Elections to

Brighton and Hove Brighton and Hove () is a city and unitary authority in East Sussex, England. It consists primarily of the settlements of Brighton and Hove, alongside neighbouring villages. Often referred to synonymously as Brighton, the City of Brighton and H ...

City Council were held on 5 May 2011, in line with other local elections in the United Kingdom. The whole council, a

unitary authority A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...

, was up for election with 54 councillors elected from 21 wards. The

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...

made significant gains, overtaking the

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

to become the largest party with 23 seats, the largest Green group on any council. The Greens gained seats at the expense of all three other parties, taking the only ward previously in

Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology. Active parties Former parties See also *Liberal democracy *Lib ...

hands. The Conservatives lost not only to the Greens but to Labour Co-op candidates in different parts of the city. The Greens, Conservatives and Labour Co-op fielded candidates for every seat on the council. The Liberal Democrats contested all but one ward. The

UK Independence Party The UK Independence Party (UKIP; ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of Parliament and was the largest par ...

, European Citizens Party and

Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) is a socialist electoral alliance launched in Britain for the 2010 general election. TUSC's co-founder was the RMT union general secretary Bob Crow. Members of the PCS, NUT, FBU and POA unio ...

also fielded candidates. In addition, there were six independents standing, including re-standing councillor and former Liberal Democrat David Watkins. Following the election the Labour Co-operative group rejected the possibility of forming a coalition with the Green Party, who then went on to form the first ever Green council administration in the UK, as a minority administration. As of 2018, it is the most recent local authority election in which the

Green Party of England and Wales The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW; cy, Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr, kw, Party Gwer Pow an Sowson ha Kembra, often simply the Green Party or Greens) is a green, left-wing political party in England and Wales. Since October 2021, Carla ...

won the most votes and seats. Following the election, the composition of the council was as follows: Green: 23 Conservative: 18 Labour: 13

Changes between 2007 and 2011 elections

Since the 2007 Council Election there were a number of changes to the make up of the council: In the Regency, Goldsmid and St. Peter's & North Laine wards there were by-elections, all of which were won or held by the Green Party. In Brunswick and Adelaide one councillor, David Watkins resigned from the Liberal Democrats and stood as an independent in this election. Jayne Bennett, who was elected as an Independent in the 2007 election in the Stanford/Hove Park ward, rejoined the Conservative Party (which she had left in 2002), and stood as such in 2011. Two ward names were changed during the four-year period: Hollingbury and Stanmer became Hollingdean and Stanmer, and Stanford ward was renamed Hove Park, using the council's powers under the

Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 (c 28) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act allows for the implementation of many provisions outlined in the Government white paper ''Strong and Prosperous Com ...