Labour has taken a seat from the Conservatives in Westbourne ward in Hove.
Tom Bewick topped the poll and credited the new Labour MP for Hove, Peter Kyle, for inspiring his campaign.
Conservative councillor Denise Cobb held her seat. Shaun Gunner missed out for the Conservatives. He stood after Graham Cox stepped aside to contest Hove for the Tories at the general election.
Councillor Bewick, 44, of Pembroke Gardens, Hove, is the chief executive of the Skills Standards Organisation and advises governments on youth policy and unemployment.
He said: “What inspired me stand was Peter Kyle’s campaign and seeing how politics could be returned to the community.”
He said that he wanted to leave no stand unturned in the effort to help more young people locally into apprenticeships.
Westbourne
(2 seats)
Tom Bewick, Labour, 2,034
Sunny Choudhury, Labour, 1,689
Denise Cobb*, Conservative, 1,936
Geoff Date, Liberal Democrat, 472
Guy Davidson, Green, 874
Shaun Gunner, Conservative, 1,540
Robert Harding, UKIP, 334
Karen James, Green, 1,017
Turnout was 71.21 per cent. There were 24 ballot papers rejected.