Green Party rises from last to third in the recent Knight’s Hill by-elections and would have had 10 seats on Lambeth Council under a proportional voting system, whilst Labour would’ve had an overall majority of just 4 seats.
The Green Party’s momentum in Lambeth continued yesterday as the Greens came within just 18 votes of beating the Conservatives into second place in the Knight’s Hill by-election.
The result represents a further improvement on May’s local elections, and reflects the Green Party’s growing national vote share.
In May the Green Party finished 85 votes behind the Conservatives in Knight’s Hill and second overall in Lambeth. In 2010 it came last in Knight’s Hill.
Labour won yesterday’s by-election with the votes of fewer than one in eight Knight’s Hill residents despite a huge push. The Lib Dems finished in fifth place.
The Green Party’s by-election candidate Chris Hocknell said: “I want to thank everyone who voted Green. It was wonderful to receive such a warm reception from local residents and an endorsement of what the Green Party stands for. There is a clear growth in support for the Green Party both locally in Lambeth and nationally, as more and more people see what the party stands for and how it presents a clear alternative to the three big parties.
Convenor of Lambeth Green Party Jonathan Bartley said: “Fewer than one in eight people in Knight’s Hill cast their vote for Labour in this by-election. This should be a serious concern to the self-styled co-operative council. Once again it shows that Labour’s council majority has much more to do with a broken electoral system than any real mandate from local people.”
Under a proportional system based on May’s council elections the Greens would have had 10 seats on Lambeth Council. Labour would have had an overall majority of just 4 seats.