Alex Zychowski

Statement to voters

I am delighted to have been selected as the Libertarian Party’s candidate for Midhurst. I am a geography teacher and live near Rogate. I am standing to cut council tax - returning more of our hard-earned cash to our pockets - to protect our night skies and fix the potholes blighting our roads. There is no such thing as "public" money - only taxpayers' money. Cutting tax is the most essential service local government can provide during a cost of living crisis. I have identified savings to fund a 3% council tax reduction. All other candidates in this election are promising to ringfence or expand services. All I can promise you is your hard-earned money back. As an amateur astronomer, I appreciate the value of pristine, unpolluted skies. Unfortunately, the South Downs Dark Skies Reserve appears to exist only on paper, as increasing levels of light pollution wash out our view of the Milky Way and disturb nocturnal fauna. Light pollution does not respect boundaries. Even if lighting within the South Downs National Park is well controlled, skyglow from surrounding towns brightens the night sky across the entire region. In March this year, West Sussex County Council announced a £24 million spend on new street lighting, claiming to have considered light pollution while relying on specifications that use 4000K “cool white” LEDs — bluer than recommended for dark sky areas and operating at wavelengths known to increase skyglow. A council that is home to a Dark Sky Reserve should not be spending millions of taxpayers’ money actively undermining it. As your councillor, I will press the council to turn off unnecessary illumination and adopt lower intensity warm-colour LEDs (≤3000K) as standard for replacements. This will cut carbon emissions, save money, and protect our view of the cosmos. Fixing potholes is a basic responsibility of local government, yet our roads are neglected. The council spends time and resources on other priorities, such as interfering in the market by promoting select private businesses through business support programmes. Meanwhile others, unsupported - are offered as tribute to the taxman. I will oppose increased spending. I will prioritise road maintenance within existing budgets, ensuring the roads we rely on every day are fixed before a penny is wasted elsewhere.

Election history

Westminster general elections