Elections to Brighton and Hove City Council took place on 2 May 2019, electing all 54 members of the council, alongside other local elections in England and Northern Ireland.
The Labour Party lost 3 seats compared to the last election in 2015 but recovered its place as the largest party on the council, having seen its numbers reduced from 23 to 19 over the four years following 2015, while the strength of the Conservative group had been increased by one member in 2019, as a Labour councillor had changed allegiance shortly before the election. In addition to Labour and the Conservatives, the Green Party, which was in minority control from 2011 to 2015, fielded candidates for every seat on the council at this election.
Other parties contesting were the Liberal Democrats, the Women's Equality Party (for the first time in the city, with two candidates) and United Kingdom Independence Party, together with a number of independent candidates.
Following the election, the Labour minority administration that had governed since 2015 continued in office; however, a little over a year later, in July 2020, the Greens regained control of the Council, after the incumbent Labour administration collapsed when three Labour councillors, two of which were accused of antisemitism, quit.
Background and campaigning The Green Party lost their minority control of the council after the 2015 election, following internal disputes. Labour became the largest party on the council, winning 23 seats. This was reduced in 2017 to 22 after a Labour councillor, Michael Inkpin-Leissner, for Hollingdean and Stanmer became an independent. There have been two council by-elections since the last election: the first in 2016 in the East Brighton ward was won by Lloyd Russell-Moyle, and the second, 18 months later and for the same seat, when Russell-Moyle resigned as a councillor having been elected as MP for Brighton Kemptown.
Warren Morgan, Labour leader of the council, resigned from the position in February 2018, some attributing it to internal party conflicts related to the rise of Momentum, a left-wing campaigning group within the Labour Party, who supported many of the candidates selected for seats in the city. In February 2019 Morgan resigned his Labour membership, to form a bloc supporting The Independent Group with Inkpin-Leissner. Anne Meadows, a Labour councillor, defected to the Conservatives, making the Conservatives the largest party on the council. Fifteen councilors were reported to be standing down at this election.
Labour published its manifesto in late March, with key policies such as building 800 new council homes over the next four years, making the city carbon neutral by 2030 and auditing outsourced services and bringing them back into council services should they fail in value. Controversy came when a provisional version of the document was leaked to the local media titled the "many-fest", a 210-page document that brought together ideas from consultation of local labour members.
The Green Party also posted their manifesto and coordinated their campaigning with Young Greens of England and Wales, who organised their activists from around the country to go to Brighton in April.
The Liberal Democrats released a manifesto focusing on five major themes, including housing and homelessness, with a flagship proposal of developing 1,500 new homes on part of the council-owned Hollingbury golf course.
The Conservatives announced their proposal to use money in the city council's reserves to fund projects, as well as the establishment of a local lottery programme to invest in sports and cultural facilities. A Conservative candidate standing in the Westbourne ward was forced to resign during the local campaigning period due to him posting islamophobic and other offensive jokes online.
A hustings for the elections – which focused on community housing in the city – was hosted on 27 March with councillors from Labour, the Conservatives, the Green Party and a Liberal Democrat candidate.
Summary
Election result
Wards and candidates Details of the candidates for the 21 wards of the authority were published by the council after nominations closed on 3 April.
Brunswick and Adelaide
Central Hove
East Brighton
Goldsmid
Hangleton and Knoll
Hanover and Elm Grove
Hollingdean and Stanmer
Hove Park
Moulsecoomb and Bevendean
North Portslade
Patcham
Preston Park
Queen's Park
Regency
Rottingdean Coastal
South Portslade
St Peter's and North Laine
Westbourne
Wish
Withdean
Woodingdean
Changes 2019–2023 In October 2019, Tony Janio, councillor for Hangleton and Knoll and former leader of the Conservative group, left the Conservative Party to sit as an independent. In July 2020, the Greens took minority control of the council after Labour councillors Kate Knight (Moulsecoomb and Bevendean) and Nichole Brennan (East Brighton) resigned from the party and Anne Pissaridou (North Portslade) was suspended, over alleged antisemitism in social media posts. Green councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty became leader of the council. In August 2021, Peter Atkinson, councillor for North Portslade, resigned from the Labour Party in protest at Pissaridou being readmitted to the party, and sat as an independent. Pissaridou's suspension was lifted in August 2021 and she rejoined the Labour group in February 2022, but she was suspended by Labour again in April 2022. In August 2022, Labour expelled Pissaridou and Nick Childs, councillor for Queen's Park, for belonging to a proscribed organisation; both sat as independents.
By-elections
Hollingdean & Stanmer
The Hollingdean & Stanmer by-election was triggered by the resignation of Labour councillor Tracey Hill.
Patcham
The Patcham by-election was called following the resignation of Conservative councillor Lee Wares.
Rottingdean Coastal
The Rottingdean Coastal by-election followed the resignation of Conservative councillor Joe Miller.
Wish
The Wish by-election was triggered by the death of Conservative councillor Garry Peltzer Dunn, a former leader of Hove Borough Council and mayor of Brighton and Hove, after a short illness.
See also Brighton and Hove City Council elections
References