Tewkesbury Greens now have a say in running the council

Tewkesbury Borough Council was Conservative run, but no longer. Our friends in Tewkesbury Greens defeated 3 sitting Conservative councillors going from one Green councillor to 4, and this along with other parties making gains means the council is in "no overall control".  This is actually a good thing as it means parties have to cooperate to get things done, a snapshot of what could be possible under Proportional Representation rather than a winner takes all First Past the Post system.

As a large group in Tewkesbury Borough Council don't have overall control, the Greens will now be integral to decision making, and could be able to influence a wide range of outcomes with amongst other things Cllr Cate Codey taking on the role of Lead Member for Community. Congratulations to Cate, where she has a fantastic opportunity to shape Council thinking to be more green and forward looking than ever before.

As more Greens get elected across the country, we have more influence over local policy. It also shows that we do not need to win all the seats to effect change. Newly elected Greens are working collaboratively to run councils right now all over the country, for example in Harborough District Council, North Somerset, Exeter and many more. And Greens are for the first time in full control of a local council in Mid-Suffolk.

These fantastic results mark a big step forward for the Greens, all made possible by local volunteers working together.

It's our turn in 2024 here in Cheltenham, and the fight is on to get more Greens elected to push for the greener, local politics we need. We've had almost 15 years of low ambition green washing from the Tories and Liberal Democrats alike in Cheltenham, it is time for change!