Several family political lineages have emerged in Brighton and Hove across generations. Stanley Theobald was followed in office by his son Geoffrey, while Les Hamilton Senior passed the torch to his son Les Junior. Similarly, Stan Fitch was succeeded by his son Brian. Richard Polling, Stan’s father-in-law, served as a councillor during the 1930s. Vicky Wakefield-Jarrett holds the distinction of having both her parents, Rob Jarrett and Liz Wakefield, subsequently serve on the city council after her.

Multiple married couples have also served concurrently on the council: Herbert and Poppy Nettleton, Anne and Ken Norman, Geoffrey and Carole Theobald, Tom and Alex Druit/Phillips, Jim and Audrey Buttimer, Rob and Liz Jarrett/Wakefield, and Jean and Andy Calder/Winter. In my view, the most successful political partnership was Jeane and David Lepper.

The Greens made a critical error by dismissing the Lepper Machine’s strength. When they were anticipating a landslide victory in 2011, they felt certain of securing all three positions in the Hollingdean and Stanmer ward. While this outcome would have been likely against most opponents, the Leppers proved different. Jeane successfully defended her seat.

David entered elected office first, winning a by-election in the Lewes Road ward in 1979. By 1986, when Labour achieved its first-ever control of the borough council, David was leading the Labour Group as a schoolteacher at Falmer School. He subsequently became the council’s inaugural Labour leader. Two particular strengths distinguished him: his capacity to keep Labour members unified, a feat his successors struggled to achieve, and his remarkably rigorous approach to work. In his ward role, he addressed all constituent matters on the day they were raised. On numerous mornings when I arrived early at the Town Hall before work, the support secretary would be actively recording messages David had left on the answerphone, subsequently forwarding them to appropriate council staff for handling.

One domain where David initially fell short involved neckwear. Recently, I spent time with David and Jeane at my daughter’s wedding, and we reminisced about his early television interview, for which he owned no tie. He ended up borrowing one from my workplace—I’d been employed at St Dunstan’s, the residential facility for blind veterans, where tie-wearing was required. At the 1986 mayor-making ceremony, while many Conservative members wore their formal robes, David and I were the sole male councillors without ties. This proved unacceptable to one Conservative member, Alfred Feld, who complained to The Argus about our alleged decline in standards. He was photographed alongside several of his fifty suits.

David served as Mayor of Brighton during 1993/94 and later became the inaugural, and thus far sole, Labour Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion, holding the position from 1997 until his retirement in 2010.

Jeane initially secured election in 1989 as an East Sussex County Councillor, prior to Brighton and Hove’s formation as a Unitary Authority. She and David later joined the new Brighton and Hove City Council in 1995. Jeane held the mayoral office for Brighton and Hove in 2003/04. Upon her departure from the council in 2015, having never suffered electoral defeat, she was appointed an Honorary Alderman of the City in acknowledgment of her notable and extended service.

Many Greens harbored reservations about Jeane, and the sentiment was reciprocated. She offers forthright critique of numerous Greens’ performance as ward representatives. Her own work ethic provides justification for such criticism. Not a single household in her ward remained unvisited by her, and borrowing phrasing from another former Labour councillor, every resident knows someone who has received assistance from Jeane Lepper. Numerous individuals had directly benefited from Jeane’s support.

Jeane retains her passion for public service and dedication to the Labour Party. I am aware that certain columns of mine disappoint her, particularly those addressing Keir Starmer, yet our friendship persists, and we remain on their Christmas card list—unlike many Greens! Hopefully, both recognize the high regard in which they are held. The Labour Party’s electoral prospects would strengthen with more candidates, councillors, and MPs possessing qualities similar to Jeane and David Lepper.

Andy Winter is a former councillor who spent four decades employed in social care and homelessness services.