Around 50 local members and friends packed Robertsbridge Village Hall for our AGM

Around 50 local members and friends packed Robertsbridge Village Hall for our AGM, followed by an excellent lunch and then an inspiring address by LibDem candidate for the Sussex mayoral election, Ben Dempsey. Ben has spent most of his life in Sussex and has a PhD in nature conservation. He currently works for the World Wildlife Fund, and his previous work with humanitarian organisations has taken him to a number of conflict zones, including Gaza. His wife is an NHS doctor.

Ben gave a forceful and positive presentation on the importance of the mayor's role and set out his exciting plans. With 5 Sussex MPs and more District and Borough Councillors than any other party, a recent YouGov poll confirmed the contest will be between LibDems and Reform.

In December, as many of you will know, the Government decided to delay the first Sussex mayoral election until 2028, which has been extremely frustrating and disappointing for the mayoral campaign team. The campaign had got off to a great start and it looked like it would be a direct Lib Dem versus Reform battle, one we had a great chance of winning.

In the light of the delay our candidate Ben Dempsey has decided to step away from the campaign and I would like to thank him for all his hard work towards achieving a Liberal Democrat Mayor for Sussex and Brighton.

A message from Ben 

I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone across Sussex who has been so supportive during the campaign for Mayor. I have been amazed by the energy, enthusiasm and generosity of Lib Dems across the county, and it has been a real privilege to meet so many people who work so hard for our communities. With the two-year delay to the mayoral election I have had to take the difficult decision to step down as your candidate. I am very sorry that I won't be continuing, but I will carry on working for the liberal, tolerant, green future that we all want to see. Having seen the quality of our teams across Sussex I am more confident than ever that we can win the mayoral election when it comes. Thank you again and very best wishes. Ben.