Last updated: 25 September 2026 at 1:45pm BST.
In short
- Mark Strong of the Green Party has won the Queen’s Park by-election in Brighton.
- He received 1,139 votes, beating Labour’s Steve Gladwin by 337 votes.
- Turnout was 33.36%; 2,281 ballot papers were cast and nine were rejected.
- The result means both Queen’s Park council seats are now held by Greens.
- Labour still controls Brighton & Hove City Council with 31 of 54 seats.
The Green Party has gained the Queen’s Park council seat from Labour after Mark Strong won Thursday’s by-election with 1,139 votes. Brighton & Hove City Council published the full declaration on Friday 25 September, confirming a 337-vote majority and turnout of 33.36%.
The result changes who represents this part of east Brighton, but it does not change control of the city council. Labour remains the governing group with 31 of the 54 seats, while the Greens rise to 12.
Queen’s Park by-election result in full
The official council result records the following votes:
- Mark Strong, Green Party: 1,139
- Steve Gladwin, Labour Party: 802
- John Shepherd, Reform UK: 160
- Stefan Sönke Speckesser, Conservative and Unionist Party: 97
- Rudi Dikty-Daudiyan, Liberal Democrats: 74
Those figures amount to 2,272 valid votes. Strong took just over half of them, while Gladwin received a little over 35%. Nine ballot papers were rejected, bringing the total number cast to 2,281 from an electorate of 6,837.
The poll was held on Thursday 24 September after the resignation of Labour councillor Milla Gauge. The council announced the result the following day.
What changes for Queen’s Park residents?
Queen’s Park is a two-member ward. Green councillor Marina Lademacher already holds the other seat after winning a by-election in September 2025. Mark Strong’s victory therefore gives the Greens both ward seats.
That matters most immediately for local representation. Residents raising issues about housing, street cleaning, traffic, parks, licensing or planning will now have two Green ward councillors rather than one Green and one Labour councillor. Councillors can pursue casework and speak at meetings, but they do not personally control council services or make decisions alone.
The broader balance at Hove Town Hall changes only slightly. Brighton and Hove News reports that the post-result council has 31 Labour members, 12 Greens, five Conservatives, four Independents and two Brighton and Hove Independents. Labour therefore retains an overall majority and continues to run the council.
Why it matters locally
This was the third by-election in Queen’s Park since the all-out council election in May 2023. Both seats were won by Labour at that election; both are now held by the Greens. That is a meaningful change in the ward’s political representation, even though a by-election with 33.36% turnout cannot be treated as a complete verdict from every resident.
The 337-vote gap is clear rather than marginal. It strengthens the Green opposition and gives the party another voice in scrutiny, committees and full council debates. But the numbers do not support claims that the city administration has changed hands. Policy still depends on formal votes, committee membership and the governing group’s majority.
Brighton Locals’ view
Our judgement: the result is significant for Queen’s Park and a setback for Labour, but its practical importance should be measured by what happens next. The new councillor now needs to turn a strong result into visible ward work, while the council should update contact and committee information promptly so residents know where to take problems.
It would be premature to read one ward contest as a citywide mandate. A better test will be whether Queen’s Park residents see clearer casework, attendance and follow-through, and whether the strengthened opposition improves scrutiny without turning routine local problems into permanent party conflict.
What residents should do
- Check the official result: the council’s declaration page is the authoritative source for the figures.
- For councillor casework: use the council’s Find Your Councillor service. Mark Strong’s details may take a short time to appear after the declaration.
- For urgent service problems: continue reporting missed collections, road defects and other service issues through the council’s normal reporting routes. The election result does not pause services or existing cases.
- Check whether you are in the ward: the council’s Queen’s Park election page contains the official poll information.
What to watch next
The next practical steps are the formal update of the councillor register, confirmation of any committee assignments and Mark Strong’s first meetings and ward casework. Brighton Locals will also watch whether the result changes opposition scrutiny on housing, transport, public space and spending decisions, while separating political claims from measurable council action.
Bottom line
The Greens now hold both Queen’s Park seats after a decisive 337-vote win. Labour still runs Brighton & Hove City Council, so the immediate change is stronger Green representation for the ward, not a change of city administration.
Featured photograph: the drinking fountain in Queen’s Park, Brighton, photographed on 29 December 2023 by Mat Fascione / Geograph, reused under CC BY-SA 2.0. The image shows the ward landmark, not the election count.
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