Lambeth Green Party are celebrating their local election results in Lambeth on 4th May, which saw them finish second in the borough with five seats to become the official opposition to the Labour-run council [1].
In St Leonard’s ward in Streatham, where the Greens saw their candidate Scott Ainslie elected in 2014, a 9 point overall lead [2] saw them grab an additional two seats from the incumbent Labour Party. The victory of Jonathan Bartley and Nicole Griffiths here means that Lambeth are the only local authority in Britain to have a party leader also elected as a councillor.
Elsewhere in Herne Hill, Rebecca Thackray, who had previously been a Green councillor in Lambeth from 2006 – 2010, was re-elected following a campaign heavily focused on protecting the local Carnegie Library.
In Gipsy Hill the party scored another victory as Pete Elliott – who had campaigned against the closure of Carnegie Library and the demolition of the Central Hill estate – was also elected.
Elsewhere across the borough, the Greens finished in second place in a swathe of wards, and were the second biggest party in terms of overall vote share, putting them in a strong challenging position in future local elections.
Green Party co-leader and new councillor Jonathan Bartley commented: “The Green Party have made huge strides not just in Lambeth, but right across the country. We presently have more councillors nationally and locally than at any other point in our history.
“In Lambeth, in common with many other areas, we have campaigned solidly on local issues, working with known and respected local activists to amplify their messages and ensure they have a voice on the council. The clear message from these elections is that the Greens have the backs of local residents, who have been taken for granted for too long by the Labour-run council.
“Whether it’s the destruction of trees in Sheffield or library closures and estate demolitions in Lambeth, the Greens will continue to work tirelessly to ensure people are not ignored and councils are forced to sit up and listen.”
Notes:
[1] https://moderngov.lambeth.gov.uk/mgElectionResults.aspx?ID=35&RPID=33126107
[2] The total number of Green votes for this ward was 6,227, compared to Labour’s 5,026. The Conservatives achieved a total of 1,159 and the Lib Dems 455.
