The Greens have won the Goldsmid by-election for a seat on Brighton and Hove City Council.
The seat was won by Nadia Barton Ahmad with 2,037 votes, 680 more than the second-placed candidate Philip Berman who stood for Labour.
Six candidates contested the by-election which followed the resignation of former mayor Jackie O’Quinn. She was elected as a Labour candidate but resigned from the party in February and stood down from the council in May after 11 years.
The results were
Nadia Barton Ahmad (Green) 2,037 votes – elected
Philip Berman (Labour) 1,357
Luke Willmoth (Reform UK) 304
Kim Leyland-Walker (Liberal Democrat) 214
Louis Bird (Conservative) 210
Glenn Kelly (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) 31
The total number of votes cast was 4,156. The ward has an electorate of 11,596. The turnout was 35.84 per cent.
The Greens now have 11 out of the 54 seats on the council. Labour remains the largest party with 33 seats. The Conservatives have five seats, there are three Independents and two Brighton and Hove Independents.
Councillor Barton Ahmad, a community campaigner and chair of the Friends of Dyke Road Park, becomes the youngest member of the council.
She said: “Today, the people of Goldsmid have placed their trust in me and I am deeply grateful and humbled to have been elected as their Green councillor.
“Throughout this campaign, I have listened to residents from every corner of Goldsmid. People spoke about the pressures they are facing from the rising cost of living and poor housing conditions to concerns about local services and the state of our streets.
“Others spoke about uncertainty, instability and a growing sense that too many people are being left behind. These conversations have stayed with me and will shape my work as a councillor.
“They are also a reminder that politics matters because people’s lives matter.
“As your councillor, I will work tirelessly to ensure that voices are heard and concerns are acted upon.
“I’ll fight for safe and affordable homes, properly funded public services, thriving green spaces and a community where everyone feels they belong and no one is left behind.”
The Green opposition leader on Brighton and Hove City Council, Councillor Steve Davis, said: “This result shows that our vision and Nadia’s vision for our city is one shared by residents in Goldsmid.
“It’s also clear that people here know that Labour isn’t working for Brighton and Hove and that different shades of red at the top won’t change that.
“In Nadia, people are getting an absolute dynamite local advocate who will run through walls to stand up for them.
“As someone who understands the challenges to the young people in our city – from spiralling rents to gig economy jobs to the climate breakdown – she brings fresh and experienced eyes to the issues that blight our future generations.
“Ultimately, Labour has a choice over the next 10 months: bury their heads in the sand as their party keeps forcing cuts, complicity and scandals on Goldsmid and our city or face the prospect of a sweep of Green councillors like Nadia at the local elections next year offering a fresh start for Brighton and Hove with the Green Party.”
Well done to Nadia.
This is really excellent news. The Friends of Dyke Road Park have been making real improvements to the area, and I’m sure she will bring the same energy and enthusiasm to the role of Councillor.
“…forcing cuts, complicity and scandals on Goldsmid and our city …”. Of course, lets not talk about the safeguarding scandal in our schools and the classroom to clinic pipeline that the Greens set in motion. https://www.spiked-online.com/2026/06/24/the-brighton-clinic-that-defied-the-puberty-blockers-ban/
Oh just keep quiet
Adrian, it’s odd this is all coming out at the same time as the grooming gangs scandal, which has been suppressed by so many politicians including Starmer himself, but will shortly be coming back with a vengeance along with more Epstein files disclosures on the British side of the operation. There are multiple parallels. Grooming is grooming if an underage child is being brainwashed by adults and told to keep secret what is happening from their parents. Take away the age of consent for hormones and radical surgery and the age of consent is removed for everything else. PIE lives but in cleverer form. The Greens would do well to take a stand on child protection from adult grooming of all kinds, particularly if they stand against the horrors of ‘conversion therapy’ for gay people.
Speaking of which, this might interest you James – came out yesterday. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-pushes-forward-with-conversion-practices-ban-to-protect-lgbt-people-from-abuse
Thanks for this up to date prompt report from Frank
Have the good people of Goldsmid forgotten Phelim McCafferty’s disastrous reign over Brighton and Hove so soon? What do the Greens stand for? Labour have stolen their environmental policies and made them their own.
Scientists call it ‘the Muten Effect’
Happy with that.
Turnout better than most local govt byelections, still meaning nearly two thirds didn’t bother.
Looks again like the Greens ,as usual, were good at getting their supporters to vote, and the typical lack of interest from the other two-thirds who didn’t even bother to vote.
Good thing is that with Labour having such a large majority, the cluelessly arrogant Greens can continue to be ignored as far a policy decisions are concerned.
My what short memories people have.
That is hilarious. With this swing, they should consider lucky if they manage to keep 10 seats next may. I heard they have two other huge, very strong candidates running for this ward. It will be a wipe out. Maybe they should do what their national colleagues did and seek a new leader? Just a thought.
Red Clown or Green Clown. They don’t hve much imagination in this ward, do they? The sweet spot of this by-election was imagining Bella’s poor little disbelieving face crumpling at the results. A long lie down in a darkened room needed for the rest of the day. The wider picture is that Labour is looking at rebellion in their Hove heartland safe seats which does not bode well for May 2027. Queen Caroline will be jumping out at people with leaflets from every lamp post between now and then, mark my words. She’s still allegedly got a nice little earner going with University of Sussex and all their young voters too.