A local community campaigner who was at the forefront of the City’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic will be standing for Labour in the Chichester North by-election to be held on 4 November.

Philip Wilson who has lived in the city for a number of years had set up the Chichester Covid-19 Mutual Aid group in the absence of any immediate response by local authorities.

Phil Wilson said, “The pandemic has been a challenge for us all. We have seen sacrifice and loss, but we have also seen our community come together to support those most vulnerable and in need. My faith in our ability to achieve more together has been reaffirmed by the response when I set up the Chichester Covid-19 Mutual Support group, I did not expect the thousands of people to come together and offer their time and support to each other at the height of the pandemic.”

Phil has also been at the forefront of organising events to mark COP26 in Chichester, calling on world leaders gathering in Glasgow to take radical action required to prevent the worst excesses of climate change.

Phil continued to say, “We are fast running out of time to take the action necessary to ensure our city reaches zero emissions and avert the worse effects of climate change. We need to take deeper and faster action to create the infrastructure needed but also to realise the opportunities there are in bringing new green industries and creating the jobs of the future to the city.”

Working locally in education, Phil is committed to public service. While the powers of the city council are limited, Phil is a firm believer in putting labour values into practice, reshaping our city to empower every resident, ensuring opportunity for all and creating a strengthened community where we all live together in a spirit of solidarity, tolerance and respect.

He concluded by saying “emerging from the pandemic, now is the time to reflect on what we want our city to look like into the future and consider new approaches so that we can tackle the issues that face us, we need fresh ideas and new faces to represent our city so that we create a strengthened community in which no one is left behind.”