Enjoyed speaking at the Federation of Small Businesses hustings - it feels like the Green Party has lots to offer them.

According to the latest figures I've seen, there are 10,045 business units in Brighton and Hove, and of these, fully 10,000 are SMEs - small or medium sized enterprises - and the vast number of these are actually very small - around 8000 of them have fewer than 10 employees.

And it's those small local independent businesses which make Brighton the unique city it is - whether it's the diversity of traders in the North Laine and the Lanes, whether it's the digital and media businesses, which continue to grow, or whether it's the beginnings of a new Green hub of businesses which I would love to see expand here.

The Green Party would reduce corporation tax for small firms, which would help them face competition from large retailers and companies.

We've been in the forefront of the campaigns against yet more Tescos springing up - eg on the Lewes and London Roads - and we'd work to change monopoly laws so there would be a maximum market share which large companies couldn't exceed.

We want to see more affordable spaces to rent - there's a real problem in the city with insufficient affordable space for small and expanding businesses.

New England House offers a really important space - it's not very beautiful, and it needs greening, but I absolutely support the idea of a not-for-profit trust running it, refurbishing it, and making it more energy efficient, while keeping rents affordable.

But we need to be thinking more imaginatively about space too.  

For example, Preston Park barracks is potentially a key space for small businesses - and we can't afford thorough redevelopment, but let's at least get some temporary container buildings on the site.

I know that Green councillors proposed that the Council do an audit of its empty buildings in the city to see if any of those could be used - sadly other parties didn't support it.

But Greens have been in the forefront of trying to keep other rents low - for example for the seafront traders, with Green councillors alongside members of Seafront Business Association presenting a petition to Council Leader Mary Mears calling for an urgent review of seafront rents.

Small businesses are the life-blood of the city, and if I'm fortunate enough to become the MP for Brighton Pavilion, I'll fight hard to protect and promote them in Brighton.