Voting is under way in the Goldsmid by-election today (Thursday 25 June) for a seat on Brighton and Hove City Council.
Six candidates are standing in the contest which follows the resignation of former mayor Jackie O’Quinn.
They are Nadia Barton Ahmad (Green), Philip Berman (Labour), Louis Bird (Conservative), Glenn Kelly (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition), Kim Leyland-Walker (Liberal Democrat) and Luke Willmoth (Reform UK).
Polling stations are at the Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue, in Lansdowne Road, St Luke’s Prestonville, All Saints Church Hall, in Eaton Road, Hove Rugby Club Pavilion, at Hove Recreation Ground (Hove Rec), in Shirley Drive, and Vallance Community Centre, Conway Court, Sackville Road.
The by-election is regarded as a contest between Labour, who won the seat in 2023, and the Greens – and both parties have held seats in the ward in recent elections.
Labour currently has 33 councillors out of the 54. The Greens have 10. There are five Conservatives, three Independents and two Brighton and Hove Independents plus the vacancy in Goldsmid ward.
At the most recent local elections in May 2023, Labour won 38 seats, giving a party a majority for the first time in more than 20 years.
The Greens came second with seven seats, having been the largest party going into the elections. The Conservatives won six seats. The Brighton and Hove Independents won two seats and there was one Independent.
The count is due to take place at Hove Town Hall tomorrow.
This was the result in May 2023 …
Goldsmid (3 seats)
Birgit Miller (Labour) 2,426 – elected
*Jackie O’Quinn (Labour)2,421 – elected
Trevor Muten (Labour) 2,261 – elected
Rebecca Duffy (Green) 1,369
Ollie Sykes (Green) 1,211
Alexander Sallons (Green) 1,085
Edward De Souza (Conservative) 498
Linda Elisha (Brighton and Hove Independents) 490
David Lewis (Conservative) 481
Mark Long (Conservative) 456
Andrew England (Liberal Democrat) 350
Paul Chandler (Liberal Democrat) 342
Owen Sharp (Liberal Democrat) 274
Ballot papers rejected 15
Votes cast 13,664
Turnout 44.11 per cent
* sitting councillor
A Local Government Boundary Commission review in 2021 said that the ward had 11,003 electors and that by 2027 the number was forecast to 13,828.
