Tories and Labour pick Hove by-election candidates

Labour and the Conservatives have chosen their candidates to fight a by-election in Hove next month.

The Tories have picked a former senior police officer to try to hold the Westbourne seat on Brighton and Hove City Council.

Chief Superintendent Graham Cox, 50, who lives in Hove, held a number of senior positions including head of CID for Sussex Police.

Labour has chosen Nigel Jenner, 54, who previously worked as youth services manager for Brighton and Hove City Council.

He contested Goldsmid for Labour at the local elections in May.

The Greens expect to have their candidate in place by the end of the week.

Paul Perrin, a businessman from Ovingdean, will stand for the UK Independence Party (UKIP). He contested the parliamentary seat of Hove at the general election last year and Rottingdean Coastal in the local elections in May this year.

The Westbourne ward seat fell vacant with the resignation last week of former Conservative council leader Brian Oxley, 52.

The long-serving councillor stood down for personal reasons. He is moving to Derby to be near his elderly widowed father.

The by-election will be held on Thursday 22 December.