200 Seats: biggest growth in 50 years
4th May’s local elections signalled a huge success for the Green Party. Nationally a record gain of 200 seats was the biggest growth in a single step in the Party’s 50 year history.
True Opposition
Greens became the largest party in several councils across the country, including Lewes, where the Conservatives were wiped out, and East Hertfordshire, where they took 17 seats from the Conservatives. In all there were 155 gains from the Tories cementing the Greens as the true opposition to the government in many places.
Majority control
In Mid Suffolk Greens gained majority control of a local authority for the first time. The leader of Mid Suffolk Greens Andy Mellen said votes for the Green Party can no longer be considered as purely a protest against the other main parties. “We are a serious political party. We got 57% of the vote in Mid Suffolk, we gained seats right across the region. I don’t think we can call it a protest vote any more.”
Greens double tally in Kent
In Kent Greens more than doubled their tally of seats from 21 to 47 across the county, and achieved a majority for the first time in Folkestone and Hythe. See below for the council by council gains.
Green gains as Thanet goes labour
In Thanet, where the Labour Party now controls the authority, the four re-elected existing Green councillors, Tricia Austin, Becky wing, Abi Smith and Mike Garner, will be joined on the District Council by Kevin Pressland, who won a second Green seat in St Peter’s Ward. Kevin will also be taking a seat on Broadstairs Town Council along with another Green councillor Steve Roberts, councillor for Bradstowe ward.
Thanet Green Party Branch Secretary Tricia Austin thanked supporters:
“A huge THANK YOU to everyone who voted Green in Thanet on Thursday.
We are delighted to have been re-elected in our existing four Thanet District Council seats, and to have added one extra District Council seat (Cllr Kevin Pressland, St Peter’s ward) and 2 extra Broadstairs Town Council seats (Kevin and Cllr Steve Roberts, Bradstowe ward) to our total. So we now have 5 Green District and 5 Green Town Councillors in Thanet.
Commiserations to our wonderful candidates who just missed being elected. You’ve all worked so hard and run decent, principled, honourable campaigns. We’re so proud of you – and we look forward to you being elected next time round!
Across Kent our numbers of Principal Authority Councillors have more than doubled. The Greens are on the up! Well done and thank you to everyone who has helped.”