Greens win sole control of a UK council for the first time
They prised Mid Suffolk away from Conservative control.
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Your support makes all the difference.The Greens have won their first outright majority on a UK council in what it hopes cements a ācoming of ageā moment as a mainstream party.
Mid Suffolk fell from a minority Conservative administration to sole control of the Greens as they made inroads elsewhere during the local election results on Friday.
The left-wing environmentalists have controlled local authorities in minority and coalition administrations before, but this is the first time they will have outright control.
With eight more results to be declared, the Greensā victory was declared when they won 18 of the East Anglia councilās 34 seats.
Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay told the PA news agency: āFor the first time anywhere outside Australia weāve seen the Greens take the majority control of a council.
āItās enormous because what weāve seen over the last four sets of election since 2019 is the Green party really coming of age as a mainstream party in this country.ā
Mr Ramsay said the Greens have been part of around 20 local administrations in the past but capturing overall control is a āreally significantā moment that āpaves the way for success at the general election.ā
He said his party is picking votes from both Labour and the Conservatives across rural and urban areas.
Caroline Lucas has been the partyās sole MP, but Mr Ramsay hopes to enter the Commons in the new Waveney Valley constituency, which includes much of Mid Suffolk.
Carla Denyer, who shares the Green leadership, plans to run in Bristol Central, where she will change strong Labour support.
But doing so would edge out another left-wing candidate, putting at risk Sir Keir Starmerās chances of winning a general election.
Mr Ramsay said: āGetting more greens elected will hold other partiesā feet to the fire and will raise the issues that need to be challenged in terms of the climate emergency but also cost of living and growing inequality.ā
The Greens were also behind the Conservatives losing overall control of East Hertfordshire, where no party won a majority. Seventeen Green candidates won spots on the council on Thursdayās votes.
In Mid Suffolk, Mr Ramsay vowed to be responsive to local concerns and focus on housing which is currently āfar too expensive for local people and outside their reachā.
He said the Green-run council plans to advocate for more social housing and being tougher with developers on affordable housing.