CANDIDATES for the Hollingdean and Stanmer by-election took questions from Argus readers last night for the first of virtual two hustings.

Conservative Emma Hogan, Labour’s Leila Erin-Jenkins and Green Party’s Zoe Olivia John debated important city and ward issues as people watched the action live on Facebook.

Local elections for councillors are scheduled to take place every four years with the most recent city-wide local-election for Brighton and Hove taking place in May 2019.

However, following the resignation of Tracey Hill in Hollingdean and Stanmer and Lee Wares in Patcham, residents in those wards will be going to pick replacements in by-elections.

Hollingdean and Stanmer has three seats which were hotly contested between the Greens and Labour at the last election.

Labour’s Tracey Hill received 1,664 votes at the last election. The other two seats were won by Labour’s Teresa Fowler with 1,512 votes and Green’s Martin Osborne with 1,487 votes.

The candidate who missed out on a seat by the narrowest margin was Labour's Phillip Clarke, who trailed behind by just 56 votes.

You can watch the full Hollingdean and Stanmer by-election debate below.

Between 6-7pm tonight, we will be joined by Patcham candidates

  • Bruno De Oliveira (Labour)
  • Anne Meadows (Conservative)
  • Eliza Wyatt (Green)
  • Madelaine Hunter-Taylor (Liberal Democrat)