The South Lincolnshire Green Party are celebrating an historic result following yesterday’s District and Parish Council elections. In the elections for the South Kesteven District Council, not only did it deliver the first Green Party councillor in the history of Lincolnshire, the night ended with a total of four Green councillors, elected by their local wards to champion progressive and sustainable ideas for the environment and the communities that they will now serve.
Grantham St Vincents Ward Delivers first green councillor
Councillor Patsy Ellis became Lincolnshire’s first ever Green Councillor, taking one of the three seats in the ward of Grantham St. Vincents. Ellis, and her fellow Green candidates Alex Ferguson and Anne Gayfer, were ever-presents on the streets around the ward in the lead up to the election, keen to hear the concerns of local residents and to find out how we can best serve them. Ellis was elected with the most votes out of the field of ten candidates, with current Mayor of Grantham, Graham Jeal (Con), and long-standing Independent Charmaine Morgan also elected alongside her.
The ensuing acceptance speeches reflected the significance of the result. “This is an historic day for the Green Party in this region,” stated Ellis. “I also think it’s a great day for the people of South Kesteven to see such change across the council.”
Previous Council Leader Loses Seat as Greens Win Big in Casewick
Next to be elected was Councillor Vanessa Smith, in a result that proved one of the biggest results of the night. Dr Smith was elected as a Councillor for the Casewick ward with an overwhelming majority. The result also saw Council Leader, Kelham Cooke of the Conservative Party, lose his seat on the council.
In her own acceptance speech Dr Smith reflected on the sentiment in her local ward. “There has been certain dissatisfaction with the leadership, particularly with regards to the Deepings Leisure Centre,” she revealed. “I realise it is an enormous amount of work ahead, but I will endeavour to work my hardest for those who voted for me to whom I’m extremely grateful.”
Bourne Austerby Delivers Two Green Councillors
As the results continued through the night, the members of the South Lincolnshire Green Party celebrated the elections of Councillor Emma Baker and Councillor Rhys Baker, took two of the 3 seats in the ward of Bourne Austerby. The married couple, both teachers in schools within the ward, were joined by Councillor Paul Fellows, an Independent who retained his seat. The result saw the former Conservative cabinet minister, Robert Reid, lose his seat.
Councillor Rhys Baker spoke of the optimism the Council results have brought. “Thank you everyone. This is not just a victory, it is a start,” continued Baker. “We now have a responsibility to deliver for our communities the best that we possibly can.”
South Kesteven District Council Enters New era
The complete results saw the Conservatives lose overall control of the council, a result that few could have predicted just a short few months ago.
The Conservatives remain the biggest party with 24 seats, whilst Independent Councillors took 22. Green Councillors, however, now have a significant voice in SKDC, joining the Liberal Democrats on 4 seats, with Labour taking 2.
