23 June 2014
Members and supporters of Essex Green Party met in Rivenhall on June 21st for their annual county meeting. The well attended event discussed the growing support for the party, with progress made at the May elections and a recent surge in membership.
At the European elections, the Greens finished ahead of the Lib Dems in 10 out of the 14 council areas in Essex. Even in the Lib Dem stronghold of Colchester, the Green vote was close behind the Lib Dems (5049 LD compared to 4543 Green).
At the local elections, the Greens took their first seat in Epping Forest District and saw defending councillor Michael Hoy returned with a large majority in Rochford District. Green candidates also took second place in a number of wards in Colchester Borough and Rochford District.
The Greens in Essex now hold principal authority seats on Essex County Council (2), Braintree District Council (2), Rochford District Council (2) and Epping Forest District Council (1).
Whilst the Greens narrowly missed out from winning a seat in Eastern region at the European elections, by less than 1%, the Green MEP tally nationally increased to 3, compared to the Lib Dems collapse to 1.
The Green Party’s national membership has now exceeded 17,000. A Green surge has seen national membership grow by 23% in the first five months of this year. Every local party in Essex has seen its membership rise since the start of 2014.
Polling shows Green support at double or even treble the level of a year ago, with some polls putting the Greens level with the Lib Dems for the General Election to be held in May 2015.
http://greenparty.org.uk/news/2014/06/19/general-election-2015-greens-polling-at-8/
Cllr. James Abbott, Essex Green Party Co-ordinator said
“This is an exciting time for the Greens. We hear a lot from the media about the decline in membership of the so called “main” parties and the understandable disconnect that many voters feel from them. But the Greens are showing that there is a viable, growing alternative, and a party that is very different to UKIP.
We are now in a multi-party democracy, giving voters more choice and more possibilities for communities on who will represent them in making important decisions in areas such as planning and local services.
We are looking to increase our number of councillors again next year in Essex and improve our vote share at the General Election too. The Greens will be offering a positive vision for the future, working closely with local communities to make real progress on protecting our shared environment and building a fairer society.“
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