Local
election night last May was a memorable night for the
Green Party. In town hall after town hall, up and
down the country, one Green gain followed another. We
ended the night with the single biggest increase in
Green councillors in the Party’s history.
It is exactly 20 years ago this month since I joined the Green Party. Back then we had just two local authority councillors in the whole country. Now we have ninety-two. And rather than merely highlighting the sort of policies we would like to see introduced, elected Greens on many local authorities are now in a powerful position to deliver them – securing investment for green energy projects, laying down tough planning rules for developers, tackling low pay and ensuring vital services are protected from brutal cuts. We are achieving a lot in local government with our ninety-two councillors but we can achieve so much more with more Greens elected. Highly effective targeting in winnable wards means we have the chance of making Green breakthroughs on councils such as Cambridge, Colchester, Mid-Bedfordshire and Leicester for the first time. We also have a real chance to increase our seats in established Green hotspots such as Brighton, Norwich, Lancaster and Kirklees. But to achieve these successes local parties need your help. I was enormously heartened by the number of members who took the trouble to travel to Lewisham last year and help us shoot up from one Green seat on the council to six. That extra help can make all the difference between winning and losing. I therefore urge all members and Green World readers to help make sure we have something to celebrate on election night on May 3rd .
Darren Johnson is Leader of the Green Party Group on Lewisham Council and a London Assembly Member.
It is exactly 20 years ago this month since I joined the Green Party. Back then we had just two local authority councillors in the whole country. Now we have ninety-two. And rather than merely highlighting the sort of policies we would like to see introduced, elected Greens on many local authorities are now in a powerful position to deliver them – securing investment for green energy projects, laying down tough planning rules for developers, tackling low pay and ensuring vital services are protected from brutal cuts. We are achieving a lot in local government with our ninety-two councillors but we can achieve so much more with more Greens elected. Highly effective targeting in winnable wards means we have the chance of making Green breakthroughs on councils such as Cambridge, Colchester, Mid-Bedfordshire and Leicester for the first time. We also have a real chance to increase our seats in established Green hotspots such as Brighton, Norwich, Lancaster and Kirklees. But to achieve these successes local parties need your help. I was enormously heartened by the number of members who took the trouble to travel to Lewisham last year and help us shoot up from one Green seat on the council to six. That extra help can make all the difference between winning and losing. I therefore urge all members and Green World readers to help make sure we have something to celebrate on election night on May 3rd .
Darren Johnson is Leader of the Green Party Group on Lewisham Council and a London Assembly Member.
