LABOUR had hoped to retain the Brighton Hill North seat but there will now be a father-daughter team campaigning on local issues on the borough council after Rob Golding’s daughter Hannah scooped the seat.

Conservative candidate Hannah Golding, who is the daughter of Oakley and North Waltham’s Tory councillor Rob Golding, managed to claim the seat after winning 974 votes in total.

Labour candidate Janet Westbrook, who was tipped to win the seat following the resignation of former Labour councillor Carolyn Wooldridge, came a close second with 792 votes, followed by UKIP’s Stephen James-Bailey who has 491 votes.

Liberal Democrats candidate Ted Blackmore-Squires got 254 votes while Richard Winter scooped 141 votes for the Green Party.

And an emotional Hannah Golding told The Gazette: “It is amazing. I am really excited and I can’t wait to get stuck in and represent the residents of Brighton Hill and I am really pleased they voted for me.”

Rob Golding added: “She has worked very hard and she will continue to work hard in the council.”

The result was a disappointing one for the Labour group and deputy leader, Cllr Paul Harvey, said: “It is sad to lose Carolyn Wooldridge and our amazing candidate who would have been an amazing councillor in Janet Westbrook but we will keep on campaigning.”