The balance of power has changed on Scarborough Borough Council following a Green by-election victory in August. Nick Harvey swept to victory ahead of the Conservatives in the largely rural Hertford ward, gaining over 66% of the vote, with a high voter turnout of 33%. Nick previously made history in 1996 when he became the first Green Party member elected on to Kirklees Council in West Yorkshire.

The result gave the Greens a third seat on Scarborough council and led to a change in the council’s leadership from a Conservative to a ‘rainbow’ cabinet that includes all parties except Labour. The Green Party now has a cabinet member, Cllr Jonathan Dixon, holding the portfolio of Housing, Public Health, Property Maintenance and Sustainability. Fellow Green councillor Dilys Cluer has become Chair of the Central Urban Area Committee and vice-chair of the Corporate Strategy Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Nick’s success was put down to ‘old fashioned, low tech, riso-graphed leaflets, one colour’, Nick’s high profile promoting public transport in the press and good old-fashioned leg work.

Nick said of the success there: “The Green Party can win any seat: New Labour, Liberal or Tory. While we don’t have the money of the large parties, the personal touch, especially at a local level, matters. While it does take considerable effort to win a council seat, the Green Party is unique: a radical party that can attract support from all parties and none. It’s also a positive vote rather than a protest.

The result in Scarborough:
Green Party 894
Conservative 356
Independent 94