Absentee Goldsmid Councillor failing residents urged to resign
(May 09)

Paul Lainchbury, the “missing” Tory councillor propping up Brighton & Hove’s Conservative administration, has been told to do the decent thing and resign from his position as councillor for Goldsmid ward.

Elisabeth Telcs, Labour and Co-operative candidate for the ward said:

“Councillor Lainchbury has, at last, stopped taking his £11,000 allowance for a job he has rarely, if ever done since being elected two years ago. However, if he is not being paid for doing the job, and isn’t representing the people of Goldsmid ward, why is he still a councillor? I am now calling on him to resign so that the people of Goldsmid can once again be represented by three councillors rather than two.”

Elisabeth also said “I have been working alongside the hard working community Councillor Melanie Davis since last June and have met many people in the ward on the doorstep and at various events. I have petitioned people in the Highdown area for our “20 is plenty” campaign, spoken to people about the new communal bins and have attended family events such as street parties.”

I will be able to give the time and commitment to working for the people of Goldsmid ward. I know the work involved in being a councillor so won’t back out like Paul Lainchbury or the former Green councillor for neighbouring Regency ward. I will be there to listen to Goldsmid residents and speak up for them in the city council.”

Elisabeth Telcs is the Labour and Co-operative candidate for Goldsmid ward. She was selected by local Party members in June 2008 when it became clear one of the Conservative councillors was not doing his job and had moved out of the city.

Elisabeth is 43 and has been a primary school teacher in Hove, Shoreham and Worthing for almost 20 years. Her grandfather was a celebrated Hungarian sculptor and her father a journalist who fled Nazi-occupied Europe in World War Two, going on to become a BBC World Service presenter.

Elisabeth is Secretary of the Sussex Co-operative Party and a member of Labour’s South East Regional Board.

Email lis@goldsmid.com.

Or find her campaign page on

Argus Coverage: Article and Letter.

Newsletter: Last year when we brought Cllr Lainchbury's absenteeism to the attention of local residents through our regular Ward Newsletter.