The Eastern Green Party is celebrating its most successful local election results in its 47-year history with 44 seats won.
The party has seen a record number of new seat gains across the region, including the first ever Green councillors in Colchester, Fenland, Breckland, East Herts and West Norfolk, and winning seats from Conservative group leaders in both Colchester and the newly merged council of East Suffolk.
In Suffolk Greens won 20 seats, while in Essex the total won is 8. Notable successes were in Braintree, where Greens gained five seats to reach a total of six; in East Suffolk there were four wins; and there were further gains in Norwich, Peterborough, and Epping Forest.
Robert Lindsay, a Suffolk County councillor and newly elected to Babergh Council, said:
“We’re delighted by the results across the region. This is the result of hard work, all year, every year by all our grass roots campaigners. The way the Green Party works means Green candidates and campaigners are independent minded and expected to earn their support by working to make their community better and to put residents they represent front and centre.”
“We are already well on the way to being a thorn in the side for councils that are one party mini-states across the region and our credibility in local government will stand us in good stead for the coming European elections.”
Catherine Rowett, the lead Green Party candidate for the European Parliamentary elections heads a list of seven candidates that includes Rupert Read: an internationally renowned climate campaigner; Martin Schmierer: the current Lord Mayor of Norwich; Fiona Radic: a leading anti-Brexit campaigner from Peterborough; Paul Jeater: a politics teacher from Essex who heads the Eastern Region Green Party; Pallavi Devulapalli: a doctor in General Practice in West Norfolk; and Jeremy Caddick: the Dean of a Cambridge college who campaigns on pay inequality and investment transparency.
Dr. Rowett, who is a Professor at the University of East Anglia, is quick to point out that the Eastern Greens were only 1% away from electing an MEP in 2009 and 2014. Because the European election is decided by a form of proportional representation, we stand a very good chance of winning this time.
She sends this message about the Green commitment to Europe:
“By voting Green the voters in the East of England can send a clear message that they want the UK to Remain in the European Union. Green MEPs make a positive difference to people’s lives. As your representative in Europe I will press for urgent action on the climate emergency and for a fairer economy. Vote for a positive future on 23rd May – vote Green.”