Brighton & Hove Green Party has selected community campaigner Mark Strong as the Green Party candidate for the Queen’s Park by-election. 

Queen’s Park residents will be heading to the polls for the fourth time in as many years, after the third resignation from a Labour councillor since the 2023 local elections. 

Mark Strong, an active travel consultant, brings an extensive history of local action and community representation. He has consistently stood up for Queen’s Park and the wider area – with experience already of holding the council to account as a scrutiny committee co-optee and member of the council’s Transport Partnership. Until July 2026, he had served for many years as the elected Transport and Public Realm Representative for Brighton & Hove Community Works.

The Green Party is hopeful that residents will place their trust in Mark to represent them on Brighton & Hove City Council. This latest by-election follows last September’s win in Queen’s Park which saw one of the biggest swings in the council’s history and, more recently, the election of Nadia Barton Ahmad to represent the people of Goldsmid just six weeks ago.

With this summer expected to be the hottest on record, Mark’s history as a climate activist will resonate with residents who are understandably worried about the impact of climate change on our green spaces, especially Queen’s Park and Valley Gardens. Additionally, Mark has recently been campaigning alongside Cllr Marina Lademacher and local residents for a safer crossing of Freshfield Road. After many years of Green pressure, the council has now started to design the crossing. Greens say they will continue to press to make sure it’s finally built.

This by-election will be the 8th since Labour took control of the council, all of which have been caused by councillors elected for Labour resigning well before completing their terms of office. 

Following the announcement, Mark Strong, Green Party candidate for Queen’s Park said:
“I’m so proud to be selected as the Green candidate for Queen’s Park. It’s the third by-election here since 2023, and residents deserve better than a revolving door of Labour representatives. I’m ready to step up and fight hard for the community where I live and work, building on my existing experience as a trusted advocate for our communities. People in Queen’s Park, and across the city, don’t have to put up with being ignored – I’m committed to always standing up for the climate, for community groups and small businesses and above all for the residents of Queen’s Park.”

Councillor Steve Davis, Green Group Convenor & Leader of the Opposition says:
“Mark is a community champion in every sense of the term, and already has a wealth of experience holding Labour to account. I know that he’ll stand up for residents who’ve been failed by Labour. We scored a huge victory last time around in Queen’s Park and, given the hard work and effort that Cllr Marina Lademacher has shown, we’d love residents to entrust Mark as their representative.”

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Instead of electing a council with full democratic powers next year, residents will only be able to vote for a ‘shadow authority’, while the existing Labour administration continues to govern Brighton & Hove for a further year without seeking a fresh mandate from the electorate. 

Voters expect their choices on polling day to take effect immediately. Yet, this decision means the people of Brighton & Hove – and those expected to join the expanded authority – will not see their council leadership change when they cast their votes. This creates what Greens are calling a “bizarre and entirely undemocratic” situation, where sitting councillors could continue to represent voters, regardless of how strongly they are rejected at the ballot box on the 6th of May.

Greens say the plans also show the Government has not listened to residents of Telscombe and Peacehaven, who will become part of the new “shadow authority”, despite widespread opposition. They claim that the 24,000 people who live in these four wards have not only been ignored throughout the consultations, but will now have their votes next year ignored as well.

Brighton & Hove Green Party believe the 2027 elections should proceed as planned, with those elected taking responsibility both for governing Brighton & Hove and overseeing the transition to the expanded authority. That would give local people the ability to hand out a genuine democratic mandate, rather than leaving an outgoing administration in office for an additional year, making decisions without a mandate to do so.

Cllr Steve Davis, Green Leader of the Opposition on Brighton and Hove City Council, said:“

It is absolutely ridiculous – though barely a surprise – that this government is fine with suspending democracy when it happens to benefit their friends in office. Residents here have been kept completely in the dark with delay after delay on what their future council will actually look like. Now, we’re being told that whatever we decide at the ballot box next year won’t actually change who runs the city for another twelve months.

“Not much could better sum up Labour’s shambles of false promises than for one of Keir Starmer’s final acts to be taking power away from local people, even though his manifesto promised the exact opposite. If Andy Burnham – their next hope for clinging onto power – truly believes in local democracy, his government must let the people we elect in 2027 actually represent us while also taking on the job of building the new-look Brighton & Hove.  

“The people of Brighton & Hove are ready to reject Labour in nine months’ time and Bella Sankey’s administration needs to accept that real accountability means facing the voters, not using this transition to cling to power past their sell-by date.”

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Nadia Barton Ahmad, 22, came first with 2037 votes, beating the Labour candidate, Philip Berman, who finished second with 1357 votes.

Green supporters celebrated outside the election count at Hove Town Hall upon the result being announced, after an electrifying and hard-fought campaign that concluded on the hottest day of the year. This result gives the party their eleventh member on the council, and reduces Labour’s ranks to thirty-three.

This by-election result marks the party’s second by-election win over Labour in nine months, following the Greens’ triumph last September in Queen’s Park, and once again proves the Green Party’s momentum is here to stay for next year’s city-wide local elections.

Nadia, a community campaigner who lives locally, ran on a platform that included protecting green spaces, standing up for small businesses and fighting to make streets safer. Voters rejected Labour’s failures and instead chose to place their trust in a local voice who already works hard for the local area, and who will work even harder as a councillor.

Speaking at the count, Goldsmid’s newly elected Councillor Barton Ahmad 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.”

Councillor Steve Davis, the Green Leader of the Opposition on Brighton and Hove City Council, 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 & 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 ten 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 & Hove with the Green Party.”

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Brighton & Hove Greens were proud to be a formal part of the Carnival Against Fascism coalition of groups that came together in advance of Saturday. We’re prouder still of the thousands who turned up and stood firm when it mattered most, bringing together all parts of our city and our struggle – the people, businesses, and communities who make Brighton & Hove what it is.

Serious questions must be asked of why the police turned their aggression on peaceful counter-protestors while repeatedly trying to force a path for fascists who were completely outnumbered. Our members saw or were subjected first hand to pepper spray, riot tactics, police violence and intimidation. The police chose to escalate rather than resolve the situation, by refusing countless opportunities to funnel the fascists back in the station and send them home.

In spite of this, Brighton & Hove stood firm once again. But the fight against fascism must be won on all fronts – not only on the streets or in elections, but with every conversation, every single day. We must stand for a better, hopeful alternative, and we’ll continue to do just that – to fight for environmental, racial, economic and social justice, and to build a better world for all.

If any of our members, or members of the wider community, were affected by this violence please feel free to reach out to Brighton & Hove Green Party for support. You are not alone.

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Nadia Barton Ahmad was today announced as the Brighton & Hove Green Party candidate for the Goldsmid by-election. 

Nadia, 22, is a community campaigner who lives locally in Seven Dials and is currently chair of Friends of Dyke Road Park. She has played a key role in their campaign to protect community green spaces in the area, as well as being a long-term advocate supporting homeless women and campaigning against period poverty.

With the Greens surging in the polls, record membership numbers and record Green wins expected across the country in this Thursday’s local elections, the Greens are expecting to win in Goldsmid too.

This confidence was demonstrated as campaigning began immediately on Friday evening in the ward – only hours after the resignation of Councillor Jackie O’Quinn was announced, and with no date set for the by-election. 

This will be the 7th by-election in 3 years of Labour control, all caused by resignations by councillors originally elected in 2023 as Labour representatives. The most recent by-election in Queen’s Park last September saw a decisive Green win – overturning a Labour majority of 16% to win with 48% – one of the biggest swings in the council’s history.

The by-election comes as residents across Brighton & Hove continue to see rents, bills, and the cost of living climb, as well as concerns over the impact of ongoing cuts under Labour that have included library closures or reductions at four libraries across the city. It is expected that both issues will be vital to residents across the by-election campaign.

Nadia Barton Ahmad, Green Party candidate for Goldsmid says:
“I’m so proud to be selected as the Green candidate for Goldsmid.  This election is happening at a critical time for our city: the cost of living keeps going up, and too many residents simply don’t feel listened to. I grew up in our city and have seen how unaffordable living here has become. Our communities deserve better. As a local campaigner for community green spaces, I am committed to standing up for our area, and I’m just as committed to standing up for you and your rights.

We’ve seen the impact Greens can have in our city and beyond – it’s time to send a message that we don’t have to settle for Labour cuts, and that hope is possible here too. As the councillor for Goldsmid, I will work tirelessly to make Brighton and Hove fairer and greener.”

Councillor Steve Davis, Green Group Convenor & Leader of the Opposition says:
Nadia is an incredibly hard worker, and she’ll be a brilliant addition to our Green councillor team after this by-election. The last time voters were given a choice between Labour and the Green Party at a by-election in this city, we overturned a big Labour majority to win decisively.  I am confident that we will do the same again here.”

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Green and Independent councillors have slammed Labour for “significantly
weakening” a motion that would have committed Brighton & Hove City Council to
recognising nature as a legal subject with inherent rights.

At full council last week, Green and Independent councillors jointly brought a notice
of motion, calling on the council to formally endorse the UK Nature’s Rights Bill, sign
a pledge supporting its principles, write to government urging the Bill to be tabled in
Parliament, and work with communities on a Rights of the Coastline charter for our
city.

However, a Labour amendment removed these commitments. The amended motion
limits the council to merely “noting” the principles of the movement and the Nature’s
Rights Bill, referencing existing government environmental policies and current
council activity.

Labour’s amendment means the final motion contrasts with developments elsewhere
in Sussex. Lewes District Council is working with local communities on a Charter of
Rights for the River Ouse, exploring how legal recognition of the river’s fundamental
rights can improve its protection within governance frameworks.

Green councillor Kerry Pickett, who proposed the motion, said the amendment
fundamentally changed its purpose:
“This motion was about recognising that existing environmental law is failing and that
we need a new legal framework that gives nature rights. Labour removed every
concrete step that would have supported that shift.

“Lewes is already demonstrating how a rights-based approach can be explored
locally and collaboratively. Brighton & Hove had the opportunity to do the same for
our downland, green spaces and coastline and Labour chose not to.”

Independent councillor Mark Earthy who seconded the motion said:
“The Nature’s Right’s Bill is consistent with our city’s groundbreaking natural
environment and sustainability strategy and can be seen as a logical extension of it.
Endorsement by a city of our size would make people sit up and take notice.”

NOTES
The UK Nature’s Rights Bill follows the “Integrated Rights Framework”, which
recognises nature as a rights-bearing legal subject and places human and economic
activity within ecological limits. This approach represents a structural response to
environmental collapse, rather than further reliance on regulatory targets that have
repeatedly failed to stop biodiversity loss.

Labour’s amendment referenced the government’s Environmental Improvement Plan
and conservation work. While Greens welcome these policies, they do not address
the underlying legal model that treats nature as property rather than giving it
enforceable rights

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Bold Politics is the show making hope normal again, where Zack Polanski speaks – and listens – to thinkers, activists and people whose voices deserve to be heard. From immigration to the economy, inequality to leadership, Zack explores what the future of progressive politics can look like.

Join two of the Green Party’s most influential and inspiring figures for an evening of discussion and audience questions.

**If you are in a position to do so, please consider adding an optional donation to Brighton & Hove Green Party. We can only win Green MPs in Hove & Portslade and Kemptown & Peacehaven, to join our MP Sian Berry in Brighton Pavilion, if we have the resources to carry out a winning campaign. By donating to our election fighting fund, you’ll be helping us build a fairer, more hopeful future for Brighton & Hove!

The post BOLD POLITICS LIVE: 23rd Feb @ Brighton DOME appeared first on Brighton & Hove Green Party.

After 3 years of Labour majority administration, and 2 years of a Labour majority government, one thing above all is becoming clear: people want change. Since September, more than 100,000 new members have joined the Green Party nationally, while each new poll shows the Greens climb higher while Labour drop lower. Locally, our membership has almost trebled, and continues to grow every single day. 

Bruno is yet another example that more and more people who believe that change isn’t just possible, but necessary, are finding their political home in the Green Party. With just over a year to go to the 2027 local elections in our city, Labour must take note of the impact of their failure to represent the people of Brighton & Hove.

Councillor de Oliveira was chair of the Health & Wellbeing Board on the City Council from his election as a Labour councillor for Hollingdean & Fiveways in May 2023 to his resignation from the Labour over their cuts to the aid budget, and brings a wealth of experience to the Green Group of councillors on Brighton & Hove City Council.

Bruno de Oliveira, new Green councillor for Hollingdean & Fiveways, said:

“I joined the Green Party because I refuse a politics that tells us we live on an island of strangers. The current system enriches a few while millions struggle, then it blames the most vulnerable in society to distract from rising inequality. 

Greens offer a hopeful alternative: a society built on peace, housing, and affordability. The notion of neutrality can be misleading and naive. It is time for a change; it is time for economic justice. The idea that we have to deal with the world as it is, not as we wish it were, aims to prevent us from building a fairer society. 

Imagine someone telling Martin Luther King Jr to put his civil rights dreams away. A revolution starts with a mere dream of the world we want to live in, and not as it is, and I, like most of you, have a dream of a fairer society.”

Steve Davis, Green Leader of the Opposition, said:

“It is an absolute pleasure to have a councillor of the calibre of Bruno de Oliveira join our growing number of Green councillors in the chamber as he brings with him not only a wealth of experience but a genuine passion for the city.

As we have seen up and down the country people aren’t leaving Labour, Labour are leaving people, and this is another clear indication that we are the party of real hope and real change. 

At full council next week we welcome to the chamber what we hope is one of many more new Green councillors to represent the city, and bring our shared ideas and hope.”

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The image itself is beneath contempt. Yet it is even more terrifying to reflect that for Reform UK, this is nothing new. This act of antisemitism represents only the latest demonstration of Reform’s openly racist and fascist platform. Nationally, they have been at the forefront of fuelling a rising tide of hatred, and discrimination. And on Reform UK Brighton & Hove’s Facebook, this antisemitic attack on Zack Polanski was followed yesterday by a further racist graphic declaring New York Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani to be a terrorist. 

Brighton & Hove remains a city that is anti-racist, anti-fascist and that stands firm against hatred. Two weeks ago, Brighton & Hove Greens were proud to join more than 600 people at the Stand Up to Racism Unity March. We note that this follows our own party members being subjected to explicit antisemitic abuse in the public gallery during a council meeting earlier in the month. We will continue to stand against antisemitism and racism in any form – and stand in solidarity with Zack Polanski against such abuse.

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There can be no question that Simon Charleton’s comments are beyond unacceptable. As a city, Brighton & Hove stands firm in holding values of inclusivity, in standing alongside marginalised communities against discrimination and hatred, and in our City of Sanctuary status. Brighton & Hove Greens stand in full solidarity with trans and non-binary residents, and against the ‘hostile environment’ that Labour continue to operate.

At a time when migrants are being demonised, and where trans people are used as political scapegoats both in the media and by establishment political parties, Brighton & Hove Labour must answer for why they have selected a candidate who so clearly stands against the values of our city, and whether his views reflect their own. 

Posts shared by Simon Charleton include content echoing false, far-right narratives around small boats and immigration, as well as further posts that amplify cruel, transphobic talking points. Brighton Kemptown, where Queen’s Park is situated, has one of the highest proportions of trans people in England and residents deserve to know exactly where the Labour candidate stands on these issues of human rights and equalities. 

Labour council leader Bella Sankey has previously gone against her national party’s anti-trans narrative, including her defence of the vital Trans Inclusion Toolkit, and deserves credit for this. But she must now explain why she is enthusiastically campaigning for a Labour candidate who has publicly spoken against this resource. If she is prepared to support a candidate who is not only unwilling to support our trans and non-binary residents, but who is actively participating in discrimination against them, then questions must be asked about how sincere her solidarity really is.

An urgent clarification is needed as to whether these views are accepted by Brighton & Hove Labour Party.

Notes for editors:
Posts made by Simon Charleton are documented here: https://x.com/PinkieBrighton/status/1962437220406546748 

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