pavements.

Over time, we are committed to phasing it out as more options become available.

If phase three of the Valley Gardens project increases congestion, what will you do on behalf of those affected including residents?

Phase three of the Valley Gardens project will offer a wonderful open green space in the Old Steine where transport improvements will make it much safer for pedestrians and cyclists while ensuring buses and traffic can easily pass through this busy part of our city.

Traffic flow will be monitored once the scheme is in place and I will work with colleagues, including the lead member for transport, to ensure the views of Kemptown residents are heard as the scheme progresses.

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Polling stations in Kemptown are due to open at 7am on Thursday, May 2 and close at 10pm. Photo ID is required for those voting in person.