More than a dozen councillors lost their seats to Labour in the city after the local election.
Labour made gains from both the Conservatives and the Greens across Brighton and Hove, securing their first majority council in the city for two decades.
A total of 14 councillors were ousted by voters in the election, including eight from the Green Party, four Conservatives and two independent councillors.
Among those caught up in the “political earthquake” were the leadership team of the Green Party - with council leader Phelim Mac Cafferty and deputy leaders Hannah Allbrooke and Siriol Hugh-Jones each losing their seats in the council chamber.
Here is a closer look at all those who were booted out of office last week.
Dawn Barnett and Nick Lewry (Conservative, Hangleton and Knoll)
Dawn Barnett had represented Hangleton and Knoll since 2004 after winning a by-election from Labour. However, the 81-year-old’s attempt to be re-elected for a fifth time ended in defeat, being ousted by 529 votes.
During her almost two decades in the council chamber, she had earned a reputation as an outspoken, no-nonsense and straight-talking councillor, tackling issues from drug dealing to the cleanliness of the city. However, she also courted controversy, with councillors refusing to back her bid to become the city’s mayor over comments made by Ms Barnett in the past about travellers and rough sleepers.
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In a moment transcending political boundaries, MP for Hove Peter Kyle hugged Ms Barnett after her defeat. He said: “Dawn Barnett and I have opposing views but I’ve never doubted her commitment to Hangleton residents.
“I’m totally ecstatic over Labour’s victory, but also grateful to people from all parties whose public service has come to an end.”
Nick Lewry was first elected to the city council in 2015 and narrowly avoided defeat by two votes at the last local election in 2019. Four years on, Mr Lewry fell more than 800 votes short of being re-elected to the city council.
Steve Bell and Dee Simson (Conservative, Woodingdean)
In one of the dramatic results of the election, Conservative group leader Steve Bell was ousted from his council seat in Woodingdean - a ward that had been solidly Conservative since 1999.
Mr Bell, who had served on the council since 2015, had told The Argus before the election that the Conservative vote was not moving away and said: “It’s more positive than it was for us in 2019.”
“Whether that converts into winning seats and having people re-elected, you can never know,” he said.
Mr Bell was 276 votes shy of being re-elected as a councillor in the ward.
Dee Simson first became a councillor in 1999 and served as Mayor of Brighton and Hove from 2018 to 2019. However, she fell 229 votes short of being re-elected.
Phelim Mac Cafferty and Hannah Allbrooke (Green, Brunswick and Adelaide)
Perhaps the most notable defeat of the election was that of the council leader and deputy leader Phelim Mac Cafferty and Hannah Allbrooke. Brunswick and Adelaide, which had been a Green ward since 2011, flipped to Labour for the first time since 1996.
Phelim Mac Cafferty was first elected to the city council in 2011 when the Greens took minority control of Brighton and Hove for the first time. He became convenor of the Green group of councillors in 2015 and council leader in 2020 when the party regained control.
Mr Mac Cafferty said that the party had made “tough decisions” amid a range of challenges, including the Covid pandemic and the cost of living crisis. However, he was criticised in November 2021 for flying to the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. He later apologised and blamed the “unreliability of the rail network” for his decision.
Hannah Allbrooke was elected at the last local election in 2019, topping the poll with a majority of more than 650 votes. During her four years as a councillor, she served as deputy leader of the city council after the Greens took control in 2020, and also chaired the council’s children, young people and skills committee. However, she was defeated by just six votes following a recount in the ward due to the close result.
Phelim Mac Cafferty performed worse, falling 146 votes short of re-election and placing fourth.
Siriol Hugh-Jones, Zoe John and Jamie Lloyd (Green, Hollingdean and Fiveways)
Three Green councillors were voted out in Hollingdean and Fiveways, including a deputy council leader, after Labour won the ward.
Zoe John made history in 2021 after winning in the Hollingdean and Stanmer by-election, marking the first time since 2004 that the ruling party in Brighton and Hove had gained a seat in a by-election.
Ms John also featured in the Green Party’s party election broadcast, along with council leader Phelim Mac Cafferty, deputy leader Hannah Allbrooke and Green councillor Steve Davis. However, only Cllr Davis retained his seat, with Ms John falling more than 450 votes short of retaining her place on the city council.
Siriol Hugh-Jones was elected in 2019 in the Preston Park ward, serving as chairwoman of the city counci’s housing committee and deputy leader of the council.
After standing for re-election in Hollingdean and Fiveways, she lost by almost 500 votes to Labour.
Jamie Lloyd was elected in the former ward of Withdean in 2019, when the party won all three seats from the Conservatives. He served as deputy chairman on the council’s environment, transport and sustainability committee, but placed sixth in Hollingdean and Fiveways.
The new ward encompassing most of Withdean, Westdene and Hove Park, elected three Conservative councillors, with the Greens placing behind Labour .
Steph Powell (Green, Hanover and Elm Grove)
First elected in 2011, originally as a councillor in Queen’s Park, Steph Powell served as joint chairwoman of the council’s tourism, equalities, communities and culture committee and led the council's anti-racism efforts.
She placed sixth in her attempt to be re-elected, placing behind her other two Green candidates. Labour won all three Green seats in the ward for the first time since 1999.
Leo Littman (Green, Preston Park)
Leo Littman was first elected in 2011 in Preston Park for the Green Party and served as chair of the council’s planning committee.
In a letter to The Argus a year after the Greens took control of the council, then-Councillor Littman said that voters had “enormous faith in the Green leadership of the council”.
Mr Littman narrowly missed out on re-election in his ward by 32 votes.
Clare Rainey (Green, Queen’s Park)
Clare Rainey was elected in 2019 for the Green Party in Queen’s Park, gaining the seat from Labour. Over the last four years, she has served as deputy chairwoman on the council’s tourism, equalities, communities and culture committee.
However, Ms Rainey placed a very distant third in the newly-redrawn Queen’s Park ward, falling some 846 votes short of being re-elected.
Anne Pissaridou (Independent, North Portslade)
Anne Pissaridou was elected as Labour councillor in 2019 but was suspended from the party a year later after posting allegedly antisemitic material on social media.
Although she was previously re-admitted to the party in February, she was suspended for a second time and was not eligible to stand as a Labour candidate in the election.
Ms Pissaridou stood as an independent candidate and placed fifth in the ward, behind Labour’s Lucy Helliwell and independent councillor Peter Atkinson.
Kate Knight (Independent, Coldean and Stanmer)
Like Ms Pissaridou, Kate Knight was also elected as a Labour councillor in 2019 for Moulsecoomb and Bevendean, but quit the party after being reported for alleged antisemitism.
The then Labour council leader Nancy Platts said that posts made by Ms Knight had brought shame to the party.
Ms Knight stood as an independent in Coldean and Stanmer, but missed out on re-election by 137 votes. She was defeated by Labour’s Michie Alexander and Tobias Sheard.
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