The Greens have won the Brunswick and Adelaide by-election for a seat on Brighton and Hove City Council.
Ollie Sykes, who held the seat for eight years before stepping down in 2019, won the seat back from Labour.
The by-election was called when Labour councillor Jilly Stevens stood down because of ill health.
Councillor Sykes said that he looked forward to holding the Labour-run council to account and to being an accessible and responsible ward councillor.
His victory was announced at Portslade Sports Centre at about 6.20am today (Friday 5 July) in front of scores of cheering Greens.
Councillor Sykes joked: “I can’t believe you’re all still here! This isn’t the biggest bit of political news today but it’s a fantastic result for Brighton and Hove Greens.
“I enjoyed being a councillor before in Brunswick and Adelaide and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in again.
“It’s a fantastic part of our great city. I’m looking forward to holding the Labour majority council to account.”
He added: “I want to be an accessible and responsive ward councillor to be there for the residents of Brunswick and Adelaide.”
The votes cast were as follows.
Ollie Sykes (Green) 2,193 – elected
Alice Burton (Labour) 1,873
Chris Woodley (Brighton and Hove Independent) 588
Claire Lachlan (Liberal Democrat) 389
Jamie Gillespie (Independent) 98
Ninety ballot papers were rejected. Turnout was 65.14 per cent, with 5,231 electors voting, down from 69.7 per cent in May last year when 5,544 voted.
The result at the May 2023 local elections was as follows.
Jilly Stevens (Labour) 1,141 – elected
Andrei Czolak (Labour) 1,047 – elected
* Hannah Allbrooke (Green) 1,041
* Phélim Mac Cafferty (Green) 901
Chris Woodley (Brighton and Hove Independent) 550
Dave Hall (Independent) 266
Richard Latham (Conservative) 203
Keith Sharp (Conservative) 162
Claire Lachlan (Liberal Democrat) 154
David Maples (Trade Union and Socialist Coalition) 79
(* Denotes sitting councillor)
I feel that this was one of the more competitive elections, and a by-election at that. Regarding the MP seats, they were pretty clear-cut.
Welcome back, Ollie!
Another defeat to Burton.
The green party ruined brighton when in charge, just look at the state of the overgrown weeds and pot holes everywhere. Anyone who voted for them needs a sanity test.
It was actually the previous Labour administration who introduced the ban on glyphosate without an alternative plan in place, this was just before they collapsed and the Greens were forced to take over. Labour have also ran the council for 7 of the last 10 years so if you don’t like the state of things you should probably start with them.
He didn’t win by much though so Harley a ringing endorsement. Hold to account good one, now his lot are gone much of the cities roads are now being fixed…
The Labour candidate was also invisible. She didn’t seem to try very hard to take the ward and Ollie was well known.
Inch or a mile though, right Dave?
Ollie’s leaflets emphasised his crucial effort in saving Hove Library. It resonates. Should the dreaded Cabinet try yet again to close it down, it will be handy to have him on the barricades once more.
It’s been a while since I looked at the figures, but wasn’t that the one that was really expensive comparatively? Stuff like that, I always think rather than a shut down, what’s a more cost effective way of delivery? Book exchanges inside community centres, for example could be a reasonable option to explore.
A surprise win. Really pleased as labours large majority is unhealthy for democracy
Labour having a large majority can be seen both positively and negatively. On the positive side, it allows the party to implement its policies and agenda more effectively, potentially leading to swift and decisive governance. This could result in significant changes in areas such as healthcare, education, and social services.
Ideally, a balance is needed to ensure that the council can operate efficiently while still being held to account by a strong opposition.
CONGRATULATIONS, OLLIE!
DESEJO-TE MUITOS ÊXITOS NESTA EMPREITADA.
Soba
This should naturally be a Green seat. Ollie was well known to the electorate whilst Alice had previously stood for and lived in North Portslade.