At a packed meeting in the main hall of The Brighthelm Centre on 10th September 2008, Jacqui Cuff, standing for Transition Brighton and Hove, was elected onto Brighton and Hove's City Sustainability Partnership. This was a pleasing result, especially since TBH's membership of The Community Voluntary Sector Forum has been very recent and we may not yet be as well known as some of the other member organisations providing candidates. Congratulations Jacqui!
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This Partnership provides the city and its key stakeholders with strategic leadership on the environmentally sustainable development of Brighton & Hove.
Three places on this Partnership are allocated to The Community Voluntary Sector. TBH now has one of these. Other representatives are drawn from business, trusts and other areas of activity, where 'sustainability' might be defined somewhat differently.
The three elected representatives for The Community Voluntary Sector ought to work well together, since they all share a direct interest in combatting Climate Change i.e. putting environmental concerns to the fore in defining 'sustainability'. The current review of the city's Climate Change Strategy by One Planet Living under the auspices of The 2020 Community Partnership (also known as the Local Strategic Partnership) ought to focus attention where Transition Brighton and Hove wants it to be. The profiles which helped to secure their election are as follows:
Chris Todd, Brighton & Hove Friends of the Earth / South Downs Campaign
I have been heavily involved with environmental issues (particularly landscape, planning and transport) in Brighton & Hove for 15 years. I have extensive experience of setting up and working in various environmental networks, including my current job coordinating the South Downs Campaign, a network of over 150 organisations. I represented the regional environmental network (South East Forum for Sustainability) at the South East Plan’s Examination in Public. More recently I appeared at the re-opened South Downs National Park Inquiry.
Until the recent change in Council structure I was co-opted onto the Sustainability Commission and prior to that in the late 1990s I was a co-opted member on the Brighton & Hove Planning Committee representing sustainability issues on behalf of the Brighton & Hove Environment Forum. More recently I promoted establishing an Environment Network within CVSF. I have also led on persuading the LSP to prioritise climate change and I currently chair the working group on this. I have good communication skills, which combined with my networking and information sharing experience, means that I am ideally placed to represent a broad range of views on this exciting new partnership.
Jacqui Cuff, Transition Brighton and Hove
The challenge of climate change and peaking oil prices affects all of us – that means all 500+ members of CVSF, from the young, the old, the blind or refugees. Transition Brighton and Hove (TBH) is a growing group of volunteers working on a community led response to the effects of climate change and peak oil. If TBH is elected to the CSP this will help ensure that climate change issues continue to have a high profile within sustainable development strategies for Brighton and Hove.
My expertise: A Brighton resident, I am a founding member of the TBH liaison with local government group. Formerly a lawyer, advocacy, influencing and meetings on sustainability have been my professional bread and butter. Since 1992 I have worked on sustainability for the voluntary sector, Parish Councils, RSPB and the Government agency for the countryside. I have worked with central and local government officials frequently and “know the language”. I am politically astute, an excellent communicator and networker. Choose me and you will get an effective and professional voice for sustainability. I will combine my professionalism with the right amount of “fire in the belly” – on behalf of the voluntary sector.
Michael Creedy, Brighton Peace and Environment Centre
I am a member of the Environment forum and represent Brighton Peace and Environment Centre. We are an education centre and act as a hub for a large number of environmental groups in Brighton and Hove. We would support the development of the partnership and it embracing greater community involvement.
I have been active in Environmental campaigning for the last 20 years and have been a member of Bricycles and Friends of the Earth. I am the Outreach Officer for BPEC and have been part of the organisation for over 10 years. I am also a trustee of Brighton Permaculture Trust. As such we raise awareness of environmental issues and encourage sustainable solutions.
Chris, Jacqui and Michael will remain as the representatives for a two-year period. They will commence their roles from mid September, following a full induction on 18th September 2008.
Transition Brighton and Hove wins place on the city's Sustainability Partnership
