Blur drummer Dave Rowntree is hoping to turn a Sussex constituency red for the first time. The musician, 60, is one of the founding members of the Britpop band and hopes to be the latest celebrity to win a seat at Westminster. He is standing for Mid Sussex, a seat which covers the Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath, Hassocks and Hurstpierpoint areas.
"Pretty much every door I've knocked, the first thing people have talked about is housing and it's the issue I'm standing on," Dave said. "The issue here isn't primarily a lack of housing - even affordable housing isn't the primary issue. Dave Rowntree (Image: Sussex News and Pictures) "The issue is throwing up estates and houses left, right and centre without building the stuff necessary to make a community out of those houses.
"That's my thing, building communities - not just houses. The communities bit is the hard bit. "It involves creativity and vision and bear daring and taking risks and it's not being done here.
"I've not seen Nimbyism, everybody knows their children and grandchildren need somewhere to live, preferably affordable. "Whether all of the places that are being chosen are the right places is questionable. "You need to have the right houses in the right places.
"Hassocks and Hurst joining up with Burgess Hill. "If we don't plan it, we'll end up with a third town in Mid Sussex by default. "Why should developers get to take the profit and everybody else pay the cost? "Keir Starmer is committed to rebuilding the planning s.
