Green candidate Mark Strong won a resounding victory in the Queen’s Park ward by-election with a 337-vote majority.
The by-election was the third held in Queen’s Park since the last Brighton and Hove City Council elections May 2023.
Back then it was a Labour clean sweep but now the Greens hold both seats with newly elected Councillor Strong joining Marina Lademacher.
Following his victory, Councillor Strong said: “I’m so grateful to the majority of people in Queen’s Park who are trusting me to be their voice and to stand up for what matters.
“It’s clear they’re fed up with being let down by Labour, especially to being abandoned by councillors.
“This summer has shown us our future if nothing changes – climate crisis, hate on our streets, oppression of trans people.
“In the words of The Levellers, based in Queen’s Park, ‘what a beautiful day, nothing is impossible in our all-powerful minds.'”
The Green opposition leader, Councillor Steve Davis, said that since May 2023 the party had gone from “the Magnificent Seven to the Dirty Dozen”.
The Queen’s Park by-election follows the resignation of Milla Gauge who was elected in a by-election in May 2024.
Result
Mark Strong (Green) 1,139
Steve Gladwin (Labour) 802
John Shepherd (Reform UK) 160
Stefan Speckesser (Conservative) 97
Rüdiger Rodrigo Dikty-Daudiyan (Liberal Democrat) 74
Nine ballot papers were rejected
Turnout 33.36 per cent
Votes cast 2,281
Electorate 6,837
One vote adjudicated for the Conservatives included a collage of unrelated newspaper extracts on the back.
There were also votes written in for “none of the above” and Restore.
In 2023, when the entire council was up for election, Queen’s Park returned two Labour councillors.
Tristram Burden Labour 1,822
Chandni Mistry Labour 1,702
Clare Rainey* Green 856
Mark Strong Green 682
Adrian Hart Brighton and Hove Independents 467
Martin Kenig Conservative 266
Thomas Osborne Liberal Democrats 163
* Sitting councillor
The first by-election in May 2024 followed Chandni Mistry’s resignation following her expulsion from Labour amid revelations she did not live in the city.
Former Labour councillor Milla Gauge won the by-election and her resignation has resulted in the latest poll.
Milla Gauge Labour 1,241
Luke Walker Green 766
Adrian Hart Brighton and Hove Independents 449
Sunny Choudhury Conservative 168
Dominique Hall Liberal Democrats67
The second by-election followed the resignation of Labour councillor Tristram Burden, whose new role as a local authority inspector for the Care Quality Commission created a conflict of interest.
The election resulted in a Green gain from Labour
Marina Lademacher Green 1,133
Simon Charleton Labour 729
John Shepherd ReformUK 237
Rüdi Dikty-Daudiyan Liberal Democrats 98
Sunny Choudhury Conservative 82
Adrian Hart Independent 64
Vote share October 2026
Parliamentary style Brighton and Hove City Council make up
Changing seats since 2023 as of September 2026
The best result is seeing that people are realising that Reform PLC are just a bunch of chancers and disaffected Tories who only stand for division, hate, cuts and lining their own pockets.
I’m really happy to see the halving of Reform PLC voters this time around. They never had a chance in Brighton. You’d think the constant counterprotests highlighted everyone’s preference against their particular brand of bigotry and evil.
God help us if the clueless Greens end up running Brighton Council again nect year with their past track record. Not that Labour have been any better!
Of the 33% who voted, the former Labour stronghold of Queens Park went for a watermelon Green because they wanted to make a point. A somewhat pathetic point considering how appalling the Greens were under Flying MacCaffertey, but a point nonetheless.
I am not a fan of the Greens but would have thought you would prefer that to the red route!
Oh and let’s not forget that the Greens couldn’t have saddled us with the massive i360 debt without the Tories voting for it as well. A case of selective memory Tracy?
glad to see you reported the minor details of “nine ballot papers were rejected” and “One vote adjudicated for the Conservatives included a collage of unrelated newspaper extracts on the back.”
Good God Brighton ,what are you doing? I’m not talking about the 67% who didn’t bother…..
Has some amnesia drug been added to our water supply that QP ward voters have forgotten how bad the Greens were last time round? If this was a protest vote, it be like ‘Do you want Communism or Communism with a Green coat on?’
I. Can’t beleive anybody in Brighton would vote Green after the chaos and debt they left us all with after their last stint in power.
Bezt of luck Brighton!!