Six candidates are standing in a by-election in Queen’s Park for a seat on Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) on Thursday 18 September 2025.
The seat became vacant when Labour councillor Tristram Burden resigned, citing a conflict of interest in his new job as a local authority inspector at the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The candidates are Simon Charleton (Labour), Sunny Choudhury (Conservative), Rudi Dikty-Daudiyan (Liberal Democrat), Adrian Hart (Independent), Marina Lademacher (Green) and John Shepherd (Reform UK).
Each candidate has answered questions about local issues and why electors should vote for them.
Here are the responses from Reform UK candidate John Shepherd, 64, a journalist who lived in Queen’s Park until the ward boundary changed in 2023 and now lives in Kemptown ward, albeit in the same home.
Why do you want to be a councillor?
I want to be a force for good, root out wasteful spending and restore residents’ faith by changing politics for good after years of political mismanagement in our city – most recently by Labour and Green administrations.
As it is, the council overlooks the real needs of residents in favour of pursuing political ideologies and vanity projects which do nothing to enhance the lives of the good people of Brighton and Hove.
As a Reform councillor, I will challenge the status quo and put the needs of our community back at the heart of local government.
Why do you want to stand in this ward?
Queen’s Park needs a councillor that represents residents’ views and not someone who will quit after just a couple of years in the job – unlike the previous TWO Labour councillors!
I have been out meeting residents and heard how everyone is fed up with the way that Queen’s Park has been neglected by Labour and the Greens before them. Many residents have told me they are desperate for change. They are ready to entrust me with their vote and I am ready to serve.
What are the key issues specific to this ward?
I’ve already been hearing concerns over litter, anti-social behaviour, escalating housing problems and tremendous difficulties in getting in touch with the council for help.
I am disgusted that Labour councillors continue to prioritise spending for net zero and other political projects instead of addressing the needs of this community, its schools, families and the elderly.
Residents now face even higher council tax bills because of Labour’s maladministration.
It’s time to help residents fight back by electing me as their Reform champion on the council.
The number of primary and secondary age children is falling, resulting in a growing number of empty places and reduced funding for schools. What should the council do?
A report to Brighton and Hove City Council’s Schools Forum in June showed a deficit of nearly £3 million at the end of 2024-25.
But our Labour-led council is shedding crocodile tears on funding because it is the Labour government in Westminster that has piled on the financial pressure for school and council budgets with decisions such as the rise in national insurance.
Meanwhile, money is found for the council to run around the city removing St George’s flags. It’s time Labour in Brighton is shamed into getting its priorities right.
Brighton and Hove has a housing crisis. Where should new homes be built?
I’ve already told campaigners I will work with them on this urgent issue. In my view, council-owned land is ultimately owned by residents of Brighton and Hove – and that should be prioritised for affordable local housing.
However, I am also open to hearing about innovative ideas that can regenerate our city while also boosting social housing as a priority.
Local government is being restructured in Sussex. New councils will be expected to serve a population of at least 300,000 and possibly 500,000. Brighton and Hove has a population of about 280,000. Should Brighton and Hove expand to the east, west or both?
Reform does not support the expansion proposals. We support the residents and businesses of Peacehaven, Telscombe Cliffs and East Saltdean who oppose this land grab by Labour.
Who should be the first directly elected mayor of Sussex and why?
I see the Labour council leader in Brighton and Hove is already lobbying government on voting procedures for the mayoral election. Presumably, she fears another Reform UK victory!
I would work to ensure the election of a Reform UK mayor – and point residents to the achievements of my party’s recently elected mayors in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire.
…
Polling day is on Thursday 18 September, with polling stations due to be open from 7am to 10pm.
The polling stations are at
- Craven Vale Resource Centre, Craven Road
- St Luke’s Church, Queen’s Park Road
- Barnard Community Centre, St John’s Mount, Mount Pleasant
- Millwood Community Centre, Nelson Row, Carlton Hill
To vote in person at a polling station, electors must bring photo identification (ID).
John parrots typical attack lines to invoke emotional resonance with protest voters, but ultimately falls short in detail, constructive solutions, or broad appeal outside Reform’s core, and comes across as forgettable. Not to mention the local party’s poor reported track record regarding tolerance.
“I see the Labour council leader in Brighton and Hove is already lobbying government on voting procedures for the mayoral election.”
What lobbying?
The Government is changing the voting system back to the supplementary vote for Mayoral elections after the Tories changed it to First Past the Post despite making it the supplementary vote in the first place!
Labour opposed that change when the Tories changed the law so are actually going back to the original system.
I would work to ensure the election of a Reform UK mayor – and point residents to the achievements of my party’s recently elected mayors in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire.
What achievements would those be?
The Hull & East Yorkshire repudiating Reforms policy on green energy / jobs or the singing talents of their Mayor of Lincolnshire?
He would get my vote!
Better than those other idiots who have messed up the country
How many times? Flags are removed from places they aren’t allowed to be flown from. Claiming that the council are just going about taking down St. George’s flags for some sort of ideological reasons is exactly the sort of demonstrably untrue claptrap we should expect from Reform.
And if you want to point residents to the achievements of the mayors in Lincolnshire and Hull & East Yorkshire, why not also point them in the direction of the recently closed Vivergo plant in Saltend? The same plant where workers were promised by Luke Campbell that he would work tirelessly to ensure that government support would be offered and the plant would remain open, only to then decide that he wasn’t going to be bother as the possible conditions of keeping it open would conflict with Reform’s refusal to engage in any sort of net zero activity.
You are a good man John, but you have made a serious error of judgement as a gay man by joining a party of racist, right wing, homophobic bigots such as Reform. They may spout what “people want” but it won’t happen! You would have gained far more interest if you’d been an independent candidate. I’m not a “loony left” person. I’m just utterly dismayed at your decision to follow a party with such dreadful policies!
John Shepherd claims other parties put ‘political ideologies’ first but don’t Reform UK also have political ideologies they are pushing – eg racism including Islamophobia, bigotry including transphobia and nationalist xenophobia? Shepherd may or may not share these prejudices personally but he is happy to stand for a party funded by racist millionaires and billionaires where such prejudices are institutionalised in order to sow division and hatred among working class people.
And some people would say that to be in that party is to accept those ideologies, even if one doesn’t share those views internally.
This is a far right party. You can’t get away from that. It is a fact. There is no place for the far right here.