Although there were no local elections in the Test Valley this week, the Green Party has had fantastic results across the country.
In Bristol Central, a target constituency for the forthcoming general election, the Green Party won every council seat available. With 34 councillors, Greens are now the largest party on Bristol City Council, and the largest group of Green Party councillors anywhere in the UK ever.
Green Party Co-leader, Carla Denyer, who is standing as the parliamentary candidate in Bristol Central, said:
“Bristol Central has turned totally Green. We’ve won all 14 council seats in the new parliamentary constituency, paving the way for the city to get its first ever Green MP at the forthcoming general election. As MP candidate for Bristol Central, I look forward to giving Bristolians another opportunity to make history. After these resounding local election results, the people of Bristol know that we don’t have to accept politics as usual – something better is possible if we vote for it.”
Greens also became the largest group on Stroud and Hastings Councils with 22 and 12 councillors respectively. And the Party won a by-election in Bunwell ward in South Norfolk, forcing the Conservatives to lose their majority on South Norfolk Council. The ward is in the new Waveney Valley constituency where co-leader Adrian Ramsay hopes to become the next MP. He said:
“Over the last five local elections in England we have seen an almost five-fold increase in the number of Green councillors. The victories and the places where we have won means we are on course to see a similar increase in the number of MPs at the next general election. But this isn’t just about what it means for the General Election, it’s also what it means for those people who live in areas where Greens have power. We’re now the largest party on key English councils including Hastings, Stroud, East Hertfordshire, Babergh, East Suffolk, Mid Suffolk, Lewes, Folkestone and Hythe, the Forest of Dean, as well as Bristol of course. Voters are increasingly turning to the Greens because we offer a real alternative, with sensible and practical policies to tackle local and national issues such as the cost of living, the housing crisis, underfunded and run-down public services and the terrible state of our rivers.”
Other headlines from the local elections are:
- In Worcester, Greens won 12 seats – a record in the city and Greens got the largest vote share city-wide.
- An incredible result in Maidstone growing from 3 to 9 Councillors.
- In Hastings we have grown from 4 to 12 Councillors – making Greens the largest party on the council.
- We’ve seen another breakthrough in Hampshire, joining Bolton, Newcastle, Redditch and Sefton with their first Green Councillor.
- South Norfolk broke through with an impressive 10 votes over the Conservatives. As noted above this is part of the Waveney Valley constituency, which is incredibly promising news.
- South Tyneside has grown to be the strongest ever Green group in the North East.
Overall, the Green Party now has a record 809 Green Councillors on 174 Councils.