Monday 9 May 2011

A great day for the Greens

Thank you to everyone in Lambeth who helped out all over the country to make May 5th a really successful day for the Green Party.

We made great gains in many places and now have representation on 43 councils across the country. Successes ranged across councils as diverse as Bolsover, Bristol, Herefordshire, Kings Lynn, Malvern, Mid Suffolk, Norwich, Reigate, Solihull, South Hams, Stafford and St Albans.

Our biggest achievement was in Brighton & Hove where we’re now the largest party - the first time the Greens have led any council in the UK.

These results are a fantastic boost, showing that the Green message is getting through in all sorts of communities in all sorts of areas.

After thirteen years of disappointment under a Labour government, and in the context of a truly destructive Liberal-Conservative coalition, perhaps this isn’t too surprising. However, we’ve still got a huge amount of work to do here in south London to make sure that we’re seen as a realistic option in these parts too.

The elections for the London Assembly next year offer a vital opportunity. Not only do we hope to increase the Green presence on the Assembly, but we’ll also be able to test how far we’ve come in London and gauge levels of support before our own big push for councillors in 2014.

We’ll need all the support we can get to make these a success, so if you can help us – or if you’re interested in finding out more – please do get in touch.