Councillor Godfrey Daniel

My politics

I'm very grateful to the good people of Braybrooke & Castle for electing me every four years since 1997. I retired from being a Hastings Borough Councillor for Braybrooke in 2014 after 20 years, but continue to sit on the County Council.

Improving standards of education is very important to me. It is wonderful to see the new Further Education College (now East Sussex College Hastings) at Station Plaza and in Parker Road, thanks to the last Labour Government's investment and faith in Hastings. The loss of Brighton University from the town centre was sad and I hope that we will continue finding ways to expand degree level courses in Hastings.  I welcome the investment in the Hastings and St Leonards’ Academies. Things are improving in Hastings and I'm keen to continue that. My area is one of the poorest in Sussex, and the Castle part of my division has the second highest rate of unemployment in Sussex. I'll be tackling these issues by helping to stimulate regeneration in Hastings, campaigning for improved community safety and trying to lower the level of crime. I will always try to help those who need help.

My community

I moved to Hastings in 1984. I have always been interested in local politics so, after I took early retirement from working in local government, I decided to devote my time to improving the area where I live.  Hastings is a friendly and interesting town with great green spaces. On the whole, its people are diverse and warm, and I enjoy living close to the sea.  The major concerns in my division are crime and the fear of crime, poor housing standards and the high rate of unemployment. The poor standards of education in several of the schools in Hastings has also been of real concern.

I am particularly proud to have led the campaign to improve our town centre library and I am very proud of what we have achieved in these difficult times and I am particular pleased to see the new children’s library flourish.   I have supported the Bexhill/Hastings link road which is improving the quality of life for so many living on the A259 in our town and I look forward to the day when the Queensway link road is operative.

The best thing about a political career is seeing families' and individuals' lives improve. It's very rewarding achieving things for both individuals and the community in general. I am particularly proud of the investment in Alexandra Park and of overseeing that project as a Borough Councillor. As a Councillor, I like seeing the physical things improve like working road signs, lampposts, gullies, road markings – these things might seem small but they really make a difference to people's lives. It's also rewarding when you achieve something like ensuring a landlord does up his or her property, so it isn't in a state of disrepair for the tenants.