Where to find help
Constituents living in Brighton Pavilion contact me every day seeking help with personal issues such as housing, planning, visas, benefits support, council services, school admissions and repairs.
I will always do by best to support you directly but the information below may be helpful to put you in touch with those most responsible and specialist services who can offer advice and assistance.
Your local council and councillors
As your elected representatives on the council, your ward councillors are also well placed to help with issues related to council services, council tax and repairs, and can take cases rapidly and directly to council services. https://democracy.brighton-hove.gov.uk/mgFindMember.aspx
If you have experienced serious problems with a council service and contact me as your MP, my advice may be to submit a formal complaint, and you may want to start that process straight away. Here’s where to find details of the council’s complaint’s procedure: https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/feedback-about-council-services/how-make-complaint
Help with housing
If you have an urgent housing issue, you may wish to seek specialist legal housing advice. The following organisations may be able to help:
LawStop is a firm of solicitors with a local office, and a team of housing specialists:https://www.lawstop.co.uk/housing/.
BHT Sussex (formerly Brighton Housing Trust) is a good local organisation that offers housing and legal advice: https://www.bht.org.uk/services/legal-advice/brighton-advice-centre/.
Shelter’s website has useful housing rights information and an advice line: https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/homelessness.
For leaseholders, the Brighton Leaseholders Association is a valuable local group of leaseholders and experts you can meet up with: https://www.leaseadvice.org/brighton-drop-in
Planning applications
If your problem is about a local planning application, it is most likely something your local councillors are best placed to help with. Although I have a real interest in these issues, my capacity to help in detail is limited, so I will generally only take up planning application cases where an issue affects a wider area or key local community assets.
Find your councillors: https://democracy.brighton-hove.gov.uk/mgFindMember.aspx
Benefits advice and money problems
Citizen’s Advice Brighton and Hove: Get online help to claim Universal Credit from Citizens Advice: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/claiming/helptoclaim/
Or contact an adviser through their free Help to Claim phone service. England: 0800 144 8 444 – open 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.
St Luke’s Advice Service is a registered charity, providing free welfare benefit and debt advice to people in need across the city of Brighton and Hove. https://www.stlukesadviceservice.org.uk/
Cost of Living support from Age UK West Sussex and Brighton & Hove: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/westsussexbrightonhove/our-services/cost-of-living-support-2e333986-1569-ee11-a81c-000d3a2649ae/
Age UK also has an advice line for support with services and benefits: 08000 191310
They also host Silver Line’s 24 hour phone service for over 70s for information, friendship and support: 0800 470 8090.
Issues with visas and immigration
The Brighton & Hove City of Sanctuary website has a directory of local organisations offering support, professional advice and many other services to refugees and people seeking asylum: https://brighton-and-hove.cityofsanctuary.org
Health, support and care services
The Carers Centre for Brighton & Hove is our city’s local, life-changing carers charity providing family carers with emotional support, advice and a well-deserved break from their caring role: https://www.thecarerscentre.org
Healthwatch Brighton & Hove is part of a national network of organisations that help you get the care you’re entitled to from the NHS, and make sure you have your say if anything goes wrong. They also have a range of advice for NHS users and anyone wanting to stay well: https://www.healthwatchbrightonandhove.co.uk/advice-and-information
The National Domestic Abuse Helpline operates free, 24 hours a day on 0808 2000 247. Get support, advice and details of refuges and services in the local area. In an emergency always call 999: https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/Contact-us
Switchboard in Brighton and Hove has a LGBTQ+ helpline open 7.00 to 9:30 pm Mondays to Thursday, to provide support as well as information about LGBTQ+ services in our area. 01273 204050. Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard https://www.switchboard.org.uk/
You can always access Samaritans if you are concerned about your mental health and wellbeing. Whatever you’re going through, you can call Samaritans 24 hours a day, 365 days a year FREE on 116 123.
Public transport
Transport Focus represents the interests of road, rail and bus users and has useful advice about how to make and escalate complaints about these services: https://www.transportfocus.org.uk/transport-user-advice/