Greens hit by-election campaign trail before polling date even announced

The Greens appear to have been first out of the blocks with a by-election pending in a council ward in Hove.

Party members were out leafleting in Goldsmid ward after the former mayor of Brighton and Hove, Jackie O’Quinn, announced her resignation.

Councillor O’Quinn was first elected in 2015 and held the seat at three successive elections, making her one of the longest-serving members of Brighton and Hove City Council.

But in February, she resigned from Labour and sat as an Independent – and yesterday (Friday 1 May) she said that she would be stepping down from her role as a councillor.

The last time a by-election was held in Goldsmid ward, in July 2009, the seat was won by Green candidate Alex Phillips who was 23 years old at the time.

Ten years later she became the youngest ever mayor of Brighton and Hove before stepping down as a councillor at the last local elections in 2023 after 14 years.

Her by-election win helped build the momentum that led the party to victory at the next local elections in 2011 when Brighton and Hove become the first green-run council in the country.

Last night, the Brighton and Hove Green Party said that it was aiming to win the Goldsmid by-election – whenever it is held, adding: “We will be selecting our candidate imminently.

“We are hitting the ground running, with our first canvassing session of the campaign taking place this evening.

“Following the overwhelming Green victory in Queen’s Park – the city’s most recent by-election – with a huge swing from Labour, we’re going into Goldsmid with real momentum behind us.

“What we’ve been hearing from residents across the city is that they feel betrayed by a Labour government that has consistently failed to offer the principled leadership this moment demands.

“After years of disappointment from Labour, both locally and nationally, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: people in Brighton and Hove – and across the country – are crying out for change.

“More and more people are turning to the Green Party because they want politicians who won’t shy away from confronting the crises facing the country and back real solutions – like taxing extreme wealth fairly to fund public services and tackle the inequality crisis.

“Across the city, Green councillors are working tirelessly for local people, standing up for local people and delivering real action on the issues that matter most.

“Residents in Goldsmid deserve a councillor who will stand up to Starmer’s Labour and will fight for residents every single day.

“We’ll have more to say soon about our candidate and campaign but one thing is certain: we’re going into this election ready to win.”